i need some help on my freshwater tank

[mr.coco]

hello, everyone

so ive noticed on my tank that there is green sludge building in my airtubing and on my anemone ornament, but idk what it is, if its bad for my one goldi or what. here is a picture of it.

 

[BlaseMrNiceguy]

Probably just algae tubing always gets that stuff in it needs to be cleaned out from time to time as for the stuff on your ornament you should just be able to rub it off with your fingers

 

[mr.coco]

oh ok. the other thing i was wonder is , there is nothing wrong if i put few rocks that i found in my back yard . im cleaning the rocks with water but i was just wondering if its ok to put the
inside the tank..

 

[BlaseMrNiceguy]

The general rule is poor some vinegar on the rocks if it fizzes or bubbles then you can't put them in the aquarium but be aware that even if it is ok to put in it may still alter your ph.

 

[mr.coco]

ok so this are some of the rocks im tlking about.. well i did not use any vinegar with this rocks because i didnt knew about that, however, im going to do it with the other rocks im cleaning.. the other thing i also wanted to know, if you look at the picture the one wit a turtle. there is a white rock which has alot of brownish stuff building in it. is that beneficial bacteria?

 

[tamtam]

personally I'd take those rocks out right away and test them too. It's not uncommon for rocks with "stripes" to have mineral build ups that aren't the best for a tank. I'd take them all out test all of them, then scrub them and poor boiling water over them in a bucket and let them sit for a while. This will make sure you kill of any bad bacteria that may be growing on the surface.

As for the brown stuff I'd say those are diatoms. Some people refer to it as "brown algae"

 

[Rivercats]

That is diatom's. Is the tank new? If so you will get it and don't be alarmed. It comes due to excess silicates in the water. Once the tank matures it will go away. Or you can clean it off manually but it will come back. If you have goldfish you could get a mystery snail or two that will help keep it under control

 

[mr.coco]

oh ok ill test does rocks as well. then just to
make sure they are good. so u said that i just put the rocks in pure vinegar or should i mix it with some water or how can i do the test?

yes indeed is a new tank, i upgraded from a 10 gal tank to a 29 . but so far i can see alot of bacterial building into my filter really fast. as pf the brown algea is it any good for the tank itself or what?

 

[Rivercats]

Diatoms are just a new tank nuseance, nothing more. As for the vinegar, drop a few drops on the rock, you don't need a ton. Sorry but you can't see bacteria building in a filter. They only way to know if your tank is cycling is by testing the water for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate. Getting a API master test kit would be a good idea. Once your tests read 0 for both nitrite and ammonia and your reading for nitrate is actually increasing, then you know your tank has cycled and has a good bacterial base. Oh, don't waste your money on test strips, they don't read properly.

 

[mr.coco]

oh ok so if bubles come out when i put the vinegar , those rocks can not be in the tank correct? i have the api master already . ammo is readin .25 n the rest are zero.

 

[Rivercats]

Yes, if there is bubbling/fizzing then do not use the rock in your tank.

 

[Rivercats]

Correct, if it bubbles/fizzes do not use in your tank.

 

[butterfly_koi]

All vinegar does is detect CaCO3
Rocks such as limestone, sandstone, etc. can contain CaCO3 which can cause the Ph in the water to rise, CaCO3 is an alkali compound which acts as a neutralizer to the acid (vinegar), when an acid is poured on the rock the calcium carbonate neutralizes the acid therefore making it bubble. This doesn't mean that you cannot use the stone in the tank because it is doubtful that it will cause a huge rise in Ph. But it does mean that you would have to monitor your levels closely just to be on the safe side.

 

[mr.coco]

ok , so the ph on a goldfish is 7.5 pr which one is it? if the ph os to raise a bit use i get a ph bottle to lower the ph. ? sorry if i ask too much but im new in this hobby and i really want to learn so i can later move into saltwater ..

 

[butterfly_koi]

It all depends on how much it rises if any at all. I would not use anything to lower the Ph chemically, there are some very rare cases of which this would be needed but not often. I had goldfish for a while in my 29G until I switched to tropical and they adjusted well to my Ph which sits at 8.8

 

[mr.coco]

oh ok ima have to check the ph the but last time i checked did not reach 8.0 ph. and so far the goldi is happy. but first ima take all the rocks i put in and do what you guys have advice me to do.

is it harder to maintain a tropical tank than a goldi?