AndreaW

Since removing the water lettuce a few hours ago, the driftwood and some Java Moss have developed a film with bubbles on it (and this is not in an area above the bubble wand) so I'm thinking this is confirmation that it is Cyanobacteria (and it even looks like maybe a little bit of BBA). Am I right in my thinking?

@Fish Folk @Widgets & @JoeQ ~ I went to skim my tank and pulled the lettuce out. Whatever it is stuck to the leaves and there was nothing left on the surface of the water to skim. Water surface is clear of film. It is stuck to the edges and center of the lettuce and is dark green and there were bubbles in one area where it seemed thicker. Video: Is This Cyanobacteria? #2 Video: Is This Cyanobacteria? #3 And here's a photo of the water lettuce after I pulled it out and all the *whatever* clung to it. There are no more bubbles in it, but you can see those in video #1 & #2. Other than the smell and bubbles, it seems algae-like and clumps together:

@JoeQ ~ because of the smell, I am inclined to think it’s more than just bio film/pond scum…? It also seems to be more substantial than just a film. Wish I had a microscope right now! So far I only see it on the surface, but I’ve had the lettuce shielding the tank so I don’t think cyano could grow at the bottom where there is less light. If I don’t have to treat the tank with an antibiotic, I would prefer not to, but if it is Cyano, I’d rather treat it when it’s small rather than wait for it to spread throughout the tank. im assuming Erythromycin is safe for snails but so far I haven’t found anything definitive so I’m a bit nervous about it.

As far as I can tell, and from all the varied info I've read, I think maybe next to no Nitrates could be the main cause, and the fact that it's a low-flow tank. I need to figure out how much EG to dose to get the Nitrates up to a decent level. Beyond that, I'm not sure as I haven't added any new plants or decor lately and nothing has really changed. It's a newer tank and was set up in January, but it's been stable. I did notice the smell, but most pictures and descriptions usually focus on the Cyanobacteria on the substrate, not floating on the surface, but it makes sense, since that is where the light primarily hits and there's the water lettuce to grow around. My Betta has also been making his bubble nests in the same area, so I thought the bubbles were his until I touched them and noticed they were a film. As for the water lettuce I added to the 46G. I think I am going to remove it and keep my nose ready to detect the smell in case it decides to grow there as well. I'm hoping since it's a higher flow and higher nitrate (40ppm) tank it will not be caught by the Cyanobacteria.

The past week I've been noticing a unique smell in my 10G Betta tank. It's almost an earthy-medicinal kind of smell. A couple days ago I noticed some larger bubbles accumulating on the water and a film between my water lettuce. So far it's only on the surface in one area, on the duckweed. I'm pretty sure this is the start of Cyanobacteria in my tank. Video: Is This Cyanobacteria This is my treatment plan: Start with a water change and remove as much Cyanobacteria as I can (remove the section of duckweed it's on, since that is the only area I can see it so far). Treat one full dose (1 packet/10G) of Maracyn Add more air to the tank while treating Wait one week before next water change It is my understanding that Maracyn will not affect my Nerite snails, or the BB, right? ETA: Also, I moved some of my water lettuce to the 46G Community tank. Should I remove all the water lettuce from that tank to be on the safe side, or is it too late? Betta Tank Parameters: Temp 79-80* pH 7.8 Ammonia: 0ppm Nitrites: 0ppm Nitrates: <5ppm Phosphates: .25ppm I add 2 pumps EG every week (probably should add more to get Nitrates higher)

Thank you! I recently started feeding (Morning Wood & Bottom Scratcher) Repashy to help my deformed Pleco get the nutrients he needs and I love it! I'm hoping he loves it too, since I drop it in after lights go out. Thank you for the lower price -- I will definitely be ordering some Community Plus for my other fish. I'm sure they will appreciate the special treat too! I really appreciate all you do for the community -- You're the best!

@Patrick_G Thank you! I really have fun with what I do! The funniest thing about this house is that we designed four houses for four friends all in the same cul-de-sac (Wright, Rindlisbacher, Gibbons & Yost). After we designed Rindlisbacher, Gibbons came in and asked what was in Rindlisbacher's basement. (Theater, Golf Sim, Exercise, Bunk Room Play Room, etc.) His response? "Okay, do all that, but make it bigger!" Rindlisbacher comes back in and we tell him. He laughs and says, "Fine. just make sure I have more TVs than him! (There is a bank of three TVs in the basement so he can watch multiple sports at the same time). Then Yost comes in and says, "What's in Rindlisbacher and Gibbon's basement? Whatever they have, we want and add a pickleball court!" They all designed RV garages because one of them has an RV so they know that eventually they will ALL have an RV! Really a great group of friends to work. Rindlisbacher's walk-in-closet is 284 sq. ft., Gibbons is 306, and Yost's is 372 and almost as big as the Master Suite:

Looking great! It's really fun to see the progression of a planted tank over time, isn't it?

