Over the past week one of my tanks has become very clody with very small white fibers thinner than a hair and about a couple of millimeters long (I'm guessing as I have no measuring devices on hand at work). I also noticed a sort of whitish mouldy substance growing on the mulm in the bottom of the tank. Any ideas?
My nirite, trates, amonia are all 0 anbd the fish seem to be just fine.
I had put a fair amount of blackworms in this tank a day or two before this happened.
Tiny whitish fibers clouding water
Started by
Guest_Elijah_*
, Aug 25 2010 09:46 PM
12 replies to this topic
#2
Guest_donkeyman876_*
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Posted 26 August 2010 - 07:27 AM
Sounds like whit-hair algae. Reduced lighting or a mild algaecide should help a bit.
#3
Guest_Elijah_*
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Posted 26 August 2010 - 08:48 AM
White hair algae free floats? In my experience most hair algae is attached to something.Sounds like whit-hair algae. Reduced lighting or a mild algaecide should help a bit.
#5
Guest_Elijah_*
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Posted 26 August 2010 - 11:12 AM
Well, I thought of that. When I stare at the tank for a long time it does seem like they might be moving a bit, but I think it is just that I am staring too long. It seems to me more like some kind of free floating algae bloom. I am hesitant to use an algeacide as my tanks are heavily planted and also the Elassoma fry feed off of micro organisms that feed on algae.Nematodes?
I have found nematodes in my cherry shrimp tank. They are bigger and crawl around on the glass.
Edited by Elijah, 26 August 2010 - 11:14 AM.
#6
Guest_nativeplanter_*
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Posted 26 August 2010 - 12:55 PM
Is this a new tank? Could it just be a bacterial bloom? A lot of new tanks get cloudy at first then clear up as the bacterial levels stabilize. People often mistake the cloud for a problem, and do massive water changes, which makes the problem last longer.
#7
Guest_Okiimiru_*
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Posted 26 August 2010 - 05:50 PM
Are they that white hair looking species of planaria? Picture: http://www.fishdeals...ia_white_worms/
#8
Guest_Kanus_*
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Posted 26 August 2010 - 08:16 PM
I have a culture of some sort of turbellarian flatworm that a friend of mine isolated from a tank. These sound similar, as does the description of the mulm at the bottom of the tank. I wonder if we have the same critter. White, hairlike, and mine are...I'd say 2-3mm long. They move but with cillia rather than a nematode-like swimming motion.
#9
Guest_Elijah_*
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Posted 30 August 2010 - 12:09 PM
This stuff (?) is about 1- 1&1/2 mm long. I cannot tell for sure if it is swimming very slowly, but I think it is just moving in the very slight current. It almost looks like some kind of seed.
This tank is years old. The nitrites, trates, ammonia are all good.
I'm leaning towards algae bloom I guess, but I have never seen algae like this before.
Not sure if I should do a major water change or not.
This tank is years old. The nitrites, trates, ammonia are all good.
I'm leaning towards algae bloom I guess, but I have never seen algae like this before.
Not sure if I should do a major water change or not.
#10
Guest_Elijah_*
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Posted 30 August 2010 - 12:11 PM
I would say no. These things are straight and very short, not wiggly like a worm.Are they that white hair looking species of planaria? Picture: http://www.fishdeals...ia_white_worms/
#11
Guest_Elijah_*
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Posted 03 September 2010 - 11:09 AM
Well I was keeping an eye on this tank and intending to break it down and re do it with the Walstad method as soon as I had time. The fish seemed to be fine, the nitrites, etc... were fine so I wasn't too worried. Once or twice a year a make a considerable blunder.
I was totally exhausted from a long day of work in 90+ degrees. I was heading to bed and stopped to check out my tanks. This tank had exploded with blue green algae throughout the water column. All the fish were at the top gasping or dead. I got busy removing the fish. I was amazed to find how many E. zonatum and H. formosa were actually living in this tank.
I decided to break the whole tank down and re do it. I was up until 5AM working on it, but the fish are happy. I still don't know what the little white things were.
I was totally exhausted from a long day of work in 90+ degrees. I was heading to bed and stopped to check out my tanks. This tank had exploded with blue green algae throughout the water column. All the fish were at the top gasping or dead. I got busy removing the fish. I was amazed to find how many E. zonatum and H. formosa were actually living in this tank.
I decided to break the whole tank down and re do it. I was up until 5AM working on it, but the fish are happy. I still don't know what the little white things were.
#12
Guest_Irate Mormon_*
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Posted 03 September 2010 - 09:34 PM
Why not take some to the vet and have a look through a scope? I'm curious to know what they are.
#13
Guest_Elijah_*
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Posted 03 September 2010 - 10:32 PM
Ah, good call, but too late. I should get a scope myself considering....Why not take some to the vet and have a look through a scope? I'm curious to know what they are.
Edited by Elijah, 03 September 2010 - 10:32 PM.
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