Smoke like stuff swirling around tank?

[scoles_b]

Hi all!

Okay, I know this sounds ridiculous. I tried to google it and all I got were answers that don't apply to my situation (coral shedding/molting, large snails reproducing, smoke from cigarettes).

So, fed my fish after I got the kids into bed this evening, and I noticed this white, smoke like, almost looked like little veils floating around the tank. Didn't last very long though, my powerheads were blowing it around and I saw it for a few seconds, tried to snap a pic, and then it was gone into the overflow.

I have a 90 gallon FOWLR.

Newest addition is a One Spot Foxface added about 5 days ago.
(ammonia has since been showing .25 on the test kits- I didn't think a fish could eat/poop so much! LOL) I suppose my BB is catching up, tank was fully cycled back in May. Could these wispy things be bacterial bloom?

Other inhabitants include:
2 ocelarris clowns
1 firefish
1 blue spotted goby

1 banded coral shrimp
4 red legged hermits
crap load of feather dusters that came in LR
brittle stars, & asterina stars (no idea how many)

naussaris & FL cerith(small) snails, got rid of most. probably only 10-12 in the tank.

I tested after, I thought maybe it was extra mucus from a stressed fish or something(?) but all tests came out OK other than ammonia(I did a 25gal water change day before yesterday. The ammonia reading scared me!! Currently have more water mixing to do another [maybe not so large] water change tomorrow)

amm: .25
ite: 0
ate: 10
phos: 0
cal: 480
ph: 8.2
temp: 79.5
*api test kits*

not sure if this applies to this at all, but I had a diatom outbreak in May, cleared up within a week or so, and have had little to NO algae since then, other than a little coralline on rocks which is spreading slowly, and something is on the back wall but you can't really see it against the background.

This isn't like some weird fungal fish disease is it??

I've added one fish every month or so, other than my clowns I got as a pair back in May. Religious about water changes, 10% every week, clean out my filter sock & skimmer during every water change. Also have an ATO.

Hopefully one of you guys have an answer!

 

[Rmckoy]

The white cloud , milky smoke is from the worms .
As for the ammonia showing on the test that's weird ,
And a sign that something isn't quite right .
All from adding just one fish?
I added the same fish to my tank about a week ago ,
He is a huge eater , poops a lot lol
Mine loves broccoli and cucumber .
I have 3 veggie clips for the tangs ,
Sea veggie in one , cucumber on the other and the last one has broccoli .
The tangs eat the sea veggie and broccoli and he eats the cucumber .
For a venomous fish I thought he would be a lot tougher or more aggressive then he is .
Anyways back to your ammonia ,
For a 90 gal you don't have much for livestock so I can't see overstocking a issue ,
That depends on your systems filtration ,

 

[scoles_b]

I have been feeding more since he's been in the tank. Mainly because he's a pig and steals all the food. Be it pellets or mysis. I have tried putting some red seaweed rubber banded to a rock and he nips at it for a bit and then just guards it until I take it out lol. I was thinking because my other 4 fish are so small and finally adding him (he's about 4 inches or so) my BB got kicked into high gear. He literally will eat every thing I drop in the tank except a few pieces which the two clowns eat up and I feel like there's no food left for the firefish. Goby I know is ok cuz he sifts the sand all day. I don't know

 

[scoles_b]

As for filtration, I have a reef octopus skimmer, which model I don't remember. Also about 130 lbs of rock so far(adding dry rock as I go along). I'm not dosing anything or running carbon or reactors. All I use is a filter sock which gets cleaned in vinegar & ro/di every week. I feed every other day. New life spectrum, mysis, or "red marine algae with natural garlic extract" I bought specifically for the foxface, I've dropped into the tank before trying to feed the rest of the fish twice since he's been introduced.

 

[Ingy]

I agree the smoke is probably from the worms. I saw a bristle work stick his butt out of a rock hole and shoot out poop or spores. Yuck.

As for the ammonia jump, you actually did a relatively significant bioload jump compared to the other 4 fish. The BB should soon catch up and you will be OK.

 

[Rmckoy]

I agree the smoke is probably from the worms. I saw a bristle work stick his butt out of a rock hole and shoot out poop or spores. Yuck. As for the ammonia jump, you actually did a relatively significant bioload jump compared to the other 4 fish. The BB should soon catch up and you will be OK.

Bio load jump ?
With the addition of the rocks or Foxface ?

 

[Rmckoy]

I agree the smoke is probably from the worms. I saw a bristle work stick his butt out of a rock hole and shoot out poop or spores. Yuck. As for the ammonia jump, you actually did a relatively significant bioload jump compared to the other 4 fish. The BB should soon catch up and you will be OK.

Or just the Foxface and the extra feeding ?

 

[Ingy]

Just the Foxface. What he eats compared to the other 4 fish, might be about a 33%+ increase in bioload. Not huge, but noticeable. It should go back down in a few days.

 

[scoles_b]

Thanks Ingy!! I will test again tonight, hopefully it's gone down by now.

That's crazy about the worms, lol. Luckily I rarely see mine in action... They freak me out a little!

 

[Rmckoy]

Thanks Ingy!! I will test again tonight, hopefully it's gone down by now. That's crazy about the worms, lol. Luckily I rarely see mine in action... They freak me out a little!

I had the same thing with " smoke after lights went out "
I asked on here the same as you did ,
I did get a picture .
I was told they are reproducing .

