Could this be dangerous?? Please help!

[SansyFrance]

Hello all,
I am still mildly new to the hobbyist aquarium owner community, so I can really use all the help I can get!
I was checking on my fish today and saw some strange "material" covering the bottom of my tank

I'm not sure what this cloudy substance is on the bottom of my tank and I'm very scared that it could potentially be harmful to my fish. Could anyone help me out??


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[Nils]

Hard to see from pics but if I had to guess it might be food that has clear fungus growing on it. Other than that I don't know what it could be.

 

[SansyFrance]

Hard to see from pics but if I had to guess it might be food that has clear fungus growing on it. Other than that I don't know what it could be.

Thank you for your quick reply, Nils. I'm sorry about the pictures being so low quality. It was hard to see. So if it is clear fungus 1) is that dangerous and 2) how would I go about getting rid of that or clearing it up?


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[Laeris]

Just vaccum it up with the siphon.

 

[SansyFrance]

Just vaccum it up with the siphon.

Thanks so much for your advice, Laeris! I was so worried


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[thing fish]

by any chance did you recently add any new driftwood?

 

[SansyFrance]

by any chance did you recently add any new driftwood?

I have not added any new driftwood, but all the decor in the tank is new. It's only been established since Sunday, so about three days now today. I was worried that this stuff could have been from some decor!


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[thing fish]

You just set it up on Sunday? Did you cycle the tank? I can't really see what's going on in the photo, but is it a clear slime? Or is it brownish? Looks brownish in the photo to me. Are you testing the water, at least the ammonia levels? Fish behaving normally?

 

[SansyFrance]

You just set it up on Sunday? Did you cycle the tank? I can't really see what's going on in the photo, but is it a clear slime? Or is it brownish? Looks brownish in the photo to me. Are you testing the water, at least the ammonia levels? Fish behaving normally?

Yes the tank was just set up Sunday. Half of the water in the tank was from the old tank they were all moved from, while the other half was treated water that was able to sit and mix overnight.
Again, I apologize about the pictures, but they're all I could get. It's a clear "jellylike" slime cover certain parts of the bottom of the tank. The fish are all acting normally as they normally do, and I am testing ammonia levels. All seems well except the "slime" I guess we'll call it.


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[thing fish]

using water from the other tank is not going to help the new tank cycle. using filter media from the other tank will. i would just vacuum it up like was suggested already, and also monitor levels of ammonia. be prepared to do several weekly water changes for a while.

 

[SansyFrance]

using water from the other tank is not going to help the new tank cycle. using filter media from the other tank will. i would just vacuum it up like was suggested already, and also monitor levels of ammonia, while being prepared to do several weekly water changes for a while.

Alright thank you. I siphoned the clear goo up earlier and it had bits of food attached, so I'm assuming, like someone above said, that it was more than likely caused by food and possibly new water. I'm going to monitor it for the next few days and see how it progresses. Thank you for your help!


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[SansyFrance]

using water from the other tank is not going to help the new tank cycle. using filter media from the other tank will. i would just vacuum it up like was suggested already, and also monitor levels of ammonia. be prepared to do several weekly water changes for a while.

Also a side note to this, the only reason I'm not using the same filter or the same filter material is because I'm using it for a tank housing two pregnant Platies. I was really worried about them not adjusting well to a new tank and causing them shock and problems in the pregnancy. So I was a bit more worried about them. Was this a bad choice you think??


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[jessipanda]

Also a side note to this, the only reason I'm not using the same filter or the same filter material is because I'm using it for a tank housing two pregnant Platies. I was really worried about them not adjusting well to a new tank and causing them shock and problems in the pregnancy. So I was a bit more worried about them. Was this a bad choice you think??


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It just means that the new tank is not cycled. The water doesn't house any BB (beneficial bacteria). That resides in the filter media and a bit on the substrate. Without it, ammonia levels can become deadly. There's a sticky on here that discusses the nitrogen cycle. You should read that as well as the one about fish-in cycling since that is what you're doing. Keep an eye on the ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates. Keep ammonia and nitrites below 0.25ppm, definitely no higher than 0.5ppm. If you don't have one already, pick up the API master freshwater test kit. It's a great tool for monitoring everything. Good luck!

 

[jessipanda]

Check out this thread:

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1378812

Articles to Help you Get Started with your Aquarium

 

[SansyFrance]

Check out this thread:

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1378812

Articles to Help you Get Started with your Aquarium

Thanks, jessipanda. I'll be sure to read up on that!


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