Aquarium Slime

[crazyblondechick]

Hey all,

I'm new to fish-keeping so I am wondering what could be wrong with my tank. I bought the tank (Fishbox Moon 19L), light is attatched, filter came with it, and bought a heater on Sunday the 20th May and bought 4 Neon Tetra's on the 24th of May. The water was cloudy for a few days after the fish went in. Today when I came downstairs the water was clear BUT there was this slimy gunk in the tank.

Has anyone else had this and what is it??

 

[FishBlast]

Hey all,

I'm new to fish-keeping so I am wondering what could be wrong with my tank. I bought the tank (Fishbox Moon 19L), light is attatched, filter came with it, and bought a heater on Sunday the 20th May and bought 4 Neon Tetra's on the 24th of May. The water was cloudy for a few days after the fish went in. Today when I came downstairs the water was clear BUT there was this slimy gunk in the tank.

Has anyone else had this and what is it??

Since you already have fish, you should check this out:
Fish-in cycling
Or take the neons back to the store and do fishless cycling, which is easier but requires ammonia.
I did a fish-in cycle at the beginning of this year, and there were a LOT of water changes involved, one bacteria bloom... and the slimy stuff seems to colonize tank walls regardless of thank state. I just leave it there anyway, my snails seem to love sucking it.

 

[HM Dragon Devil]

Hiya.

I'm 5 weeks into my Fish-in cycle and i've not seen any slime at all.

Dean.

 

[FishFanatic04]

The slime is normal in new setups. It's harmless and goes away on its own. As Fishblast said, you may want to read about cycling. It will keep you from possibly losing fish.

 

[crazyblondechick]

The slime does look horrible though going to clean them out tomorrow, will they last in a basin of the tank water with the heater in it for 15-20 mins while I give the tank a real clean out and then last for 20 mins while the heater heats the tanks water before putting them back in?

 

[FishFanatic04]

It would be easier on you and the fish to just take out each ornament and clean it, instead of the fish. They would be fine I am sure, but netting them and moving them around would be more stressful then taking out an ornament to clean.

 

[OldMan47]

Water changes, which you will be doing lots of, are usually done with the fish in the tank. Use your mixing faucet to match temperatures and be sure to use a dechlorinator, often labeled as a water conditioner before you add each bucket of water to the tank. The way I get a good temperature match is to set aside a small container of the water that I have removed and just go back and forth between that and the new water in my water change bucket. With a small 19 litre tank, you will find that 1 bucket of water is probably most of the tank's volume. I use a bucket that big when doing a water change on my larger tanks.

 

[Gilli]

Neons should never be added to a tank less than 6 months old as they are very sensitive to water quality. Be prepared to make massive water changes every day for 4-6 weeks! As your tank is not cycled expect to lose them .

 

[FishBlast]

Neons should never be added to a tank less than 6 months old as they are very sensitive to water quality. Be prepared to make massive water changes every day for 4-6 weeks! As your tank is not cycled expect to lose them .

My neons lasted until summer came. Then they started dropping like flies. Some died while touching frosted bloodworm cubes. That was definitely a not-cycled tank, as it didn't have a filter.

 

[crazyblondechick]

I would have thought neons would be ok in a new tank. So really how often should I clear them out at the moment till all the slinky stuff is gone?? About every third day??

 

[Bugdozer]

With a small 19 litre tank, you will find that 1 bucket of water is probably most of the tank's volume. I use a bucket that big when doing a water change on my larger tanks.

I can't lift a 19kg bucket! Or maybe I could but not without getting a wet living room carpet...

 

[FishBlast]

With a small 19 litre tank, you will find that 1 bucket of water is probably most of the tank's volume. I use a bucket that big when doing a water change on my larger tanks.

I can't lift a 19kg bucket! Or maybe I could but not without getting a wet living room carpet...

I can lift a 19L bottle. But pouring that into the fish tank's going to be problematic. -.- Rather pour from the bottle into a box and then pour from the box.

 

[This Old Spouse]

You only need to fill it about 3/4 full ...

 

[HM Dragon Devil]

With a small 19 litre tank, you will find that 1 bucket of water is probably most of the tank's volume. I use a bucket that big when doing a water change on my larger tanks.

I can't lift a 19kg bucket! Or maybe I could but not without getting a wet living room carpet...

You could use a spare water pump/powerhead attatched to a syphon tube to pump the water back into the aquarium if you have one. It's quick and easy with no water spillage.

Dean.

 

[crazyblondechick]

Well I just cleaned them out, put them in a basin of their own water with the heater, then cleaned everything in the tank, then filled the tank up with a little hot water and the rest cold as the temp on the side of the tank said 26 degrees which is it's usual. Put in the tank safe and left it running through for 15 mins, then put the heater back in and added some of the tanks water to the basin they were in. I have now just added the fish back into the tank and have left them in the dark. I have also put a little bit of food in for them.

Should I expect dead fish in the morning? I just kind of cleaned them out as its like they were new to the tank from the pet shop again.