Clear Algae?
- Thread starter Sky Diamond
- Start date
Well one tank, my axolotl tank, was setup for about a month or two before I got them and during that time the slime slowed up over the heater - I use to stop the water from dropping below 18 or more at night - and all over the tubing in the tank. It's a 60 litre tank.
Then, a tank I setup the night I put the fish in, got it, which was 9 litres.
Then Another tank I had sit for three days has it now too - also 9 litres.
The ONLY tank that doesn't have it, is one I setup for a hospital tank for my axolotl when he got sick. I set it up and added about 25% of his water into the tank before putting him in the very same night. I now have fish in that tank. . . This tank is 20 litres. It sat with no fish in it for about a month before I put fish in it though.
I just found out what I thought was cycling a tank, isn't such. I've always been told "the bigger the tank, the longer you leave it to cycle." Example, a small tank a few days a big tank a week to a month or more.
Then, a tank I setup the night I put the fish in, got it, which was 9 litres.
Then Another tank I had sit for three days has it now too - also 9 litres.
The ONLY tank that doesn't have it, is one I setup for a hospital tank for my axolotl when he got sick. I set it up and added about 25% of his water into the tank before putting him in the very same night. I now have fish in that tank. . . This tank is 20 litres. It sat with no fish in it for about a month before I put fish in it though.
I just found out what I thought was cycling a tank, isn't such. I've always been told "the bigger the tank, the longer you leave it to cycle." Example, a small tank a few days a big tank a week to a month or more.
Just setting up a tank does not cycle it. Cycling is getting the beneficial bacteria growing before you put fish in. There are several ways to do this and there is much written about it if you would search this forum or Google "cycling". A tank is NOT cycled until you have 0 ammonia and nitrite and about 20 ppm nitrates. This can take from a week to over 6 weeks depending on the method used. Aging the water is not cycling a tank.
In the axolotl tank, which has the algae, I never added any leaves nor meds, because they have to be treated differently to fish. Example, being pulled out of the tank and put into a bucket or even at times a fridge and treated.
In their tank, they have a few water plants, a plant living on drift wood, a filter and heater and also some air. I've also having an issue with very thin, small white worms in the tank and lice like things on the glass - though they aren't lice just look like it. I think I'm getting them from the plants I'm buying as I've had the lice things before and they grew into bigger, fatter worm like things. I've so had the thin worms in another tank years back that had plants.
I use rain water in all my tanks so I don't even use water conditioner.
I only just added some leaves to the tank I had as a hospital tank for my axolotl, which doesn't have the algae though has had plenty of meds. Very confusing I know. . .
In their tank, they have a few water plants, a plant living on drift wood, a filter and heater and also some air. I've also having an issue with very thin, small white worms in the tank and lice like things on the glass - though they aren't lice just look like it. I think I'm getting them from the plants I'm buying as I've had the lice things before and they grew into bigger, fatter worm like things. I've so had the thin worms in another tank years back that had plants.
I use rain water in all my tanks so I don't even use water conditioner.
I only just added some leaves to the tank I had as a hospital tank for my axolotl, which doesn't have the algae though has had plenty of meds. Very confusing I know. . .
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I agree with you - this whole thing is very confusing. Rain water could have a whole lot of contaminates depending on how you go about catching it and how long it sets before you use it. I honestly don't know if that is good or bad. You mentioned getting fuel or something in your water - any ideas on how that happened? Are you on well water or do you live in a town with a well that is treated?
I am still concerned about the rain water and how you go about getting it - is it runoff from a roof? A lot would depend on what the roof surface is how you keep debris out of it. Also how do you get it to the same temperature as the tank when you are changing water? Isn't it winter now in Australia? How cold does it get in where you live?
No we have no idea how the fuel got into the water, but it stunk! Our water comes from a river in a small town near by and yes it is treated, heavily. It sometimes smells like pool water. We used to use filtered water, but our filter broke and we can't find a descent one since. Now for ourselves to drink, we buy water but it isn't cheap.
My axolotls are fed about twice or three times a week, appending on how warm the tank is. The colder the water the less I feed them.
It does run off the roof into guttering, though the tanks are huge and full all the time. The water is crystal clear also. I get water from the tap and boil it up in the kettle and then add it in a bucket of the rain water until it's about the same temp as the tank.
