nzfauna Posted May 9, 2014 Report Share Posted May 9, 2014 So, i have this stuff growing over the bottom my tropical water guppy tank. It also grows on plants and glass. Any ideas what it is and how to get rid of it? Will post pic below. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nzfauna Posted May 9, 2014 Author Report Share Posted May 9, 2014 http://postimg.org/image/i8l8dn57n/full/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted May 9, 2014 Report Share Posted May 9, 2014 Wow, I've never seen it that bad. Gross. Also, vacuum it out and then, from the looks of it, cut your feeding by about 90%. Looks like you are WAAAAY overfeeding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexyay Posted May 9, 2014 Report Share Posted May 9, 2014 I think I can see food on the ground so unless you've just fed them then it's definitely overfeeding. Try to siphon out as much as possible, maybe don't feed for a couple of days to starve it. I've gotten fungus before but not that - gross D: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrienne Posted May 9, 2014 Report Share Posted May 9, 2014 Isn't it mould attaching to whatever it can. Normally from food rotting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted May 9, 2014 Report Share Posted May 9, 2014 You are feeding mould with fish food by gross overfeeding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nzfauna Posted May 10, 2014 Author Report Share Posted May 10, 2014 I suppose it could be from left over food, but i have had fish for years and never seen anything like this. It even grows on bare glass! As well as water changes, what can i add to the water to kill this growth. Salt? A regular dose didn't seen to work. Cheers :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sophia Posted May 11, 2014 Report Share Posted May 11, 2014 see if you can add some extra circulation/current that doesn't upset the guppies too much Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nzfauna Posted May 11, 2014 Author Report Share Posted May 11, 2014 I've just noticed the flow rate is very low (well, not as high as it was). Maybe my motor needs a clean out or replacement? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nzfauna Posted May 12, 2014 Author Report Share Posted May 12, 2014 see if you can add some extra circulation/current that doesn't upset the guppies too much Hi Sophia, thanks so much for suggesting this, because it prompted me to look at my flow rate. Without me realising it, part of the filter unit had become clogged. I've now cleaned it out thoroughly and it is certainly a stronger current now. I've also taken measures to prevent that part becoming clogged again (because it's hard to get at and clean!). I'm now quite sure that the very low flow rate was the reason for this microflora 'explosion'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Discusguru Posted May 12, 2014 Report Share Posted May 12, 2014 How long have you neglected the tank? Reason I ask is if you have been maintaining the tank and doing water changes I don't see how it could get to this stage. If that was my tank I would clean everything out and start all over again. Ron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted May 12, 2014 Report Share Posted May 12, 2014 I'm now quite sure that the very low flow rate was the reason for this microflora 'explosion'. I'm not sure that's accurate. Many people have very stagnant tanks without anywhere near that amount of fungal growth. If the filter clogging was the only thing that changed I'm inclined to say that it just means beforehand it was breaking up and filtering out the fungus caused by a huge amount of rotting food. Just making it not so blatantly obvious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexyay Posted May 12, 2014 Report Share Posted May 12, 2014 The high flow will help circulation, preventing it, but it just means the low flow helped it thrive but was not the cause of the problem (as it cannot "feed" off anything if fish are fed correctly). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nzfauna Posted May 13, 2014 Author Report Share Posted May 13, 2014 There will always be microflora in a tank. They are just opportunistic and grow when more favourable conditions eventuate. I don't generally overfeed, there is very little left on the bottom after say 30 minutes. And I do water changes regularly (once, twice, three times a week), and the tank was not 'neglected' - although I did stop cleaning the glass to see what it would do. Perhaps, in this case, the severe decrease in flow rate led to conditions that allowed the slime or fungi (or whatever) proliferate. Perhaps decreased oxygenation, altered water chemistry, and current strength. I'm not going to disrupt the whole tank and clean everything - it will recede on its own. I think that will be better for the fish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingart Posted May 13, 2014 Report Share Posted May 13, 2014 A partially clogged filter may have become a nitrate factory that was feeding your fungus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nzfauna Posted May 30, 2014 Author Report Share Posted May 30, 2014 Update So, after I fixed/cleaned the filter, thereby restoring the flow rate, and siphoning up and rinsing some of the gravel, this white stuff has started to decline. Slowly but surely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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