bacteria in my water containers?

[mpg]

the past two times that i have done a water change there has been scum on the water in my water jugs.  i dropped an extra airstone in the tank which broke up the slick pretty quickly.  and the tank occupants don't seem to be affected.

my routine is to fill the water jugs after the last water change, add dechlorinator (ammo-lock), and then let them sit the 3-4 days until the next water change.

i'm wondering if the ammo-lock is almost causing a kind of fishless cycle in the jug.

should i be worried about the scum?

 

[luvfishies]

There will be no cycle without filtration

I think that what you are seeing is just airborne particles settling on the surface of the water. Have you tried covering the buckets with a towel?

Also, the aeration is a good idea. The fish don't seem stressed, so don't you!

 

[mpg]

the containers are more like jugs with lids. not buckets.  also the scum is more like a slick.  so i don't think it's dust.

maybe it's some kind of anaerobic bacteria.  

i cleaned the jugs with super hot tap water and the slick didn't reappear in last nights water change.

 

[RedTurquoise]

Im thinking along the lines of dissolved organics. It happens on a lot of tanks and comes from plant matter decaying, food decaying etc.

 

[mpg]

but this is only tap water and dechlorinator. ... before it gets to the tank.

i suppose the tap water could have had some organic material (even more troubling).  or it could have been something that built up over time from not cleaning the water jugs.

 

[colesea]

Tap water does contain some organic material, the FDA sets certain limits as to what they consider safe for human consumption of tap water, but that does not remove all organics and stuff from the water souce.  It could also be picking up organics from the piping (mold, mildew growing in the pipes).

The best way to prepare water for your tank if you are going to allow it to sit out for a few days is to simply drop an airstone in it (don't use ammo-lock).  Allow the water to be aerated until you are ready to use it. Don't cap it, and if you can, place your water into something that has more surface area.  If you aerate your water, you will be able to off-gas alot of the chlorines and other stuff as well as add a bit more oxygen to it. If you have heavy metals in your tap water (well water) then you will also have to add a dechlorinator.
~~Colesea

 

[mpg]

i'll try the aeriation method.  

i know that works well with chlorine only, but what about chloramine?  i have always read that chloramine is much more stable than chlorine alone and cannot be driven off with agitation alone.

 

[RedTurquoise]

Chloramines will also be driven off by aeration but it takes something like 7 days, maybe 5.

 

[luvfishies]

Just a thought..what is the dechlor that you're using? If it says that it promotes slime coat, has aloe, or "protects fish", it could be the dechlor.

Either way, aerating (bubbling) is a good idea.

 

[mpg]

i used ammo-lock 2.  it claims to reduce stress.  but i think they are just talking about the ammonia issue.

several weeks before i had also used some tetra easybalance.  i'm still not clear if it helps, but it came free with the 10 gallon tank.  it says "Active ingredients are delivered via organic carrier molecules."  so that could have been left behind from a previous water change.