White bloom

[richiep]

I am My tank as been going since October last year a few months ago I had a white bloom appear, i do not over feed and all water parameters are fine and my red crystal are breeding, after a water change and filter change two days ago the bloom as got worse, it's starting to worry me now as I can't help but think I am going to get an ammonia problem. Can I use anything that wount effect the shrimp. Cheers Ritchie 

[jayc]

1 hour ago, richiep said:

I am going to get an ammonia problem.

Have you got a kit to test ammonia?

 

How long has this been happening?

[richiep]

I have all the water kits and I am monitoring it daily. It's been going on late December just short of two months, it started  when sprinkled  one soup of Bacter  AE on the water surface, it did start to go until I changed 25% water and renewed the floss in my external filter, a few hours after that it just exploded and see my to be getting worse. The tank is a 225ltr

[jayc]

14 hours ago, richiep said:

I have all the water kits and I am monitoring it daily.

What are your ammonia, nitrite levels?

 

14 hours ago, richiep said:

changed 25% water and renewed the floss in my external filter

Stop all water changes with tap water and stop all filter cleaning or worse renewing filter media for new media that has no beneficial bacteria.

we have two types of beneficial bacteria in aquariums:

Autotrophic Bacteria - Bacteria capable of synthesising their own food from inorganic substances. The beneficial filter bacteria are autotrophs. Autotrophs are aerobic and uses oxygen. These multiply slower, around once every 24 hours.

Heterotrophic Bacteria - Bacteria that cannot synthesise their own food and is dependent on complex organic substances for nutrition. The heterotrophs in the aquariums consume organic waste (break down uneaten food, fish waste, dead plant matter etc into ammonia). These heterotrophs multiply much faster, very 30 minutes or so, and are larger thus have more difficulty attaching to surfaces. Hence they float around more and are more "visible" as cloudy water. 

In a newly setup aquarium, heterotrophs  establish themselves quicker than autotrophs. (However, it looks like you have sped up and multiplied their number by adding AE bacter (did you add too much perhaps)). That's why you often see a cloudy bacterial bloom in new aquariums where organic matter and waste is still high - lots of food. They convert this to waste or ammonia. So checking for ammonia is vital, especially if you have livestock in the aquarium.

These heterotrophs also use up oxygen in the water. So increased aeration is crucial. Autotrophs need oxygen to multiply, and since autotrophs are what you want in the tank, you need more oxygen for autotrophs to multiply.

If heterotrophs and a cloudy bacterial bloom persists, then that means there is a constant source of organic waste that is feeding them. Dead plant matter, dead fish, excessive food, waste in the substrate ... even the water you add in from the tap can be high in organics. 

If you have a TDS meter, test your tap water, or whatever water source you are using to change water.

 

If you have access to rain water or RO water, use that for water changes. Gravel vac the substrate and remove as much of the waste as possible. Replace with water that is low in TDS.

Reduce feeding drastically to a minimum.

Monitor Ammonia levels.

 

Edited February 6, 2018 by jayc

[richiep]

Thanks  jayc  it's good to have people with your knowledge around and you explained it in a way I could understand, your advise is very much appreciate  cheers  Richie

[jayc]

You're welcome. Hope you sort it out.

[jayc]

@richiep,

any update on your cloudy water?

If you still have not got it under control, you can check out a product called Boyd Enterprises Chemi-Pure.

https://www.thetechden.com.au/Boyd_Enterprises_Chemi_Pure_141g_p/becp5.htm

That might help with your situation.

 

[richiep]

Hi jayc

 Not under controll at all. Shrimp doing well all water parameters fine but no sign ad a let up. Don't know if I can get chem pure in the UK but will have a look. Had and e-mail from seachem they said their seachem clear was ok with shrimp which may be another way if I can't get chem pure. Cheers richie

[richiep]

Quick update I can get chemi-pure over here so I may have to go down that route

Richie

[richiep]

If anything jayc it's got a bit worse. I have ordered chemi-pure will be with me Tuesday. In the evening you can't see anything in the tank it's as if it get worse then. Thanks for staying with me on this it's much appreciated, The write up on chemi-pure sounds as if it will do the trick

Cheers richie

[jayc]

Hope it does the trick for you.

[Matuva]

I had to deal with such a trouble last year.