 

[furrymurray]

Fox face will shed bits of their skin. Could it have come from your fox face? Sometimes my fox face will swim really fast until the loose skin comes off and then my other fish will sometimes eat it. But it does look like little veils floating around

 

[scoles_b]

Fox face will shed bits of their skin. Could it have come from your fox face? Sometimes my fox face will swim really fast until the loose skin comes off and then my other fish will sometimes eat it. But it does look like little veils floating around

Fish shed??? Is that just a foxface thing? I've never heard of that!

Could've been him I guess. I didn't see where it came from. That's interesting information lol

 

[Rmckoy]

Fox face will shed bits of their skin. Could it have come from your fox face? Sometimes my fox face will swim really fast until the loose skin comes off and then my other fish will sometimes eat it. But it does look like little veils floating around

Mine got caught by my anemone within the first 15 mins in the tank .
He had huge burns all down his sides .
I thought it was from that anyways .
Maybe it was skin shedding .
Is this related to stress ?

 

[scoles_b]

Just googled it. Apparently rabbitfish shed their mucous layer or "cuticle" often, sometimes once a day. Lion fish also do this. Learn something new everyday in this hobby!! I will have to keep a close eye on him to figure out who is making this mess!

Just got home from work & tested my water ammonia level is zero again!

Seems like every time I think I've got a hold of what I'm doing with my fish tank it throws me a curveball haha.

Thanks again!!

 

[Rmckoy]

Just googled it. Apparently rabbitfish shed their mucous layer or "cuticle" often, sometimes once a day. Lion fish also do this. Learn something new everyday in this hobby!! I will have to keep a close eye on him to figure out who is making this mess! Just got home from work & tested my water ammonia level is zero again! Seems like every time I think I've got a hold of what I'm doing with my fish tank it throws me a curveball haha. Thanks again!!

I'm still trying to figure out I have 10 fish in my 75gal
3) clown fish
1) 12" ritteri anemone
1) sand sifting goby
1) cleaner wrasse
1) yellow wrasse
1) kole tang
1) orange shoulder tang
1) powder blue tang
And the new one spot Foxface
After putting the Foxface in my ammonia never moved from 0
It's kinda surprising cause only 2 weeks before that I just put in another 40 lbs or rock I cycled in a storage tote .
How is it my smaller tank with more occupants and a higher bio load didn't change with the addition of the same fish ?
My Foxface is almost 5" long

 

[scoles_b]

My guess is my smaller bioload. With the addition of the foxface(only messy eater and avid pooper in my tank) my small bacteria colony had to grow large enough to support it.


Isn't that the point in just adding one fish every few weeks? To build up a bioload? Remember my tank is fairly new, only been up and running for 5 1/2 months. And I am taking things very slow as I really want to do things right the first time around.

 

[scoles_b]

My guess is my smaller bioload. With the addition of the foxface(only messy eater and avid pooper in my tank) my small bacteria colony had to grow large enough to support it. Isn't that the point in just adding one fish every few weeks? To build up a bioload? Remember my tank is fairly new, only been up and running for 5 1/2 months. And I am taking things very slow as I really want to do things right the first time around.

I meant to add that my understanding of BB is you only have as much in your tank as you need. As you add fish or take out, the Level of BB in your tank will fluctuate. Having so many fish in your tank already, you already had a large enough BB colony to take care of just one more fish, be it a foxface or something smaller.

This is my first messy fish, so my BB colony had to ante up and stabilize, which it's done. I hope this helps.

 

[Rmckoy]

My guess is my smaller bioload. With the addition of the foxface(only messy eater and avid pooper in my tank) my small bacteria colony had to grow large enough to support it. Isn't that the point in just adding one fish every few weeks? To build up a bioload? Remember my tank is fairly new, only been up and running for 5 1/2 months. And I am taking things very slow as I really want to do things right the first time around.

Mine has been running since end of March ,
Getting to have 2 lbs of rock per gallon was my main goal .
I'm done adding fish cause I think I might be close to stock limit .
The only reason I took the Foxface was he was free and a rescue from a 20 gal lol
I have a 7 year old daughter , I didn't want a venomous fish .

 

[scoles_b]

2 lbs per gallon is my goal too! Almost there.. Lol. Trust me I understand I was iffy about the foxface as well. I have two boys, 4 & 6. But the stand itself is about 4 & 1/2 feet tall, & I keep the step ladder hanging from a ceiling hook in the garage. So no way they're getting their little fingers near the top of the tank for some time!

But that's what I get for taking my son to the LFS with me. "Ooh look!! That one has spines! Please mom?!!"

I'm just happy they are as interested in the hobby as I am

 

[Rmckoy]

2 lbs per gallon is my goal too! Almost there.. Lol. Trust me I understand I was iffy about the foxface as well. I have two boys, 4 & 6. But the stand itself is about 4 & 1/2 feet tall, & I keep the step ladder hanging from a ceiling hook in the garage. So no way they're getting their little fingers near the top of the tank for some time! But that's what I get for taking my son to the LFS with me. "Ooh look!! That one has spines! Please mom?!!" I'm just happy they are as interested in the hobby as I am

I have close to 130 lbs and don't thing I could squeeze much more rock without taking from swimming room .
The reason is I read a few different methods .
For filtration I am intrigued to know more about the Berlin method .
Is it only live rock , sand and a good skimmer ?
No mechanical filters ?

The vodka method for lowering nitrates .
My nitrates are at highest 10 ppm .
I don't think the Foxface would stick around to come close to fingers , he seams to be a very shy fish.
Not very aggressive at all !
Should see him eat a slice of cucumber though ,
WOW