a couple of questions - white particles in water

[steeledarren]

i may sound stupid but i just want to clear a few things up, my 55 gal has been cycling for 2 weeks, the water has tiny white perticles in it, mostly floating on top, is this normal, its not really milky just a touchand the particles are like dust, also my inlet to my filter is roughly half way down my tank, is that enough, thanks

 

[dkpate]

Do you have hard water? Are any of these flakes on your lid or filters? I have it on mine, and it's calcium build-up which I don't really worry about.

 

[steeledarren]

what is hard water, how do i tell, sorry still a noob, i dont have any on my hood, but i have some spots on the aquarium silicone on the joints

 

[mfdrookie516]

sounds to me like the beginning of bio-film... i have exactly the same thing in one of my tanks, the only tank without alot of surface agitation

 

[jsoong]

Hard water means you have lots of minerals (mainly calcium & magnesium) in the water. If you have hard water, you will get a film over pretty much everything (shower curtains, tap, etc.) & not just the fish tank. Also, you get terrible soap scums in your tub .... if you have hard water, you will know it! <If you are responsible for cleaning the bathroom, that is! >

White particles in a cycling tank can also be a bacterial bloom. This usually happens in the first few weeks & will clear on its own.

 

[steeledarren]

if i do have hard water what do i do?, and also if it is bio film what do i do, is it harmful to fish? sorry for asking, but i want to make a proper job of cycling this tank

 

[mfdrookie516]

if its biofilm, either providing lots of surface agitation or running a dry paper towel over the surface will cure it... its not harmful to fish, but can affect oxygen exchange if if builds up... if its hard water, well, not much you can do other than get a water softener i dont think... neither of the two will harm your fish though

 

[HN1]

"particles" makes me think precip, but the timing makes me think bacterial bloom. Take a clear glass and fill it from the tank. Hold it in front of a light. Are there distinct particles or is it generally cloudy?

 

[steeledarren]

i will do that thanks, i used a glass and the water is a bit of both, a lot of white particle in it, what is precip, also i am busy cycling the tank, i added 75 ml of houshold ammonia straight away that put it at 5ppm, two weeks in and it has dropped to 2-3 ppm, and the nitrite has started to raise, havnt tested for nitrate yet, should i still be adding ammonia daily or wait till it reaches zero,

 

[HN1]

Dose it daily until the bacteria consumes that 5ppm (and the nitrite) in 24 hours leaving just nitrate.

I can't really explain precip. At least not the chemistry of it. Jsoong.... I know you can educate us all. Basically, it'll present as mineral particles coalescing. It's a bigger issue in SW when mixing your own water. I think you have a totally normal and encouraging bacteria bloom though.

 

[steeledarren]

ok thankyou, so the idea is to keep the ammonia at 5ppm, it will start to decrease quicker and quicker until it gets to the point when it reaches 0ppm within 24 hours, is that right

 

[HN1]

You got it.

 

[mfdrookie516]

good lookin out HN1, i was assuming it was white dusty particles just on top of the water... shows what assuming does

 

[jsoong]

I can't really explain precip. At least not the chemistry of it. Jsoong.... I know you can educate us all. .....

I can try!

precip - short for precipitation - any process where previously dissolved material comes out of solution.

Eg. A solution of CaCO3 (calcium carbonate - what you get in hard water) can precipitate when water evaporates. Water can only hold so much of any material in solution. <You can only dissolve so much sugar or salt (or anything else) into water until no more can dissolve, the water is then said to be "saturated".> When water evaporates, only pure water is loss. You have less water remaining, but same amount of CaCO3, so some of it comes out of solution & become solid. You see that as white scales/deposits/particles in your tank/bathtub ....

Another eg. - Water vapour is "dissolved" in air. <Strictly speaking not true ... it is a gas mixture, not a solution.> With temperature change, etc. the water vapour turns into liquid (or solid) and "comes out of solution", falling as rain or snow. So rain, snow, sleet, etc is often called precipitation.

These are the simplest forms of precipitation. Minerals & salts can also come out of solution with pH changes, temperature change, or chemical interactions between ions. These processes are more important in SW tanks. Although simple evaporation is prob just as big a problem.

Back to the original question - I think that a bacterial bloom is the likeliest explanation. Until you get the proper bio-filter established, the excess ammonia causes other bacteria to grow, which floats around in the water. Clumps of the bacteria you see as white particles in the water.

Whether it is a bacterial bloom, hard water deposits (or precips) or a bio-film, all are perfectly harmless during your cycle. ATM, you should just concentrate on establishing the cycle. No need to worry too much about water clarity, etc. just yet.

 

[HN1]

Thanks J!

I needed that refresher.

 

[steeledarren]

thankyo so much, i will wait till the tank is fully cycled then go from there