Author Topic: bloom (Read 10485 times) 15 replies

steven · « **on:** October 12, 2014, 07:22:38 PM »

Hi all it's me again with a new question

I used a fishless cycle on my new tank and after about a month I checked this morning and ammonia, nitrite and nitrate were all zero. Finally I thought I could go get some fish tomorrow.
When I got home from from work I got a really thick bloom. I didn't get one all the time during my cycle.
Is this normal, to get a bloom when everything is 0?
Should I add fish while there is a bloom in the water?

Sue · « **Reply #1 on:** October 12, 2014, 07:31:12 PM »

Is the bloom white or green? White is bacterial, green is algal. The underlying causes and cures are different so I'll hold off a 'cure' till I know which one it is.

It is unusual to get a bacterial bloom at this time. It is common when the tank is first set up as bloom bacteria feed on the organic stuff in a new tank (plasticiser in all the new plastic bits and bobs; chemicals leaching out of the corner sealant etc).
Given the unusual chemistry in a tank during fishless cycling, I suppose it could trigger an algal bloom.

steven · « **Reply #2 on:** October 12, 2014, 07:50:45 PM »

Hi Sue

It's a white bloom.
I've got brown algie, but have been told that can be normal in a new tank. But the bloom is white.

Sue · « **Reply #3 on:** October 12, 2014, 08:48:01 PM »

So it's a bacterial bloom.

Do you have any live plants in the tank that may be looking a bit iffy? decaying plants are organic matter too.

Brown algae (actually diatoms) are common in new tanks as they thrive on ammonia. There's plenty of ammonia in the water with both fishless and fish-in cycling. The brown usually goes away by itself as the tank matures.

As for the bloom, it is basically harmless to fish, just unsightly; though it can make it tricky to see the fish and you do need to keep an eye on them when first bought. The bacteria do compete with fish for oxygen, so if you get fish make sure the filter outflow is rippling the water surface to enable maximum gas exchange. The bloom bacteria grow floating free in the water and they multiply so fast we can see them as the cloudiness. Because of this fast multiplication anything we try to get rid of the cloudiness doesn't work - they grow too fast for us to keep up with. Once the bacteria have used all their food supply they will die, but it is impossible to say how long that will take as every tank is different.

It is up to you whether you want to get fish while the bloom is still there. If you would prefer to wait, add 1 ppm ammonia every couple of days till you are ready to get fish.

steven · « **Reply #4 on:** October 12, 2014, 09:07:00 PM »

I didn't think about the plants. They aren't looking very healthy but they have been in from the start. I was thinking about new plants when I add the fish.

ColinB · « **Reply #5 on:** October 16, 2014, 08:29:29 AM »

Quote from: GobPadPicThaiDam on October 16, 2014, 06:29:17 AM

its amazing what can be hidden away in people attics.

That's a bit Zen for me. Am I missing something?

Sue · « **Reply #6 on:** October 16, 2014, 12:55:13 PM »

If Colin's post now looks a bit odd it's because Robert has deleted the one he quotes

Fiona · « **Reply #7 on:** October 22, 2014, 09:37:03 PM »

Quote from: Sue on October 16, 2014, 12:55:13 PM

If Colin's post now looks a bit odd it's because Robert has deleted the one he quotes

errr stop it Robert? Smacked wrists for you and also a hello

Sue · « **Reply #8 on:** October 23, 2014, 09:29:52 AM »

Robert needs to delete these posts. If I got to them first, I would delete them. There have been a few over the last few days, all totally irrelevant to fish; the posts sound like Zen or far eastern philiosophy.

After the last useless post, Robert added an extra bit to the Rules and Etiquette thread here

Fiona · « **Reply #9 on:** November 06, 2014, 12:35:39 PM »

Hence the ? Sue. Spammers and trolls, I just can't understand why they do it.

Sue · « **Reply #10 on:** November 06, 2014, 01:27:41 PM »

Sorry, I think I misunderstood your post

Robert not only deletes the posts, he bans the poster as well. I don't know if I can do that or if it has to be an admin. I'll have to investigate!

