[Bryson06]

I got home today and my 55 gallon tank thats been cycling for about a week has little white particles of stuff floating on the surface of the water, covering the surface. I this normal for cycling?

 

[Nick]

Hey....I would refer to the topic that soemone started below this. It is the same one that you just said about. You may try asking on there. May be able to get more help....Also blue wrote this in that thread about the white bubbly stuff ontop: Some of it isnt relavent but I think some may help.

Pls tell us the exact id of your fish. As the uploading of pics here is out for awhile yet, you may try Photobucket or Imagecave programs to be able to download the pics for id. I was asking for pics in case you can't identify your fish. Descriptions are harder than pics.

Pls try cycling your tank. As it now has some fish, you'll have to buy a test kit and keep testing the water stats. Ammonia and nitrites should stay at zero. Don't add ammonia(which was suggested for fishless cycling). Ammonia is toxic to the fish. Your fish's wastes may turn into ammonia which can be toxic to the fish. So to convert them into nitrites, you may speed up the process by obtaining an established filter media(foam, floss, etc), gravel and otehr decors from somebody who has tanks which have already been running for a long time. Those options will be your bacterial sources. Your lfs(local fish store) is also a good source for those items needed. Make sure those are disease-free.

With the presence of the bacteria, ammonia is converted into the most dangerous substance which is nitrites. Finally, it will be converted into nitrates which are the least harmful.
Again, pls buy a test kit. Ammonia test kit is bought separately as the ammonia test apparently isn't available in most test kits which already have the following: pH, GH, KH, nitrites, nitrates and high pH.

Good luck.

Hope that helped...




Nick

 

[Bryson06]

They arent bubbles its white particles... I do not have fish, its in the process of cycling. Its been cycling for about a week.

 

[Nick]

Ope sorry mis understood the question. Do you have water stats?

 

[Bryson06]

I know my ammonia (which ive been adding) is 5ppm. I still need to buy the other kit with all the ph and KH and all those tests.

 

[joeshmoe]

Mybe this wite stuff came from your gravel or something like that.

 

[Bryson06]

well the gravel has been in there for a little over a week... it was really clear... Its not a big deal to me that its kinda cloudy cause of its cycling.. I just dont know what this is... all ive got in the tank is black gravel and water. and of course the heater and filter.

 

[Lupin]

It seems the white stuff is familiar to me. I had experienced that before. They sound like calcium coming from the gravel. It's a pain to remove once they encrust to the glass above water level as calcium deposits.
The only way to remove the calcium deposits on the glass is lowering the water level, then scrubbing the calcium deposits with a rag soaked in muriatic acid.
Muriatic acid is toxic so avoid letting it get contacted to the tank water.

 

[Bryson06]

Could this build up of whte stuff be because where I live we have very "hard" tap water? We have alot of Minerals in our water. I did use a dual water conditioner that removes chlorine and chloramine.

 

[joeshmoe]

i dont think so my tap is veryhard and nothing has hapen to me

 

[Lupin]

Could this build up of whte stuff be because where I live we have very "hard" tap water? We have alot of Minerals in our water. I did use a dual water conditioner that removes chlorine and chloramine.

It's more of containing much calcium. They don't cause harm though but removing the accumulated stuff is a pain.
Shrimps will benefit from that as their shells harden thus they won't easily be eaten by the fish.

 

[SKAustin]

The only way to remove the calcium deposits on the glass is lowering the water level, then scrubbing the calcium deposits with a rag soaked in muriatic acid.

I beg to differ. Any deposts that collect on the glass can be easily removed with a flat bladed hobby knife.