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bacteria bloom

6K views 25 replies 5 participants last post by  southamericancichlidguy23 
#1 ·
does bacteria bloom do anything besides make ur tank really cloudy does it make parasites hurt ur fish etc etc etc
 
#2 ·
oh and iv been doing water changes every 4 days clears for one nite then back to cludy i added sand month ago caused all this and then my filter broke so i just put a marinland 350 in the tank that i bought nice filter but any help to clear this up its bad im gonna upload picture so u can see my mess lol water was changed 3 days ago picture just taken now
 

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#3 ·
is there a chemical i can clean this up with or something or am i going to have to go threw the 4 to 8 weeks of milky way in my tank lol
 
#7 ·
Activated carbon is only chemical to use. Filter maint along with proper amount of filtration and twice weekly 50 percent water changes will be needed until you can find larger tank for these fish., They are more fish than your present filtration can handle. Also agree with Bamboo plant needs removed.
I would return the sturgeon unless you have plans for several thousand gallon tank in the future.
 
#4 ·
im gonna go to the store in the morning get some prime iv been reading seems it has a good chance clearin this mess up im running out options gonna take some water in get it tested also
 
#6 ·
I think you need to do water changes more often than every 4 days in order to notice an impact on a bloom like that.

Just a heads up: that bamboo is going to die. Bamboo can't survive fully submersed like that; the top of the plant needs to be above the water line. I'm not really sure why pet stores insist on selling bamboo as an aquatic plant.
 
#8 ·
nope only going to 400 gallon once he reachs 2 and half feet im releasing him into lake erie to be free and yes the filter has something to do with it its three days old but the other one broke and this one is far from the sand plus the sand is blue so it would show the blue color
 
#9 ·
k so checked the water ammonia is off the charts over 6.0 and nitro is .65 and climming i bought stability to try and correct it but nitras and ammonia are off the charts and toxic dont knw wut i can do
 
#10 ·
i think a 364 gallons a hour can handle the fish i have in there perfectly fine the whisper 60 was it just broke from sand damage
 
#12 ·
the guy at the fish store said with how bad your tank is u need to use stability put 5 caps in dont change the water cuz at this point ur taking out good bacteria instead bad and just ride it out and hope ur fish dont die there isnt much u can do but bare it and pray they live Seachem Stability - Product Reviews at The Age of Aquariums - Tropical Fish thats wut im using at the point im going i was doing the water changes 50 percent every 4 days and honestly it didnt help a bit i woke up to a cloud again and again everytime i did that for a month before i went to the fish store today and he gave me this and im not talking abuot a crap store like petsmart or pet supplies plus im talking about a fish store fish only with shark egges stingrays they been around for over 20 years
 
#15 ·
the guy at the fish store said with how bad your tank is u need to use stability put 5 caps in dont change the water cuz at this point ur taking out good bacteria instead bad and just ride it out and hope ur fish dont die there isnt much u can do but bare it and pray they live Seachem Stability - Product Reviews at The Age of Aquariums - Tropical Fish thats wut im using at the point im going i was doing the water changes 50 percent every 4 days and honestly it didnt help a bit i woke up to a cloud again and again everytime i did that for a month before i went to the fish store today and he gave me this and im not talking abuot a crap store like petsmart or pet supplies plus im talking about a fish store fish only with shark egges stingrays they been around for over 20 years

With all due respect to the guy at the fish store, It is widely known that there is very little good bacteria in the water. What you DO have in your water presently ,if readings are accurate,is high levels of toxins that WILL kill your fish without 50 percent water changes daily until levels are under control .
You recently replaced filter with new one and it is possible that much of the good bacteria you had ,went out with the old filter unless you used some of the filter material from the old whisper filter and placed it in the new filter to help transfer the good bacteria to the new filter.
You also switched to sand substrate and the old substrate also held considerable amount of good bacteria for this bacteria gathers on and sticks to everything in the aquarium, the walls,the substrate,decorations,gravel, and filter.
The cloudiness could be combination of sand that was not rinsed enough before using, which despite manufacturers claims,,,should be done, and possible bacteria bloom.
The nasty smell you report in another thread, is result of waste build up from food and or fish waste that the filter cannot process and can only be removed by vaccuming a small area of the sand with each water change and a different area each time. Sand provides benefit of keeping waste on top of substrate rather than the waste working it's way into the gravel substrate used by many. The sand should be vaccumedfirst and then after vaccuming, you can sift the sand with your fingers or plastic fork, or other tool . To stir the sand BEFORE vaccuming,will result in that waste which we want to remove,,becoming buried in the sand and this could result in rotten smell or nasty smell .
The fish you currently have as they grow (not likely with toxins present) will continue to produce large amounts of waste and it will require frequent servicing of filter to remove those suspended particles that are trapped there and held until filter material is cleaned,and frequent water changes will be needed to keep up with that which passes through the filter material and remains in the tank until you remove it with water changes.
This applys to ALL aquariums ,,but with the load you have in the 55gal it becomes critical.
If you are not willing to listen to those who offer you sound suggestions or advice and try and implement these suggestions,, then indeed ,,perhaps fishes everywhere would be thankful if you ultimately choose not to pursue the hobby.
 
