white stuff on glass

[mfdrookie516]

so got a question for you guys. I have this wierd slimy white stuff all over the glass on my 30g. Its fuzzy looking on the filter tube, but on the glass, looks like of like its waving if i look at it close enough. Ive only got 2 amazon swords in it, i dont dose with ferts, i keep the light on just at night while im asleep (usually from around 11pm-7am) then the room is pretty much black all day long. Ive got 2 opaline gouramis and 5 julie corys in there, along with a few mts, a yellow mystery snail, and 3 fiddler crabs (temporarily while their new home is being set up once again)... Ive googled and googled, i cant seem to find anything... oh and i feed once every 2 days, i feed color enhancing flakes one day, freeze dried blood worms another, and some kind of dried up whole shrimp the next time, then repeat

 

[EscVelocity]

Does it look like this?

 

[mfdrookie516]

kinda sorta... but its not as long and its only on the glass and filter tube

 

[EscVelocity]

Could be Hydra or a fungus...

 

[Lynae]

I think its String Algae, I just noticed this in my tank today too, and have been frantically searching for an answer!
Mine is mostly attached to driftwood and decorations, but its ugly as **** and looks almost like mucus floating off of things...not sure if thats what yours looks like.

 

[Somethings Fishy]

How long has your tank been set up? There is usually a white slime phase during the first month or so. If that is the problem it will fix itself when it all balances out. If it is an established tank, check all your parameters & try to remember if you have done anything at all different to what you usually do or if you may have made a mistake while making adjustments to the water or changed any part of the set up in any way at all. You can probably trace back to when & how the problem started that way, then you can work out how to fix it.

 

[mfdrookie516]

actually, this tank has probably only been set up a month, but none of my others have ever done this. and the water params are perfect

 

[epsolon77]

I am thinking along the same lines as Something Fishey. If it were alge I would think it would be colored. A white alge doesn't make sense since it wouldn't be absorbing light. I think you have bacteria colonies all over the glass. and filter tube. I have 5 tanks, and something similar happened only to one. Why I don't know, but mine actually got some masses of goo floating through it (talk about gross!). I am a little concerned that the light is on all night though, especially with the snails. My MTS's get pretty freaked out when the light turns on at night, since they are nocturnal. Also many fish, and plants have internal clocks that could throw them off if the "daylight" doesn't correspond with the true rhythm of the world. Now that wouldn't cause your problem, but it may cause other issues down the road. Just something to think about.

 

[mfdrookie516]

well, i would agree with you on the light part, but as long as it is consistant, it wouldnt matter. They get total darkness during the day, then at night, i leave the light on. i do it mostly because otherwise, i would have the light on for 12 hours or so, instead of the 8 that they are now... (i dont have a timer, nor do i want one)... the mts are all over the tank sides during the day when its dark in there, then they hide out at night. ive been doing 50% pwcs probably twice a week, maybe 3 times each time scraping the "stuff" off the sides before doing so. What should i do to get rid of it?

 

[Somethings Fishy]

First is be sure about what the white stuff is. If it's what I'm talking about it will look like thin white sheets of the stuff over whatever it decides to cover & it will wipe away very easily. IF it is like that, then I would do nothing. I have had it in most of my tanks & it goes away by itself. One day theres heaps of the stuff, the next day it's like it was never there. I do have to say though that when I have had this stuff it is always gone within the first month & it comes off so easily that you can just suck it up with a gravel vac.
If it won't come off that easily it is something else & you should try tracing things back like I suggested earlier. I will do some research & see what else I can find out for you.

 

[mfdrookie516]

yeah, its not quite as easy to get rid of as that. its more like its stuck to the glass and requires scraping to get off. i know its not hyrda, it doesnt look anything like that. i just dont know how to describe it though, and it doesnt even show up on a picture. it does just look like the tank has a white film on it from a distance, then when you get real close you can see the stuff. it was worse right where the water hit the front of the glass coming out of the filter, and its hanging on the bio "stuff" in front of the cartridges on the filter as well.

 

[Somethings Fishy]

Does it look like this?
This is the stuff I am talking about & it can come up anywhere.
The other possibilities I have found are fungal or bacterial growth caused by excess feeding (doesn't sound like you are over feeding), or excess light (more likely).
I assume there is no leftover food when you feed. It should ALL be consumed within 5minutes with the excess removed.
The only white stuff that I have had to scrape from a tank is calcium build up around the top of the tank & that's just from what's in the water supply so I doubt that is your problem.

