What Is This In My Filter? Pics Inside

[adpgt]

What is that brown stringy stuff where the water exits the filter?

Also in this pic, what is that white and brown stuff inside my filter?

 

[creeker]

Looks like a form of brown algae. It survives under lower light conditions than green algae. I get it in my filter too, in the outtake area.

 

[adpgt]

Do I clean it or just leave it? Could it result in my high nitrate levels in my tank? (like 160-200)



Also, what is that white stuff in the second picture?

 

[creeker]

I would clean it just for asthetics myself, I don't think it would raise nitrate though. High nitrate will feed the algae. Water changes will reduce the nitrate.

 

[Chad]

It's probably a mix of algae, bacterial floc, and detritus and it's very common. As mentioned just clean it off regularly and perhaps increase the frequency or size of water changes to reduce the nutrients feeding it.

 

[PrairieSunflower]

I didn't know that could be algae. I get that in my filters all the time and just assumed it was muck.

 

[Chad]

I don't know for sure what it's composed of. My theory has always been that it's bacterial floc that creates a sort of sticky mat into which detritus and algae get trapped.