Pop Eye Posted July 2, 2005 Report Share Posted July 2, 2005 Hello, I have a 29 gallon fish tank that I have been using on and off. I bleeched it and rinsed it out good. I let it air dry then filled it up with aragonite and slate. I put cycle in it and let it run with filter and heater. There are no fish in it.... I Looked into my tank 7 hours later to find this whitish fuzz looking stuff growing on the aragonite and on some slate. It is clearish, whiteish almost looking like cotton fuzz or mold. I have never seen this stuff before. I vacumed it and there doesnt seem to be anything growing today. I have never used aragonite so I am wondering if this is something that is because of the aragonite. But I really dont think so. Any Help would be appreciated Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pop Eye Posted July 4, 2005 Author Report Share Posted July 4, 2005 I havent had any more growth. I added 2 tiger barbs and 2 loaches and everyone seems to be ok. I have no idea what that stuff was. But it hasent seeemd to affected my tank Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garhan Posted July 15, 2005 Report Share Posted July 15, 2005 This stuff seems to be more common this time of year. I have noticed a few posts on it and I also had it growing on a new setup breeding tank. Strangly it only grew on the rubber suction cups for my heater. But it is a form on cynobacteria. Grey slime does not appear to be an alga at all, but rather a cyanobacteria similar to the 'BGA' we all know and love. It varies in color from greenish to a dark grey. Grey slime may appear as upward growing strands, as a coating on the edge of a leaf, and as what looks like floating mucus. It can pearl heavily and with its rapid growth, can totally smother a plant. When disturbed, this cyanobacteria disolves into a greyish haze in the water. How to Treat: Grey slime is induced by chronic nitrate shortage, and one will often notice the presence of BGA preceding its appearance. Adding pressurized co2, replacing old light bulbs, and letting the total plant mass in the tank get out of control are all things that can make nitrate levels crash if care is not taken when these kinds of things are done. It is relatively difficult to combat once present, as raising nitrates to proper levels rarely works. Prevention is the best medicine, so a good nitrate test kit and adequate fertilization go a long way. If it does show up, there are not many ways to get rid of grey slime. The most effective method is to do a blackout lasting about four days. Doing that in conjunction with a diatom filter and several large water changes definitely helps. An ultraviolet sterilizer may work, but it may have negative effects on trace elements in the water column. For that reason, it should only be left on temporarily. A final option that does not work as often is to totally rescape and clean out the tank. It's somewhat of a mystery as to why that works, but it may be that it shocks the slime in some way. Dosing the tank with erythromycin does not appear to be effective. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guest Posted July 15, 2005 Report Share Posted July 15, 2005 Your tank needs cycled regardless, before fish are introduced to it. Do you know how to cycle it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garhan Posted July 15, 2005 Report Share Posted July 15, 2005 I doubt in my scenerio it had anything to do with cycling. But I do agree it needs to be cycled regardless. In my initial setup for the breeding tank I used 75% water from a tank that has been running for 4 years and filter pads that were in my wet/dry for 2 months. The water exchange system comes out of a barrel that is 50% R/O and 50% tap. In the barrel there is a displacement pump that comes on every 8 hours for .5 of an hour and runs through a 3 gallon per hour head. The breeding tank is a 15 gallon cube. I believe it came in through the tap water as I also noticed it in the storage barrel around some of the rubber parts of the pump and on the walls. This barrel recieves no light at all and is kept at room temperature of 72-76 F. Garhan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guest Posted July 15, 2005 Report Share Posted July 15, 2005 Sorry, meant PopEye, not you. Either way, cycled or cylced, I would be concerned about putting fish in there... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garhan Posted July 15, 2005 Report Share Posted July 15, 2005 (edited) Sorry I didnt take it to mean me to begin with and maybe so on adding any fish, but I went ahead and breed out my F0 Angels anyway and have about 200 fry in there with them and the slime. The fry are now 4 weeks of age and show absolutely no problems. Garhan Edited July 15, 2005 by Garhan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pop Eye Posted July 16, 2005 Author Report Share Posted July 16, 2005 Thanks for the info. I also put 75% of water from another fish tank that has been running for years. I have done this alot and have never had a problem. I have had fish in there for 10 days now and not one has died. The only thing that I have done is sifoned out the fuzz wait 2 days and put fish in. Everything seems to be normal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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