Anyone know what this is??

[iforged]

I'm in the middle of doing fish less tank cycle (about 3 weeks in) no nitrite yet.. Ammonia around 3.0-2.0 ppm and ph around 8.0 (added baking soda to boost ph as they went down to 5.8 first week) ... Well I noticed these things developing on my filter intakes and outtake... Some orangish dots... I'm not really sure what that could be... Anyone seen something like that before? Should I clean it or let it just continue growing? Thanks

 

[flitabout]

That looks like some type of fungus. I am going to error on the side of caution and say clean it off.

 

[iforged]

Should I take it out of the water? Or leave it in the aquarium and just scrub it off into the water? Sorry might be a dumb question but want to be sure I don't stall or poison my cycling tank with this fungus crap

 

[Margie3689]

Very strange! I have no idea what it is but if you clean it off I'd say outside of the tank, and not to use any chemicals since porous surfaces can soak it up and release it back into your tank. Maybe treating the tank with medication will make it go away? I'm really curious to see if anyone else knows what it is.

 

[iforged]

Well I don't want to mess around with any chemicals or medication when my tank is cycling. I took out the tubes and wiped them clean with a paper towel... It was very slimy! Slippery feeling... I need to research it a bit cause it only appeared on those two rubber hoses and the air bubbler tube as well... So we will see if it comes back after few days... I had also removed a bad batch of java moss plants.. They turned brow since I don't have enough light on ... Maybe that's what caused it??

 

[Fishfur]

May be a type of algae, which is not always green. Removal is a good idea, but it's odd it only grew on those surfaces. Hope it does not come back.

Tubing in tanks will always feel slippery and slimy, it's the biofilm that grows on every surface. It's essential and nothing to worry over.

 

[iforged]

yeah well i cleaned it off, can algea come in that form? I did buy the "max plant growth" lightbulb since i put in few live plants and i keep the lights on for about 4-6hrs a day.

Well in any case i wiped it off, will have to dig around and see if i can find online anyone who ran into the same problem. and yes it was only appearing on these two rubber tubes and the clear air bubble tube and thats it, i checked rocks, gravel, glass and nothing...

 

[Fishperson]

If your lights are only on for 4-6 hours a day, then that explains why your moss is dying. Lights should be on for at least 8 hours a day, unless you have algae issues, then you should keep it down to 6 or below.

 

[Mebbid]

My best guess is that it's a bio film or a colony of bacteria that grows in patches similar to that. I see a white biofilm growing on rubbery surfaces in tanks occasionally and while that isn't white I would say that's the most possible culprit.

It's likely harmless and manual removal should be perfectly acceptable. Just wipe it off with a paper towel and then run it under scalding hot water.

 

[iforged]

Thanks for the advice,
Yes i took the tube out and wiped it clean with a paper towel, i did not run it through the hot water though because i didnt remove the tube completely, just raised it above the aquarium's water surface to wipe it clean.

As far as lights go, I have the lights on for very little amount due to suggestions i have received when doing fishless tank cycle. The algea has not showed up yet since there are no nitrite and nitrates yet, but only ammonia, but i dont want to risk an algea outbreak during the cycle. I got rid of the moss and obtained some more anubias and java fern seems to be doing okay.

I'm on the 3.5 week of cycling, still got the same amount of ammonia in my tank 3.0.2.0, is it normal for it to take this long for it to start converting to nitrites?

 

[severum mama]

If your lights are only on for 4-6 hours a day, then that explains why your moss is dying. Lights should be on for at least 8 hours a day, unless you have algae issues, then you should keep it down to 6 or below.

I disagree. I have moss that grows under ambient room lighting only. It's one of the easiest plants you can grow. 4-6 hours of lighting is plenty for java moss.

 

[Fishfur]

A cycle can take a couple of months, though shorter times are more common, longer ones are not unheard of. Any chance you could get some used media or filter rinsings from another filter ? It would cycle in days if you can. If not, patience must suffice.

Do you know the K rating on the bulb you have ? Max plant growth sounds great but may not actually be the best bulb to have.. depends on it's K rating and other characteristics as well, such as CRI. 6500K bulbs are usually the better ones for plant growth in general, and it's true that high light levels can enhance algae growth, especially if there are not a lot of other plants to compete with algae for nutrients.

And I've got java moss growing in window light.. south window, but its not close to the window.. several feet away. Not many plants will grow this way, but moss is one for sure.

 

[iforged]

Thank you for all of the replies,

yes im upset that my java moss died so fast, it turned brownish maybe 3-4 days once i put it in the water. As i said my lights were on for around 4-6 hrs a day.