2 of my tanks show this white cloud afte a water change. I have yet to understand why.

1 one of the tank, the problem disappeared by itself after 2/3 weeks, and sometimes shows up for a while and then disappear again. For more than a month now, it has become clear and stays clear.
On the other one, I had to use a U.V. lamp to get rid of these bacterias. The tank cured in less a week. I kept the U.V. lamp for a month, just to get sure, and this white bloom never comes back in this tank which is now crystal clear.

In both tanks, the shrimps were never affected.

my.02

[richiep]

Hi matuva glad you got yours sorted and pleased it never effected your shrimp, it gives me a bit of hope, on saying that my problem started in December and if anything got worse, as you read above jayc as been giving me tips and advise I'm now waiting for Chem-pure and I'm giving that a try, I turned the tank lights off early tonight as it gets worse in the evening and I can only think the light is helping the bacteria to multiply, we'll have to see what the next week or so brings.

Jayc if you read this should I take my ammano shrimp out of the tank they are very large and due to the lack of feeding will they attack my young crystals

[jayc]

2 hours ago, richiep said:

should I take my ammano shrimp out of the tank they are very large and due to the lack of feeding will they attack my young crystals

No there is very, very little risk of an amano attacking other shrimp for food. I see why you would think that though, those Amanos are huge compared to Neos or caridina. 

Edited February 12, 2018 by jayc

[jayc]

@richiep, turn off your lights on the aquarium. I read someone say it helped.

 

 

[richiep]

Will do cheers. Chemi-pure will arrive in 12 hrs so hopefully on the road to success I hope

[jayc]

?

[richiep]

On 12/02/2018 at 3:01 AM, jayc said:

No there is very, very little risk of an amano attacking other shrimp for food. I see why you would think that though, those Amanos are huge compared to Neos or caridina. 

well jayc its in by 10.30am GMT now i just hope for a miracle, my pots in the external filter take one of these pouches perfect so ive left one of the carbon pouches in place with the chem-pure, there are two compartments side by side in one pot

[Cesar]

Bacterial blooms can happen when you change the media in your filter, when I had a fluval 404 I would squeeze two sponges in to one of the chambers and ever only clean or replace one at a time, leaving the second full of established bacteria. Now I run central filters and never touch filter media, just clean around it to avoid huge water fluctuations...

If you have your lights on timers you can adjust them to reduce the amount of time your lights are on. As well as doing partial water changes with aerate pre-cycled water. I use something similar to this product:

https://www.thetechden.com.au/API_Quick_Strart_118ml_p/aph127.htm

Adding bacteria that speeds up the cycling of the tank by introducing the beneficial bacteria that was removed when you changed the established filter media could help clear up your tank a little faster.

HTH

;)

[richiep]

Well cesar it's been a nightmare  which kept getting worse, today I've put Chemi-pure into my filter so hopefully within the next 24hrs i will start to see a difference, if nothing then beneficial bacteria may be another option,I want to stay away from putting chemicals in if possible but at the end of the day that may be the only option. 

[Cesar]

Yep, never fun when things go haywire but your tank will be fine, keep us updated!

 

[richiep]

Yes will do I am just glad my shrimp are ok, this chemi-pure is some sort of super activated carbon as opposed to liquid chemicals I just hope it works. Thanks for the idea of putting good bacteria in but hopefully this will work

[jayc]

1 hour ago, richiep said:

Yes will do I am just glad my shrimp are ok, this chemi-pure is some sort of super activated carbon as opposed to liquid chemicals I just hope it works. Thanks for the idea of putting good bacteria in but hopefully this will work

Yes, do tell us the result. 

If you are going to add more bacteria, be aware that most use the same bacteria as AE Bacter.

I would only trust one brand to actually have aquarium beneficial bacteria ... Dr Tims One and Only.

Hopefully you  can get Dr Tims One and Only in or near Bedford. Otherwise get it online.

 

[richiep]

Well my friend I'm Welsh but now live in bedford so something good may come of this i'm sure ill find it, if you remember i think it was bacter AE that  started it but not sure, anyway ill give the chem-pure a chance before adding bacteria. Hopefully things will start to get interesting from here on 

[richiep]

Just had a quick look nothing in bedford but I'll ring around tomorrow. I have found it on Amazon so it is available