AquaTricia said:the gray/lumpy stuff has long hairs in it now and i take it out every day but it comes back the next day. i tested the tank last night: ammonia, nitrites, nitrates all 0, phosphates 2.5. can't get better than that. decided my next step is measuring tds. anyone go along with this idea and have a suggestion for a good tds monitor, easy to use and won't break the bank?
What's your phosphates? That is probably the cause to the algae. It doesn't take much to fuel algae growth (less then what most tests can accurately read).