Sanjo · « **Reply #11 on:** January 04, 2015, 10:35:36 AM »

Quote from: Sue on October 12, 2014, 08:48:01 PM

So it's a bacterial bloom.

Quote taken from a post made in October 14

As for the bloom, it is basically harmless to fish, just unsightly; though it can make it tricky to see the fish and you do need to keep an eye on them when first bought. The bacteria do compete with fish for oxygen, so if you get fish make sure the filter outflow is rippling the water surface to enable maximum gas exchange. The bloom bacteria grow floating free in the water and they multiply so fast we can see them as the cloudiness. Because of this fast multiplication anything we try to get rid of the cloudiness doesn't work - they grow too fast for us to keep up with. Once the bacteria have used all their food supply they will die, but it is impossible to say how long that will take as every tank is different.

Friday 2nd Jan we completely emptied most of the water and starting the fishless cycle again

Yesterday (Saturday 3rd) I added enough ammonia in increments as advised by Sue to bring it up to 3ppm.
and then we had a bloom. I assume it's a bacterial bloom.

My question now is, the bloom from yesterday has completely gone and we have a clear tank.

I don't want to keep testing the ammonia as I shall soon run out of test tabs. (I have more on order)

I wasn't going to feed the tank until the 6th ?

As the tank has cleared does that mean I need to do the ammonia feeding earlier.

Really sorry, I'm sure these are basic questions to most of you but It's a whole new learning curve for me.

Thanks for any help

Sue · « **Reply #12 on:** January 04, 2015, 04:47:46 PM »

The bloom bacteria don't affect cycling so you can test even if there is a bloom in the tank.

If you added ammonia to 3pm yesterday (ie 3 Jan) you do need to test for ammonia on 6 January, then again on 9 January and so on every third day till you see a drop in ammonia. Also start testing for nitrite every third day from 6 Jan. Do this testing every third day until you reach the stage where you have less than 0.75ppm ammonia and over 2ppm nitrite.

If you find you have to keep replacing the tablets, you might find it cheaper to get a liquid reagent test kit instead. They do a lot of tests per bottle(s).

Sanjo · « **Reply #13 on:** January 04, 2015, 04:59:57 PM »

Thanks Sue. I have actually got myself a little notebook and have written down the days for testing.
I have taken the following from the Fish cycling bit and just wondered if you could clarify something for me.

Quote "1. Calculate your dose of ammonia. This would typically be 0.3ml for every 10 litres of tank water; but because bottles of ammonia vary in concentration, it is better to dose at 0.2ml ammonia per 10 litres, then test after 30 minutes (to allow the ammonia to mix in). If the result is lower than 3.0ppm, add more to get to that reading. Make a note of the total amount of ammonia you add.2. Do nothing for the next 2 days3. On the third day after adding ammonia, test for both ammonia and nitrite.4. Do nothing for the next 2 days.5. On the sixth day after adding ammonia, test for both ammonia and nitrite.6. Follow this routine of testing for both ammonia and nitrite every third day until you reach a day where the ammonia reading is less than 0.75 ppm and the nitrite reading is over 2.0ppm. Add the amount of ammonia you used on the first day to get 3ppm. "

On first reading I took that to mean after I've added another lot of ammonia to 3ppm but now I wonder whether it means test because I already have added the ammonia 3 days before.

Thick I know. I put it down to old age. !!!!!
Many thanks for your patience

Sue · « **Reply #14 on:** January 04, 2015, 05:18:21 PM »

You add 3ppm ammonia on the first day. The second dose, a 3ppm-worth dose, is added only when the test results show ammonia under 0.75 and nitrite over 2.0.
In spring 2013 I did a fishless cycle using a modified version of the old method (as the new one hadn't been written then). I saw the first drop in ammonia on the 12th day after adding the first dose. Yours might be slower or faster than that but 2 weeks is about the ball park date you are looking for. You might see those under 0.75 and over 2.0 results by the 9th day after adding the first dose but it is more likely to be the 12th or 15th day or possibly even later depending just how many bacteria in your tap water survive the water company's attempts to kill them with chlorine.

Sanjo · « **Reply #15 on:** January 04, 2015, 05:33:29 PM »

Many thanks again Sue. Much appreciated

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