Weird "fibers" in dechlorinated water bucket?

[bloodlucky]

Basically I have a 2.5 gallon bucket that I always keep filled up with fresh dechlorinated water for when I do water changes, but lately I've been noticing after a few days I would look in the bucket and there would be hundreds of these stringy fiber looking things in the bucket.

I assumed it was dust at first, but then again there is no way that much dust could build up in that bucket in such a short period of time.

What could it be? So like after every 3 days I have to dump out the bucket and refill it and it's a complete ways of dechlorinator...

[bud29]

could you get a picture? That does seem odd.

[bloodlucky]

Originally Posted by bud29

could you get a picture? That does seem odd.

Well I just dumped out the water right before I asked this question, but since the fibers are hard to see it would probably be impossible for the camera to pick up

[bud29]

OK.......has anything else been in the bucket before, that you know of? I have buckets solely for water changes and I have never gotten that.......

[bloodlucky]

Originally Posted by bud29

OK.......has anything else been in the bucket before, that you know of? I have buckets solely for water changes and I have never gotten that.......

Nothing at all... And this recently started happening too. This never happened with our 72 gallon, this never happened with my 10 gallon until very recently

[bud29]

Maybe let it sit out in the sun for a day or two.......

[Rivercats]

Fill the bucket with some bleach and water and let it sit a few hours. Then rinse well and let it sit in the sun. If after that is done and it happens again (whatever it is causing it) then I would suspect its something from the tank water (what I have no clue as I've never seen this in all the 30+ years I've been in the hobby). Bleach will kill anything so that would be the route I'd go were it me.

[bud29]

Originally Posted by Rivercats

Fill the bucket with some bleach and water and let it sit a few hours. Then rinse well and let it sit in the sun. If after that is done and it happens again (whatever it is causing it) then I would suspect its something from the tank water (what I have no clue as I've never seen this in all the 30+ years I've been in the hobby). Bleach will kill anything so that would be the route I'd go were it me.

That is a good idea. Just rinse the heck out of it after you dump the bleach solution out.

[Alyxx]

Do you have a cat or dog? My cat'd fur would always end up getting in my buckets somehow and it looked like little fibers in the water.

[Rivercats]

If your worried about bleach residue you can always rinse the bleach then refill the bucket with water and usea declorinator, then let it sit a few more hours. And be sure to use plain bleach, not one of those scented or fancy ones they have nowadays.

I too have both cats and dogs and have had to deal with hairs in water/buckets. They do look like fibers.

[bloodlucky]

Originally Posted by bud29

Maybe let it sit out in the sun for a day or two.......

Unfortunately I live in a busy apartment in New York City. Some gangster would probably take the bucket in less than 5 minutes

[bloodlucky]

Originally Posted by Alyxx

Do you have a cat or dog? My cat'd fur would always end up getting in my buckets somehow and it looked like little fibers in the water.

No pets besides fish

[bloodlucky]

I have NO PETS BESIDES FISH

So yeah now I really want to find out what it is

[bud29]

I would then say bleach it and then let it dry inside your house for a good long time.

[bloodlucky]

Originally Posted by bud29

I would then say bleach it and then let it dry inside your house for a good long time.

K thanks. Btw fun chat today

[bloodlucky]

Is there any alternative to bleach?

[Jess1ca]

Originally Posted by Bobjoefredsky

Is there any alternative to bleach?

I don't really like the idea of bleach :/ I'm real picky about goes in or around my tank... I'm always afraid of trace amounts being left behind... With that said you could try vinegar, that's what I use to clean my supplies.

[bloodlucky]

Originally Posted by AndrewsPistol

I don't really like the idea of bleach :/ I'm real picky about goes in or around my tank... I'm always afraid of trace amounts being left behind... With that said you could try vinegar, that's what I use to clean my supplies.

Yeh same here. I am just thinking about what the fibers could be

[Jess1ca]

Originally Posted by Bobjoefredsky

Yeh same here. I am just thinking about what the fibers could be

I wish I could tell ya! I have no idea tho

[Rivercats]

Bleach is chlorine, so when using bleach all it takes is dechlor to neutralize it. That is why you can recharge Purgen in bleach and then soak it in dechlor to neutralize it, so it can then be reused in the aquarium.