 

[mfdrookie516]

yeah, its not quite like that, though that does look similar to what the driftwood had on it in another tank until i threw it out... and its not calcium, i dont have hard water and never had a problem with that. I guess you could say it looks like that, but ground up real fine, then dispursed through the water. Im trying something different. I took the plants out, put them in my 10g, so im going to leave it with non light for a few days and see what happens. I have a sheet over the window in that room (saturday mornings arent very good if the sun wakes me up early lol), so its totally dark unless i have the tv on... im going to try that and see if it is something related to the light. Idk though if my fish have ick or not, as i saw 3 tiny white spots on one of their tails this morning, but looked just like some of the tiny white bubbles floating around in the tank. Im going to get some ick treatment tomorrow... ive got some fungus treatment, the little alka seltzer looking tablets, you think i should try it? would it hurt to treat even if they dont have it?

 

[Somethings Fishy]

I never medicate unless I am positive that I have a problem & what the problem/treatment is so I would not recommend it myself unless you are certain that there is a problem & what the problem is.
The white spots may just be air bubbles or it may be white spot. Look for signs of whitespot on your other fish as well as for scratching. Confirm you have whitespot before you treat for it.
I'm leaning towards a fungal or bacterial outbreak caused by a combination of too much light & excess food. I think blacking out like you are is well worth a try & I would also with hold all food for about a week. Your fish won't suffer any ill effects.
If blacking out fixes the problem, when it's time to put the lights back on put them on for 2hrs less than you normally do & see if that makes a difference. Try changing brands of food if you suspect that may be the problem. It's also possible that carbon has a high phosphate content that can lead to bacteria, fungal & algae outbreaks. So if you have carbon in your filter chuck it & replace with floss.
That lot might just turn the trick for you.
Let me know how you go in a few days.

 

[mfdrookie516]

ok, ive replaced one filter cartridge already, i cant find cartridges for my filter without carbon in them, and i tried just using floss and it ended up in the tank. any ideas? its an aqua-tech 30-60 and it does a wonderful job, ive got a marineland 200 but my dog chewed the u-tube and i have to order a new one

 

[Somethings Fishy]

I'm not at all familiar with those filter so I can't be positive about what you can do. I would probably look at using the floss & then top it off with a sponge so that the floss can't escape.

 

[sub ceroh]

I just replaced an cleaned all my filters and I see white spots coming out of the filtered water. It looks like air bubbles and the gaskets are in place and there appears to be no air leaks. No its not fuzzy just looks like bubbles but I dont think that it is??

 

[Somethings Fishy]

If it looks like the 'bubbles' are rising, then that will be exactly what they are. Dry media always contains air pockets that can take time to completely work thier way out of the filter. So long as it looks like the stuff is rising to the top instead of settling to the bottom I wouldn't worry about it too much.
You can tell if it is just air pockets by wether it is a constant flow of bubbles or not. If it is not constant & it is pockets of air, then you will hear the air work it's way through the impellor just before you see the next bubble stream. Give the filter a gentle shake while it's running to help dislodge any air that may be trapped inside.

If the bubbles are coming in a constant stream then you have an air leak somewhere. It only takes a pin prick in a hose to get constant bubbles. It could be from almost anywhere including taps, hoses, filter seals or even the pump housing itself. Turn the whole filter off but leave it connected with the taps open. Wait to see if there are any water leaks. If there are then that will be where the air is coming from. If there are no water leaks then it may be a very tiny leak you are looking for. Turn it all back on & listen very closely. You may be able to hear where the air is getting into the system.

 

[mfdrookie516]

so just a quick update... lights have been off for 2 days now, just turned them on for maybe 5 minutes each day to check on the fish... yesterday afternoon i found a dead cory, this morning another along with a gourami. I guess this tank is out the door. Its been nothing but problems since i got it. It has killed 15 fish so far. I selling it on craigslist and buying something else... ugh

 

[Somethings Fishy]

Don't do anything too dramatic yet & most importantly, don't get too discouraged. We all have tanks that don't work out for one reason or another.

Have you been monitoring your ammonia, nitrite & nitrate levels, KH & GH?What are the numbers?
Are you using CO2?

The first thing you need to do is water changes, no additives at all except declorinator. Do 50% straight away. Then again tommorow. Keep an eye on how the fish & if they show the slightest sign of distress, do a water change. If you are using Co2 disconnect it & add some air via a pump & stone. Keep doing at least a 10% water change every day for a week or so.
Keep monitoring all your levels & see how it all looks in a couple of weeks.

Even if you decide to pull it all apart, just sterilize it & try again. Go slow & cycle the tank properly & you should be able to get it going right.
Don't give up the hobby though. It's very rewarding when you get it all right & once you do you will wonder why it wasn't this easy all along.