#13 ·
im about fed up with trying im about to sell everything it has 7 days to improve
 
#14 ·
I'm not sure it'll be completely fixed in a timespan that short.

I think what happened is that when your filter broke and you replaced it, you took out most of the beneficial bacteria you had in the tank, which resulted in the ammonia/nitrite spike you're seeing now. I imagine you don't have the old filter anymore or I'd recommend using some of your old filter media in the new filter.

At this point, large water changes every day (or more, since your tank is so heavily stocked) to keep ammonia and nitrite levels below 0.25ppm are what's going to save your fish. Just like when you cycled the tank the first time around, it's going to take some time for those bacteria colonies to re-establish themselves. If you have any other tanks or know someone who does, putting some filter media from an established tank into your filter (or even just giving their sponges a squeeze into the reservoir part of your HOB filter) could help things.
 
#16 ·
so wut u are telling me so i understand this correctly is to take 50 percent water plus put new water in and then put more stability in the filter after i do that is that correct
 
#21 ·
Yes,remove 50 percent of the old water and replace it with dechlorinated water of close to same temp as that in tank.I don't feel that the product STABILITY can hurt anything.
I would perform 50 percent changes each day or every twelve hours until ammonia and nitrites read as close to zero as you can get them. Certainly no more than .25
 
#17 ·
and does it matter that its blue sand and the cloudyness isnt blue
 
#22 ·
Is of no matter, Could be dust from sand but more likely a mixture of waste and possible bacteria bloom. Either way ,running some activated carbon will help along with water changes and vaccuming the sand with gravel vaccum. You could split the bottom of the tank into thirds and vaccum one third of the bottom once every two or three days and a different area each time you vaccum. this way you will not disturb all of the bacteria trying to develop and you will be removing waste that is causing smell you speak of and is also contributing to cloudinesss of water.
 
#18 ·
and before i trust u how long you been doing fish tanks and have u had this happen before
 
#23 ·
Have been keeping fish since early 1970's and have seen what you are expieriencing more than a few times. Your tank is trying to cycle with a heavy load (fish), It is absolutely imperative that you reduce feedings to once a day or every other day and feed only a small amount and change out water anytime ammonia levels climb above .25.
If you do not have a test kit,, Then change 50 percent of the water each day until you can get a test for ammonia and nitrites. This will keep levels from climbing too high. Anything above zero for ammonia is toxic so water changes will be needed to dilute the toxins and it is a good idea to use a dechlorinator such as PRIME that detoxifys ammonia,nitrites,chlorine,and chloramines. not all dechlorinbators are same. PRIME or AMQUEL+ would be good choice.
 
#19 ·
and did u click on the link to see the chemical im using
 
#24 ·
If you are referring to STABILITY yes. Do look for water conditioner mentioned for detoxifying ammonia,chlorine,chloramines and nitrites. I feel the conditioners mentioned ,are only thing you actually need but product STABILITY could do no harm.
I would not use any other chemicals than those mentioned.
 
#20 ·
im doing 50 percent im gonna put my trust in u my friend is bringing over his black sponge from his fish tank gonna sqeeze it put some good bacteria in and out some carbon in and put some more stability in tommorow and fight this i wont lose the fish my one oscar just getting his tiger colors in this week
 
#25 ·
Filter squeezings from your friends sponge will help if material is kept wet in aquarium water and is done quickly so that the bacteria does not die off during transport due to lack of oxygen rich water and or food(ammonia).
As mentioned earlier , with the fish you have,the filter material may need cleaning more often than in other tanks but I would only clean the material If water flow back into the tank was being restricted or slowed down considerably. If it DOES need cleaning, it is ALWAYS best to clean it by swishing the sponge,pad,cartridge,etc around in old aquarium water you take out during water changes and then stick it back in the filter. Cleaning the filter material in Tapwater that contains chlorine or chloramines.(most have one or the other) will kill off bacteria that you need to process the ammonia,and nitrites.
You are in a tough spot. The fish you have are messy and large. If you watch an Oscar eat, you will note that a considerable amnount of what it eats passes through and across the gills and then back into the aquarium.Add to this the waste produced (poop) and in a tank that has lost it's biological filtert (good bacteria) the levels of ammonia will be problem until the beneficial bacteria can once again develop in sufficient numbers to help consume the ammonia produced by the fish. Reducing feeding for a time,water changes frequently with dechlorinators mentioned, and determination on you part can only benefit the fish. Were it me,, I would perform daily water changes of 30 to 50 percent using the dechlorinators mentioned (one or the other) no matter what the tests say. Once the tank had once again maturedor (cycled) I would continue with twice weekly 50 percent water changes for the life of the tank with the present occupants always mindful that larger tank would be much easier to maintain than crowded tank. Hoipe this helps.
 
#26 ·
sry computer has been broke lol tank is clear food is cut down ammonia is still alittle high nitra has droped continueing stabilty and yes friends sponge was kept wet intill it was at my house then i dumped his water plus splashed his sponge around in the water used some carbon to bring ammonia down tank is completely clear but still got a ammonia alittle high its come down alot and so has nitra is at think .25 and ammonia is down to 2.0 and getting lower :) its getting better and yea i knw i want bigger one but i want to jump to 400 gallon so im trying to hold in there to buy this house im looking at so i can pay somebody to build the 400 gallon
 
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