strange white 'dust'

[zack]

hey all. i did a 10 gallon water change ina 65 gallon tank last night after noticing some of the fishes acting strange. woke up this morning and all the dark brown spongy type algae which had been covering my plants and rocks was now white. as if someone had sprinkled baby powder all over my tank.
the fish are fine and acting normal now but, it looks very troubling to me. the water is a bit cloudy too. its normally crystal clear.
i checked the water conditions this morning and the ammonia and nitrite are at 0,but the ph had dropped from 7.4 to 6.7 or so overnight.
i DID really dig into the gravel in spots during last night's water change to clean it up as i had seen some 1-2mm white worms and small flea-like creatures cavorting in the substrate up against the glass of the tank!
i have dropped in a cup or so of crushed coral to bring up the ph. hoping this works for that but, what is the white stuff? dead algae? is it dangerous/toxic??
no fish have died...yet. in fact they seem fine. the rummy noses' noses are bright red and the congos are more active.
65 gallon tank. well planted. about 2-3 inches of laterite and gravel/stones for the substrate. hot magnum 250 (gallons/hour) filter, a large airstone. temp 82f / 28c.
about 40 various tetras and corys including a few odd others. the tank is well lit with two 36" flour lites. one for plants and another for brightness.
the tank has been up since january.
any help will be really appreciated.
thanx
zack

 

[cation]

You say the water's cloudy - this implies a bacterial bloom, could have happened because of the digging around. If all the fish are looking okay, and your water tests out okay, I wouldn't worry too much. If it's a bacterial bloom, it should take care of itself, the white blooms in the water like that are usually just a pain in the butt, not really dangerous.


However, if it's a bacterial bloom,water changes during the bloom will likely make it worse. If all your water parameters are good, just let the tank take care of it. It should go away in a few days.


The worms were likely planaria, which usually are an indicator of overfeeding, or not enough water changes.


One other bit of advice - your tetras and cories would be happier with the temp a bit lower, and this might inhibit algal and bacterial growth as well. Try to lower the temp to around 77-78 over the next couple of days. Your cories will likely be more active then ever!

By the way, welcome to the board! Feel free to introduce yourself over in the newbies section!

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

Do you gravel vac/syphon your tank and how much do you feed your fish on a general basis? bacterial blooms in cycled tanks are often caused by over-feeding or not gravel vaccing the tank enough, although if the tank is still cycling(how long has it been set up by the way?) bacterial blooms are not uncommon.
Do you have sand or gravel in your tank?

 

[cation]

Tokis -

In his post he states that the tank has been set up since January, and that he has gravel in his tank.

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

Whoops sorry i missed that still got some other questions though that need answering.

 

[abstract]

well its planted, and i'm assuming it has a filter, so it doesn't sound like a bacterial bloom to me really from just doing a good gravel vac - or did you clean the filter out too?

....he says the brown algae turned white...

was this AFTER you put the crushed coral in by any chance?

 

[zack]

hey all. thanx for the responses! i woke up this morning and...all looked well/'normal'/fine as if nothing had ever happened! in fact, the tank looks better than b4. water clear as can be. bizarre.
cation, i do believe it was indeed a bacterial bloom. many leaves on my swords which had been covered in the 'creeping crud' are spotless now!!
i gravel vac evey time i change but i steer clear of the many plants so not to cut the roots. therefore, i dont get to many areas of my tank.
but, looking thru the front glass into the gravel i can still see the little buggers romping around. not any worms now, just the little flea like things(i think theyre daphnia) about a mm diameter.
ususally, not much food makes it form the surface to the bottom. but now the 6 congos, who eat like tigers, dont hang out at the surface and some does get there. but in only the last 5-6 days.
i put the coral in after the white appeared. to bring up the ph. it is working too. up to about 7.0 now after 6.8 and it is usually 7.5. the tapwater here is 7.5. and no, i didnt touch the filter in this last change.
i am thinking that my substrate may be too thick. next water change, i will scoop out a cup or two and spread it out a bit and see if it makes a difference. what do you all think of that?
and yes, i will put up on the newbie board...soon.
thanx again y'all.

 

[abstract]

yes substrate can def. be too thick....anaerobic bacteria produce a buildup of gases (i believe co2 and methane)...by stirring it up during the thorough gravel vac, you most likely 1) caused a bacterial bloom by eliminating some of the beneficial bacteria from the substrate and 2) released some of those gases - coincidentally, high co2 levels will cause a decrease in pH ...i think we have our culprit