Started CO2 and noticed something ODD...

[TygGer]

About 1-1/2weeks after I started a DIY CO2 setup for my plants, I noticed this white, stringy substance start to grow everywhere in the tank. I hand picked (rubbed) some of it off and it felt like wet cotton. It seems to be growing from some of the plants that had begun to die. But I also noticed it grow from the gravel and corners of the tank. Does anyone have any idea what this is or what I can do to prevent this?

Thanks!!!!

 

[TankGirl]

There is an algae that is a light grey coarse stringy type, and that may or may not be it, but maybe.

What is your lighting, tank size and nutrient dosing regimen? These things will all be helpful, along with water parameters, in narrowing this down. Do you have a digicam so you can post a pic?

I am going to move this over to the plant forum, since you might get more responses there, hope you don't mind.

 

[Raimeiken]

white stringy stuff? i have that stuff on the tip of the tube where the Co2 is coming out off, but not all over the tank. When i take it out, it comes back after a few days. Not reallly a problem for me since it's not invading my tank.

 

[brendan]

What's your DIY C02 setup look like? and what mix of yeast/sugar/water are you going with?

I've added a pic of what I recently set up and things seem to be going good.

 

[shawmutt]

It sounds like you may have had some mixture siphon into the tank. If at any time the foam on the top of the mixture, or the mixture itself, is above the tube end in the bottle, you'll get a big mess inside. It can also happen if you shake the bottle while the tube is in--a bit of mixture will enter the tube and be forced into the fish tank when the bubbles start.

If you are certain that none of these things occur, then we would need to know what brendan asked, the amounts of yeast/sugar/water you add, and also if you add anything else, like baking soda.

 

[TygGer]

I just cleaned most of it out last night so I'll have to wait for it to grow back before I can take a pic. Its kinda fuzzy and looks a bit like mold.

Tank Info:

-10 gallons
-26 watts power compact
-ph about 6.5
-nitrate, nitrite 0 last time I checked about 1 week ago
-water temp 76degrees
-CO2 mixture: 2ltr bottle, 3 cups sugar, 1tsp yeast, 1tsp baking soda, injected into a HOB power filter

The CO2 setup has been producing CO2 for about 3 weeks now... and going strong. I was planning on trying 2 cups sugar next time. And then maybe omit the baking soda...

I'm pretty sure that none of the mixture has siphoned into the tank. The water level in the bottle is well below the tube and there is no foam build up on top of the water. Also, the bottle is below my tank.

Thanks!

 

[TankGirl]

What is your KH? You can figure your CO2 ppm based on KH and pH values. The more info the better.

 

[TygGer]

I need to get a KH test kit. A couple other things I forgot to mention last time... substrate is Flourite and dosing w/ Flourish every 2 weeks.

 

[Guest]

Betcha anything it's Staghorn Algae. Greyish, either many "branches" or long and stringy, all growing from a common "base" that is hard to remove. the stringy part is rather thicker at the base and tapers thinner as it grows.

I hand picked (rubbed) some of it off and it felt like wet cotton.

That sounds just like the suff I've had from time to time, mostly on my diy co2 tanks, when I've let the co2 run out and started it again. Keep the co2 levels up, keep removing by hand, and it will decline in a few days to a week, be totally gone in 2-4 weeks. At least thats my experience.

 

[malkore]

no, this stuff is actually a bacteria, that isn't harmful...but is ugly and annoying.

It's only seen in DIY CO2 setups, and has something to do with wild yeast in the yeast you use, or some bacteria that forms.

To keep it from coming back, you need to run the CO2 into a gas separater, which can be a 20 oz soda bottle, 3/4 full of water. make the CO2 enter the bottle at the top, and run it into a tube that's submerged, so the CO2 bubbles out and to the surface. then you run another line out of the 20oz bottle, which isn't submerged. This way, the water traps the foreign spores/bacteria, and slightly purifies the CO2.

When I added this to my 20 gallon, I had no more fuzzy white, snot-like/cotton-like stuff int he tank anymore.

 

[TankGirl]

Here is a link to a schematic for the setup Malkore describes (scroll down after opening): http://www.qsl.net/w2wdx/aquaria/diyco2.html

 

[TygGer]

I searched for staghorn algae pics and the stuff in my tank doesn't really look like staghorn.

Malcore's description sounds exactly like what I'm talking about, ugly snot-like, cotton-like, cloudy, fuzzy white stuff.

I cleaned the tank of all the white stuff about 1 1/2 weeks ago. Then the white stuff started to come back and I noticed that it began to grow or attach itself to the yellowing plant. It started to die before I added CO2...

I will try adding a gas seperator. Thanks for the suggestions!!!!