Tank Fungus??

[mllalvarado]

My 55 gallon tank is still sitting empty of fish. I just hooked up my Eheim filter and got it running a couple weeks ago. So my tank is filled with water and a few decorations inside, including a tree log. Every couple days I walk by and notice that the sides of my tank are browning. Does this mean I have a fungus in my tank?? Or is it because of the log?? I thought the filter was protecting my tank from getting poop stains on the inside. Is there something I can do to prevent this browning on the inside of my tank??

 

[HUKIT]

The log is leaching tannins which is normal. To help speed up the process remove the log and boil it in a large pot of water...when the water turns brown change the water rinse and repeat until the water becomes clearer. If the piece is large I use my dishwasher and run that cycle a few times. Tannins will not hurt anything and they will lessen over time.

You could also run carbon or Purigen to remove them.

 

[fearlessfisch]

Just curious why the tank is sitting empty. Are you aware of fishless cycling? Many misinformed aquarium stores tell customers to run tanks completely empty for a couple of weeks, but that does NOT cycle a tank and get it ready for fish. You have to be adding an ammonia source in order to have a true cycle. If you add a bunch of fish to a tank that has been sitting empty, you will have serious problems with ammonia levels and fish death. Please look up the articles on fishless cycling on this website or ask more questions if what I just said is not clear. If I misunderstood, and you are actually doing a fishless cycle with an ammonia source, please ignore and excuse this post.

 

[BigJim]

Is the water stained brown or are the sides of the tank getting brown and fuzzy?

If the water is stained, it's tannins from the log. If the sides are brown and fuzzy, it's probably brown algae, which is really diatoms. The wood will stop leaching tannins eventually and PWCs will dilute the brown water in the meantime. Diatoms are common on new tanks and will usually burn themselves out after some time.

Where did the log come from?

I'll echo fearlessfisch and suggest you research fishless cycling here on AA.

 

[taylorodw]

BigJim is correct, the brown water is most likely tannins or diatoms.

The other (less likely) possibility is that the log introduced some unusual life into the tank. Where did you get it from?

Good luck and enjoy your time here at AA

 

[JohnPaul]

BigJim got it right:

Brown water = tannins leaching from log
Brown powdery "stuff" on glass & hardscape = diatoms

Diatoms (popularly, but incorrectly, called "brown algae") seem to pop up on most new tanks. They will go away by themselves with time (weeks to months, depending upon a number of factors). If you aren't patient, then once the tank is cycled you can get some ottos (otto catfish) which love to eat the stuff. Otherwise, each time you do a water change just scrub off the diatoms right before you siphon out your water.

Tannins will leach from driftwood put into tanks. Over time, the amount leached will be less & less. You can partially accelerate the process by taking the wood out of the tank, putting it into a huge kettle, and boiling the wood for a good 4-6 hours, changing the water every couple of hours. But it will still leach some tannins always--I have a tank with a good chunk of driftwood in it, the tank has been set up over 2 years and there is still some leaching, though not nearly as much as in the beginning.