As far as light and bulb goes, Im not sure about the K in this particular bulb but here is the bulb that i have on. I only have a light hood that holds one of these in, so i only run this one: 24" long, 17watt: Aqueon® Floramax T8 Fluorescent Lamp - Lighting & Hoods - Fish - PetSmart

Let me know if that bulb is okay.

Also, as far as getting bacteria from someone else, what is the BEST thing to get? Gravel? if so, how much for a 40 gallon tank? I asked a private fish store owner if he can hook me up with something to get the cycle boosted, he asked "what do exactly do you want me to give you?" I didnt have an answer to him because i didnt know what would work best, and HOW Much of it do i need? I do have couple friends that have their tanks up and running, so I can "borrow" media from them? let me know.

thanks for the replies

 

[Fishfur]

The best thing to get is either fresh rinsings from a dirty, mature filter, or some actual media from a mature filter. A chunk, maybe quarter cup if they can spare that much. Rinsings actually work pretty well, just pour them in the filter.

Gravel does not grow many BB, and won't help enough to be worth the effort.

A load of plants can help quite a bit though. As for the light, unfortunately, the site does not list a K value for it. Many bulbs list the K value right on the bulb, usually printed near the endcaps, but not all of them do. But even one T8 should be enough to grow some moss, it's just not that picky as a rule. How deep is the tank ? Some deeper tanks will have issues with plants at the bottom, as light is difracted more and more as the water deepens, so less reaches plants down there. But that's usually in a 'tall' type tank

I'd have left the lights on for about 8 hours though, 4 to 6 is not enough time. I get you worry about algae, but with this light, it's not a big concern, I think.

 

[iforged]

Okay great! So you saying ask that guy to take his dirty filter media and rinse it with his tank water around a cup worth of water lets say... Then come home.. Take his water that was used to rinse his filter media and pour it on my filter or do I pour that on those tiny cylinder I have in my canister tank that suppose to let bacteria grow on them? ... I have never done this before so a very detailed instructions would be appreciated. Thank you

 

[Fishperson]

I disagree. I have moss that grows under ambient room lighting only. It's one of the easiest plants you can grow. 4-6 hours of lighting is plenty for java moss.

But if it is dying with this light in this tank, wouldn't it be better to raise it? If your not battling algae issues?

 

[severum mama]

But if it is dying with this light in this tank, wouldn't it be better to raise it? If your not battling algae issues?

I once ordered some "java moss" from a source other than my usual. It looked nice and green when it came, but most of it died even when my other java moss was doing great, and it had a different look to it than aquatic mosses I've kept. My best guess is that it was some kind of non aquatic plant that looks similar, but I can't be sure as I don't know much about terrestrial plants. I would assume that this is what happened here but you never know.

 

[Fishfur]

Get the guy to squeeze out the sponge or swish the ceramic, whatever it is he is cleaning, in a few cups of tank water or dechlorinated water, into a container or bag. You have some time, the BB don't die right away. Takes a few hours.. I'm not sure how long but you don't have to run home.

Turn filter off. Pour the liquid into it directly quite slowly, so none runs over the outflow. Turn filter back on. Test next day, you should see changes in readings.. within a couple of days you should see big changes. I used rinsings to stop a big nitrite spike, was completely cycled in 36 hours, give or take one or two hours. The dirtier the filter the better, for this purpose, but so long as it wasn't cleaned within the past few days it will have enough bacteria to do a lot of good quite quickly. BB take about 24 hours or so to complete a reproductive cycle, so depending how many you get in the rinse, governs how fast it works. Any way you look at it, wayyy faster than a fishless cycle.

Some of the crud may come out of the filter when you turn it on, if so, no worries, it will mostly get sucked back up. If any settles, siphon it out with a water change.

 

[Fishperson]

I once ordered some "java moss" from a source other than my usual. It looked nice and green when it came, but most of it died even when my other java moss was doing great, and it had a different look to it than aquatic mosses I've kept. My best guess is that it was some kind of non aquatic plant that looks similar, but I can't be sure as I don't know much about terrestrial plants. I would assume that this is what happened here but you never know.

Ohh...

I saw a youtube video once where someone thought they got riccia fluitans when they ordered java moss.

So someone messed up pretty bad...

 

[iforged]

I once ordered some "java moss" from a source other than my usual. It looked nice and green when it came, but most of it died even when my other java moss was doing great, and it had a different look to it than aquatic mosses I've kept. My best guess is that it was some kind of non aquatic plant that looks similar, but I can't be sure as I don't know much about terrestrial plants. I would assume that this is what happened here but you never know.

Actually thats a GREAT point! i bought it off of Ebay seller, and to be honest, I'm not sure if it was sold as Aquatic java moss or just Java moss, I bought 1 cup of it, tied it down to the rock in a batch with a string, placed it in the tank and it was rotten in around 3 days. Maybe you can point me to a great place where i can get very good java moss?