20 Gallon Tank Weird biofilm/algae in axolotl tank

[fishydaddy]

Tank info: 20 gallon long w/single axolotl, 2 sponge filters, 1 HOB, water changes every 1-2 weeks. Ammonia: 0ppm, Nitrite: 0ppm, Nitrate: 0ppm, pH: 7.5, temp: 64-66F

This stuff is unlike anything I've had to deal with before! It looks like a mix of fillamentous diatoms and biofilm. It grows incredibly fast and clogs my filters within 5 days. It's texture is super gross, very slimy and thick. It grows on all surfaces and causes the tank to look cloudy within a few days when on the glass. I'm at a loss! This tank has been set up for over 6 months and is just now having this issue. I've tried increasing water changes, adding a HOB to increase flow, and added ghost shrimp to help clean it up. Today I'm going to buy some bottled bacteria to add microfauna that will hopefully outcompete whatever this is. I even looked at it under my microscope to try to identify it, and all I could see was tons of worms living in the matrix. There was a little bit of algae in it, but the bulk of it looked like biofilm. Has anyone delt with this stuff before? It's a pain especially because it's clogging my filters so dang fast!

 

[StarGirl]

Looks to be slime mold.

Molds and funguses feed on decaying material. If you clean it out good and remove dying plant leaves etc it should go away. I would do water changes and clean up every few days until it stays away. Then keep on a weekly water change schedule to keep everything fresher and you should avoid stuff like this in the future.