Problems! Bacteria Bloom?

[Plecs&Puffers]

Hey everyone,

My tank is currently set up - its been fishless cycling for over a week now, and been adding amonia. Have got a mixture of real & fake plants in the tank - not alot of real plants only low light ones, 6 in total.
My problem is ... We woke up the other day to like brown stains on the sand near the front of the tank - and ever since these things have been growing to like hairy things swaying in the current! they are growing longer by the day!!!
Does anyone think it is a bacteria bloom as the tank is cycling? or have i got a problem & need to start pulling it out & doing water changes rapidly!!...

I have to say aswell - there is quite a strong odour to the water when i lift the lid of the aquarium. not sure if thats anything to do with it either...

Its a 190 litre tank - have been doing amonia readings only currently as we are waiting for it to drop

Ammonia is currently just above 4/5 .. dropping every day.

Any ideas?
My tank did look lovely now im worried!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[tetra head]

sounds like a possible algae bloom to me.

 

[waterdrop]

Brown stringy algae and white-cloudy water (indicating a bacterial bloom) is supposed to be quite normal in tanks which are fishless cycling with live plants.

I chose not to add substrate or plants during fishless cycling precisely for this reason, because another member suggested leaving the substrate/plant stage until -after- cycling would save a lot of cleaning effort at that point.

BUT, my fishless cycling (its only my one case, which doesn't tell us much) is going about as slow as it can get. I've read a number of reports that hint that having live plants during fishless cycling may actually be responsible for helping to have a faster fishless cycling process. One speculation is that the plants bring along some biofilm which serves as a bit of a bacterial seeding, almost like getting a little mature media from someone.

The bad smell is a different question, others may be able to tell you whether brown algae can contribute to a bad smell, I don't know.

My own case, the bare tank with just water and ammonia, results in what my son describes as a very mild locker-room smell if you put your nose right over the open tank, otherwise you can't smell it at all.

I'll bet your process is going normally. The water tests are the important thing and it sounds like you are following directions correctly!

~~waterdrop~~

 

[Plecs&Puffers]

Brown stringy algae and white-cloudy water (indicating a bacterial bloom) is supposed to be quite normal in tanks which are fishless cycling with live plants.

I chose not to add substrate or plants during fishless cycling precisely for this reason, because another member suggested leaving the substrate/plant stage until -after- cycling would save a lot of cleaning effort at that point.

BUT, my fishless cycling (its only my one case, which doesn't tell us much) is going about as slow as it can get. I've read a number of reports that hint that having live plants during fishless cycling may actually be responsible for helping to have a faster fishless cycling process. One speculation is that the plants bring along some biofilm which serves as a bit of a bacterial seeding, almost like getting a little mature media from someone.

The bad smell is a different question, others may be able to tell you whether brown algae can contribute to a bad smell, I don't know.

My own case, the bare tank with just water and ammonia, results in what my son describes as a very mild locker-room smell if you put your nose right over the open tank, otherwise you can't smell it at all.

I'll bet your process is going normally. The water tests are the important thing and it sounds like you are following directions correctly!

~~waterdrop~~

Hiya - thanks for the qucik response! i have also just noticed some snails scooting around (tiny) eith horn lookin shells, not the rounded type more oval. They are absolutly tiny so must of came on in the fresh plant batch! argh! didnt want snails!!!!! anyhoee figured they may be a good thing, but still would rather they got eaten by a fish!!!

I am hoping the algae will diminish

Ammonia 3ppm
Nitrate 10/20ppm
Nitrite between 2/5ppm

So the Nitrite has started to peek so looks like this could possibly be a bacteria bloom!! it just looks so outragous!! im hoping it goes quickly or il have to do something about it.

The smell thing, i discussed this with my partner and when i read your post out aloud she said its defiantly a locker room smell also... you can only smell it if you lift the lid with your nose directly under it kinda thing, so think its okay!!!

If anyone else has any experience of bacteria blooms or hairy algae il be intrested to read your posts, to put my mind at rest!! i was considering at one point to re-do the tank!!

thanks everyone...

 

[waterdrop]

Yes, hopefully you'll get other posters, always raises the confidence.

I got repeated bacterial blooms, all looking kind of milky white, but now in the late stages of fishless cycling my water has gone back to being crystal clear. The back wall of our tank is actually a mirror, so if your own image is murky you know its a bacterial bloom.

I found many references to bacterial blooms while searching on these forums - all describe it in similar terms and the experienced folks say it is not a problem during fishless cycling and will go away.

There is nothing wrong with doing even a total water change during fishless cycling as long as you bring the ammonia back up to the desired level for your stage of cycling (and you could hand clean some of the algae prior to this siphoning!) Be sure it is treated for chlorine/chloramine and rough temperature matching doesn't hurt. Its not usually necessary though and one of the few reasons to do so is if your pH drops to 6.0 or below, which stalls the cycling process. Adding ammonia too high, at 8ppm or above will also stall the process.

Don't forget, its overwhelmingly the filter you are "cycling", your tank water at this point just serves as the growth medium for the bacteria and so should be optimized for that job. This bacterial growth medium, the water, will all be thrown away before you start the "real" tank with fish in it!

Oh, and another thing, many now think that 84-86F seems a good temp for bacterial growth. 88F is mentioned as possibly too high and the 70's as too low/slow.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[Plecs&Puffers]

Hi waterdrop thanks for the replies.

I have come in from work this evening, and the greeny/browny hairy algae is swaying away still but has grown about 5 inches now, im starting to worry, as it seems to be invading my entire tank. I did initially think this was a bacteria bloom, but im not experiencing any cloudy water... my water did cloud right at the very beginning but it cleared since then, and now this!!!...

Is there any kind of chemical you can use to get rid of this, as its discolouring my sand!!!! and my slate, it looks awful!

Feel downhearted as it's a new tank - have taken us so long to set it up etc, and it looked so nice... now this! nightmare

Thank you for all your replies waterdrop

 

[waterdrop]

Others would know this from actual experience better than me but I think I've read that physical agitation is the way to go. You decide it bothers you so you decide you will do a water change and get out your gravel cleaner siphon. Put your arm in there and run your fingers through the gravel. Gently rub the leaves between your fingers to detach the algae. On inside glass you can use an old credit card or any of various sorts of scrapers or rough plastic pads (always be wary of scratching glass though as it can happen!)

After clouds of stuff is loose in the water, you siphon out the whole tank, shutting off the filter hose cutoffs prior to unplugging it (if you have an external). Then start refilling with roughly temperature matched water, dumping in half your amt of dechlor product near the beginning of the refill and the rest near the end or right after the refill. Then you add the appropriate amount of pure ammonia to bring it back up (5-6ppm stage 1 prior to NO2 spike, 4ppm or less after NO2 spike (stage 2))

You two sound like you're trying to enjoy the tank like it will look after the whole fishless cycling process is finished! Probably not really possible during fishless cycling. Hang in there - will be both beautiful -and- healthy for the fish when you get there.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[Rooster]

If its green, then it maybe thread algae - I had a MASSIVE infestation of this in my main tank... ended up with Seachem Flourish Excell, cured it in one !