Bacteria Bloom

[BlazedSaint]

K so i have some cloudy water, probably a bacteria bloom, someone recommended a uv sterilizer, so im roughly 5 weeks into cycling, ammonia stays between 0 and .25, nitrite stays between 0 and .25 nitrates are 10-20ish. so with that said, should i use the sterilizer to clear up what i assume to be a bacteria bloom(white haze in my tank water) or leave it alone?

 

[Fishperson]

K so i have some cloudy water, probably a bacteria bloom, someone recommended a uv sterilizer, so im roughly 5 weeks into cycling, ammonia stays between 0 and .25, nitrite stays between 0 and .25 nitrates are 10-20ish. so with that said, should i use the sterilizer to clear up what i assume to be a bacteria bloom(white haze in my tank water) or leave it alone?

If you don't mind spending $50 on a UV sterilizer, than go for it. If the bloom is your major concern than don't worry about it. Mine was gone in about a week.

 

[walklong]

K so i have some cloudy water, probably a bacteria bloom, someone recommended a uv sterilizer, so im roughly 5 weeks into cycling, ammonia stays between 0 and .25, nitrite stays between 0 and .25 nitrates are 10-20ish. so with that said, should i use the sterilizer to clear up what i assume to be a bacteria bloom(white haze in my tank water) or leave it alone?

What filtration are you using?

 

[BlazedSaint]

Umm to be honest I'm not sure I have the 29 gallon bio cube its like a 3 chamber thing with a carbon filter then bio balls then a sponge filter before the pump it was a hand me down from my Dad so I don't know much about the tank

 

[BlazedSaint]

Oceanic bio cube

 

[walklong]

Umm to be honest I'm not sure I have the 29 gallon bio cube its like a 3 chamber thing with a carbon filter then bio balls then a sponge filter before the pump it was a hand me down from my Dad so I don't know much about the tank

Might try a really fine filtration pad (fluval water polishing pad or such) - if it's not bloom, that might clear it up for much less than a UV unit. If it is a bloom should be cleared up pretty quick.

 

[BlazedSaint]

Right on instead of the fine filter can I use sachem clarity? The way the website explains it, it will make the small stuff clump together and easier to catch in the filter

 

[walklong]

Right on instead of the fine filter can I use sachem clarity? The way the website explains it, it will make the small stuff clump together and easier to catch in the filter

Not familiar with the product, but I use similar stuff in swimming pools - it does a good job there.

 

[BlazedSaint]

Lol lol I'll take that as a good review then

 

[Coryluv]

I'd just wait it out. It should clear on it's own in about a week.

 

[walklong]

I'd just wait it out. It should clear on it's own in about a week.

Just to be clear, (no pun intended) - I agree with coryluv: wait out the week. A bloom will clear itself. If it's silt or some particulate the filter's not getting, then go to plan b.

 

[BlazedSaint]

Indeed I'm going to include a picture but my buddy has a UV sterilizer he's going to let me borrow and I'm going to try the clarity because I think some of it is silt as the carbon is always like dirty dirty so that way I'm remedying both issues at the same time the tank has been cloudy for like 2 weeks

 

[BlazedSaint]

Still adding decor and waiting for plants to grow so I can divide and replant them so don't hate on my emptyness

 

[Coryluv]

It is difficult to tell from a picture, but to me it looks like the typical bacterial bloom.

A couple of weeks ago I came home to a bacterial bloom after being gone for only five days. I had cleaned the tank just before i left.

What I did to clean it up was a thorough vac to pic up any excess food or dead plant matter. My filter was unusually dirty when I checked it. I cleaned it. I reduced feeding. I did several small (10%) water changes through the week

I believe the cause of my bloom was dead plant matter in the filter intake and too much food from the auto feeder. After correcting the issues, in a week my water was crystal clear again. I did add an airstone to agitate the surface more just as a precaution during the cleanup. My fish came through it fine.

Your tank is still cycling so it is not uncommon to have a bloom. Yours doesn't look very bad. It should clear on its own barring a hidden dead fish or overfeeding. While you can treat the symptoms, it is better to find the cause and correct it.

 

[BlazedSaint]

Right on, ya my first batch of fish(about 4 weeks ago) were a total loss, killed all 5 zebra danios however one of the bodies was lost but that was like a month ago, looked for the body again and its totally gone could this be the cloud?

 

[Coryluv]

Right on, ya my first batch of fish(about 4 weeks ago) were a total loss, killed all 5 zebra danios however one of the bodies was lost but that was like a month ago, looked for the body again and its totally gone could this be the cloud?

Yes, it could be. However a month is a long time, especially since the bloom just occurred. How is your feeding regime? It is amazing how quickly just a little extra food can become a problem as evidenced by my own problem. One thing to try is to skip feeding for a couple of days. If the water clears is could be too much food. Another cause can be overstocking, but from what I can see that is definitely not the problem in you case.

 

[BlazedSaint]

Yes, it could be. However a month is a long time, especially since the bloom just occurred. How is your feeding regime? It is amazing how quickly just a little extra food can become a problem as evidenced by my own problem. One thing to try is to skip feeding for a couple of days. If the water clears is could be too much food. Another cause can be overstocking, but from what I can see that is definitely not the problem in you case.

ya i think a month is a long time for a fish that was literally at most an inch to decomp, i feed one small pinch of flake food once a day 6/7 days a week and i feed one half of a frozen brine shrimp on the 7th day(shrimp is thaw'd in small cup of tank water then added to tank), and its a 29 gallon with some plants and i have 6 platys in there, so i dont think its over stocking, ill try skipping food for a day or two and im going to get some of the seachem clarity to remove some of the finer sand and bs that is floating around, also my buddy lent me his uv sterilizer so im going to give that a shot