# Stubborn Bacterial Bloom & new canister- HELP ME



## riarocks (Oct 5, 2010)

Hey all-

I just upgraded my tank from a 55 to a 75-gal. I also bought a canister filter. I moved the old tank water over to the new tank and had my old tank's filter running at the same time as the canister. No big deal, water was crystal clear and all was well.

I haven't changed this setup yet, as I've only had this tank for 2 weeks now. I did a 30% water change last week and while I was doing this I noticed the canister's output tube was pinched off for who knows how long. So I readjusted the canister and as the water started spewing out back into the tank, it was spewing out this clear film into my tank!!! The fish were so confused and trying to eat it... it was a disaster.

You live you learn right? So I did a subsequent water change to try to siphon out as much as that film as I could. Now, for the past two weeks, my water is increasing cloudy white. I've also noticed algae beginning to pop up on the rocks (but the water is WHITE, like a bacterial bloom, not an algae bloom).

My fish I've had for nearly 6 years and they are skittish right now. My nitrite and ammonia levels are higher than I've ever seen and I'm not sure what to do-- big water change? That was what got me into this mess in the first place.

HELP!!!!!!

Thank you ladies and gents.

-Ria


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## skurj (Oct 30, 2011)

I'm no expert but a big water change 50% won't hurt... and if the nitrite and ammonia levels are high you should do them daily until they come down.

If you have the same fish load as you had with the 55, you could leave the old filter on there, and give the new filter a clean, as its not been on their long it won't be established just yet.


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## 13razorbackfan (Sep 28, 2011)

The best thing you can do is remove all organics from the water column and keep substrate clean. The heterotrophic bacteria is what you are probably seeing and they feed off organics in water. Stop feeding for a few days and allow the bloom to finish. It will remain cloudy for a few days probably but it should clear on its own. That is assuming it is in fact a heterotrophic bacteria bloom.

You have to give the nitrifying(autotrophic) bacteria a chance to recover because the heterotrophic bacteria will steal a ton of oxygen from the nitrifying bacteria. Make sure the tank has tons of oxygen.

If you are getting ammonia/nitrite spikes then do water changes as that is the heterotrophic bacteria converting orgaincs.


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## riarocks (Oct 5, 2010)

13razorbackfan said:


> The best thing you can do is remove all organics from the water column and keep substrate clean. The heterotrophic bacteria is what you are probably seeing and they feed off organics in water. Stop feeding for a few days and allow the bloom to finish. It will remain cloudy for a few days probably but it should clear on its own. That is assuming it is in fact a heterotrophic bacteria bloom.
> 
> You have to give the nitrifying(autotrophic) bacteria a chance to recover because the heterotrophic bacteria will steal a ton of oxygen from the nitrifying bacteria. Make sure the tank has tons of oxygen.
> 
> If you are getting ammonia/nitrite spikes then do water changes as that is the heterotrophic bacteria converting orgaincs.


as in, stop feeding for a few days? do a water change and clean up the gravel as much as possible, and possibly leave the water level a little low to create more aeration? Does that sound right? Should I add a bacterial enzyme supplement?


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## 13razorbackfan (Sep 28, 2011)

riarocks said:


> 13razorbackfan said:
> 
> 
> > The best thing you can do is remove all organics from the water column and keep substrate clean. The heterotrophic bacteria is what you are probably seeing and they feed off organics in water. Stop feeding for a few days and allow the bloom to finish. It will remain cloudy for a few days probably but it should clear on its own. That is assuming it is in fact a heterotrophic bacteria bloom.
> ...


I would not add anything to tank unless you can get your hands on filter media from a LFS or friend that has the same filter media or filter media you can put into your current filters. I would not feed for a few days. They will be fine. I would do water changes if you are getting high ammonia and nitrite spikes. You should get ammonia spikes as the bacteria converts the organics in the water to ammonia. You can do minor daily water changes but be careful when testing for ammonia if you have dosed with prime or other dechlorinator within 24hrs as this could cause false positive readings on your regent test kits.

I had a similar problem not too long ago and I did 50% water changes every two days and stopped feeding. I had an issue with my filter so it caused a mini-cycle which threw off my entire tank.


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## riarocks (Oct 5, 2010)

Thanks a lot, 13razorbackfan, I really appreciate the input. I just completed a 40% water change and left a few inches on the top so the water output really crashes into the water and causes a lot of air bubbles. I think that, along with my air stone should be plenty (although it sounds like niagara falls in here now.) The water looks a little clearer at the moment; only time will tell if it stays; and the nitrite/nitrate levels are looking a lot better- not ideal, but much better. I did a thorough vacuum too and i couldnt believe how much waste there was in there (I have a feeling my significant other is feeding them when I'm not around.)