It's spring right now, but last night we had snow. In the middle of winter it can get down to -10C but lately we've been getting summer weather of 20 to 28C. It was about 2C or below last night and a top of 10C today.
I've had this clear algae stuff before in tanks in the past and that was when I was using the filtered water. I find it mainly gets into Betta tanks.
My axolotls are fed about twice or three times a week, appending on how warm the tank is. The colder the water the less I feed them.
It does run off the roof into guttering, though the tanks are huge and full all the time. The water is crystal clear also. I get water from the tap and boil it up in the kettle and then add it in a bucket of the rain water until it's about the same temp as the tank.
It's spring right now, but last night we had snow. In the middle of winter it can get down to -10C but lately we've been getting summer weather of 20 to 28C. It was about 2C or below last night and a top of 10C today.
I've had this clear algae stuff before in tanks in the past and that was when I was using the filtered water. I find it mainly gets into Betta tanks.
I currently have four going, I had five before one of the Bettas died. Three of the five have/had the algae stuff - had being the tank the fish died in. Sorry if I'm not explaining myself too well tonight, living on four hours sleep right now.
Yes I could do that. I have a water plant there I'm not game to use in the other tanks because of what the fish died from. I'll set it up and see what happens.
Yes I could do that. I have a water plant there I'm not game to use in the other tanks because of what the fish died from. I'll set it up and see what happens.
I've noticed stuff like that in my 55 gallon. it seems to me like a bio film, it rubs off super easy in my tanks and i wipe it down before i do a water change and it clears up for a month or so before i notice it again.
the rain water interests me as well. i can see it being easily filtered for debris but as for microbes that would take an RO filtration or boiling every drop to kill it all off. also rain water falling from the sky is not as clean as one may think. car exhaust and factory and chemical vapors all go into the air and some may not get to the clouds but alot do. it collects in the water as rain drops are formed as well as catching this stuff as the drop falls to earth. the rain drops quite literally filter the air, and what it filters out of the air u are putting into the fish tank, may not be large amounts at all but it's not as clean as the water could be.
the rain water interests me as well. i can see it being easily filtered for debris but as for microbes that would take an RO filtration or boiling every drop to kill it all off. also rain water falling from the sky is not as clean as one may think. car exhaust and factory and chemical vapors all go into the air and some may not get to the clouds but alot do. it collects in the water as rain drops are formed as well as catching this stuff as the drop falls to earth. the rain drops quite literally filter the air, and what it filters out of the air u are putting into the fish tank, may not be large amounts at all but it's not as clean as the water could be.
I was concerned with the run off from the roof. Roofing material varies - we happen to have some type of tar, but there are many different things used including treated cedar and things like that. And then you have the bird droppings which can contain parasites. I will say this - snow does not taste as good now as it did when I was a kid in the 40's and it certainly tasted better in remote areas than it did in the cities even then.
the snow not tasting the same is what i was kinda getting at with rain water. and the roofing materials i do agree with can leech toxins into the water as it runs down the roof. it all can of course be filtered out using a ro filtration system but at that cost you might as well just use tap water and dechlorinate it.
Yes, that's what this stuff is like.
I was thinking that myself, though there shouldn't be too much of chemicals around here as I'm in the country, but we do have a little traffic around here.
The roof it runs off is of out shearing shed across the road from the house. From there it travels to a tap at the house.
What is a RO filter system? I've never heard of them before, though we have been looking for a new setup for our selves.
I was thinking that myself, though there shouldn't be too much of chemicals around here as I'm in the country, but we do have a little traffic around here.
The roof it runs off is of out shearing shed across the road from the house. From there it travels to a tap at the house.
What is a RO filter system? I've never heard of them before, though we have been looking for a new setup for our selves.
it's reverse osmosis. it's a high pressure filtering system. the only one i have had experience with was pushing water through the filter membrane at 1500 psi. it will filter out nearly everything except water itself cause the pores are so tiny in the filter. it's accually not recomended to drink as the water has 0 mineral content and can accually leech minerals out of the body. at least thats what i have heard and the guy who maintaned the RO system where i worked said. i have not done any research myself on it though.