So hopefully my tank will shimmer in no time, but in the meantime there is a real dazzling post-it note stuck smack center on the glass that says "DO NOT FEED US! The bad bacteria like to eat our poop!!"

Thanks again


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## 13razorbackfan (Sep 28, 2011)

Just don't feed them little suckers!! I know it is hard.

Again...this is assuming it is a bacteria bloom. It could be something else but I would treat like a bacteria bloom and see what happens. I would wait a few days...run the tests.....then feed...wait a bit then do a water change. Then the next day feed a bit more. Then the day after a bit more until you are back to normal feeding schedule. You can even skip feedings in between and feed every other day.


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## riarocks (Oct 5, 2010)

It is so hard to not feed them!! But I think as long as I continue to do water changes every few days the water will clear up a little more each time. I ran out of ammonia test strips, but I checked the nitrite levels and they seem to be practically absent. Nitrates are also almost absent. Kept the lights turned off for the past few days which hasn't ridden the small patches of algae and brown bacteria that have popped up on the rocks (i know a trick that you wrap the tank in newspaper for 3 days straight and it makes algae disappear, but I'm trying to avoid it. I will miss seeing my fish more than they will miss seeing me.) The water quality seems fine for now, so I'm going to change out a little bit of the water tomorrow to see if that will clear it up a bit. Please tell me if that's a bad idea!


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## 13razorbackfan (Sep 28, 2011)

Well...as the heterotrophic bacteria start to consume the organics they will be converted to ammonia. If you are getting nitrate readings now then that is a good thing. Also...get a API master test kit or at least a test kit that has ammonia and nitrite/rate tests. Stop using the strips...they are not very accurate.

Doing water changes really is not a good or a bad thing. When I had this issue I did the water changes just for peace of mind and to help remove organics from the water but if you do a large water change and substrate vacuuming then that should remove the organics...as long as you don't feed. The fish will continue to excrete waste regardless.

The key here is to stop feeding. No matter how bad you want to feed don't do it. These fish can go for extended periods of time without eating. I would not feed for minimum of three days and you can do water changes also. You want the good bacteria(autotrophic aka nitrifying) to be able to catch up to the load. With a large bloom of heterotrophic bacteria they consume much of the oxygen needed for good bacteria to grow and reproduce.

Just don't feed the fish for a few days. Also...you are going to get some brown algae(diatoms) usually before the nice green algae takes hold. The green algae can be good as it will consume nitrates and other organics from your water column. The brown will go away after a couple months once the green takes hold. In the mean time you can suck out the diatoms or let your pleco eat them.

Lighting should not affect the bacteria bloom. I started a thread not too long ago asking the same thing and I think we all came to the same consensus that lighting does not affect heterotrophic bacteria. I would keep your lighting schedule exactly the same. You don't want to kill off all your algae only to have it start to bloom and cloud your water as you may get it confused with your current bloom. Leave lighting schedule the same. I keep my lights on for 8 hours daily with a few hours of ambient room light before and after my tank lights are on/off. I keep the routine exact every day. The fish get used to it and so does the algae. This will keep everything in balance.


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## riarocks (Oct 5, 2010)

*13razorbackfan*
OK, I haven't read your reply until just now! The water clarity is superb! And you are right, I have a little of both brown and green algae on the rocks in my tank. There was some on the glass that I scraped off. My pleco is going to town on the rocks!

Wondering if it's OK to leave the algae on the rocks alone? It should clean up naturally? This doesn't seem like anything to be concerned over, it's just ugly-looking.


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## 13razorbackfan (Sep 28, 2011)

riarocks said:


> *13razorbackfan*
> OK, I haven't read your reply until just now! The water clarity is superb! And you are right, I have a little of both brown and green algae on the rocks in my tank. There was some on the glass that I scraped off. My pleco is going to town on the rocks!
> 
> Wondering if it's OK to leave the algae on the rocks alone? It should clean up naturally? This doesn't seem like anything to be concerned over, it's just ugly-looking.


Green algae? If it is the green I would leave it alone and allow your pleco to do routine trimming and maintenance to keep it in check. I like the green on my rocks. If it is the brown(diatoms) then you can clean off if you wish or suck up with gravel vacuum when you do water changes. The green will eventually overtake the brown as it is a good absorber of nutrients in the water.


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## riarocks (Oct 5, 2010)

good to know-- i like the looks of the green too  for some reason i always thought algae = bad.

Thank you!


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## brinkles (Jan 30, 2011)

algae=good! (as long as it's on rocks, and not glass)


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## riarocks (Oct 5, 2010)

brinkles said:


> algae=good! (as long as it's on rocks, and not glass)


I wish this had a 'like' button!


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