It will flow to certain areas of your tank, away from the flow of water. If you want to keep it within a certain area, I've seen people contain it will floating airline tubing or something like that. As it spreads, you can just grab a handful and pull it out until you are happy. Then repeat as it grows! Some people feed it to their chickens or turtles or such, but it is invasive so be sure you discard it where it won't end up in the water and such.

Diatoms are seen as a "temporary" algae that is usually seen as a "beginner" algae that grows before other algae begins to grow. It usually happens when you have a new tank or the nitrogen cycle has been disturbed and is trying to get back into balance. Most snails will eat diatoms and you should see their tracks running through them as they eat it. Give your tank more time to balance itself and the diatoms will disappear and you will then be able to experience the other more "experienced" algae like Green Spot Algae. I would not use chemicals to treat algae. You want to find the source and change whatever is causing it -- in your case, if it's a new tank or still trying to become seasoned, then time will fix it. You can wipe it off your plants so they can absorb the light, but otherwise, you probably want to leave it to feed the snails.

@Widgets ~ Yes, I added labels to show the underside/top better. I had my son pull the tiniest bladder snail out of his tank for me and here it is for comparison: So, yeah, from the underside, I thought I just had bladder snails, but there's a definite difference in how they look, both on the glass and removed from the tank. I do have to say this is a whole other level that I've never experienced in the last 20 years in my "sterile" tank with nothing but the fish I put in. I'm finding all this extra life that comes with plants fascinating! I don't think I will ever be able to go back to plastic plants.

I was able to pull one of mine out of the tank to observe it closer, and while I thought mine were baby bladder snails, they are definitely not, and I think I have limpets. I got a couple pics in the tank attached to the glass, and then I suctioned it out so I could see the shell: ETA labels

Honestly, I would just love a couple tanks with happy and thriving inhabitants and plants that are growing. I would love to be able to look at an aquatic plant and know what it needs at the first sign of deficiency. For now I'll settle right here where I'm at, enjoying my adventures and this wonderful and helpful group!

I immediately removed my Java moss from the wire mesh (it was attached with thread) and used super glue to attach some to driftwood and rocks in my aquarium.

It looks like a glossy, smooth shell to me so I would think a baby bladder snail? I have bladder snails in my QT tank, but I've been squishing the bladder snail babies that pop up here and there in my 10G tank -- at least I thought they were bladder snails, and they do look like this, and seem to be the same size. I don't want to let them grow bigger to find out for sure, though! The bladder snail babies in my QT tank are bigger than this and DO look like mini snails, but at this size, they seem to look like a blob with a crunchy spot on top.

You are correct. I'm ashamed of my pride. This house is obviously flawed. If this were my house, there would be plenty of spots for tanks, and a dedicated fishroom, right next to the greenhouse.

@sweetpoison ~ This is one of my favorite recent ones. We do all sorts of styles but I love the timeless classic styles best. It's still under construction and I was able to do a site visit a couple weeks ago.

@Guppysnail ~ Thank you! That's really good to know! I wonder if Cosmo will eat them? @Widgets ~ Your tank is beautiful and full of life! Is that PSO floating?

Wow! So many amazing professions and specialties! I also love learning things about people and find people fascinating. I am an "Architectural Drafter" which means I draw big, beautiful, custom homes for people. I get to work with my husband who also is a drafter/designer and will eventually take over the business when his partner retires. I love what I do because every house is unique to each client and by then end of a job I could probably close my eyes and walk blindly through their house as I know every nook and cranny, beam and column in that house. My husband is in the office, and I get to work at home, which I love, because it means I also get to enjoy my kids and pets and I love my office space. I've been working there since 1998 and my husband and I have been working together since then (married in 1999).

Looks like you got a great bonus! I love orchids. and airplants. Hopefully you got it out in time before rot set in. This particular air plant will require water more often than the more white or fuzzy airplants. Watering will depend on your humidity and the light you give it, but you can dunk the ends (I wouldn't dunk the bulb) in a glass of filtered water, or water with the chlorine evaporated out (not distilled or softened) and you can soak the leaves for 20 minutes or so maybe once a week. Make sure it's completely dry if you are placing it in an area of lower light, or less air circulation. If you notice the tips of the leaves browning or is seems to start fading in color, water it more often, or mist it between waterings.

Thanks @Widgets! They definitely do not have the arrow head and eyes. It looks like the image @Guppysnail posted of the rhabdocoela, even down to the white spots in the body. @Widgets ~ Do you still have them and have you noticed them do anything to be concerned about? It sounds like they are harmless. I only saw them on the glass after I turned the light back on last night to feed Cosmo. I'm doing a light gravel vacuum today but I'm fine to leave them be if they are harmless. I guess that's part of having live plants and a "living" aquarium. In the 20 years with my 46G I've never had anything living in the tank that I can see besides ich (and the fish I put or bred in there).

From the research I've done, Detritus worms will float up in the water column and wiggle around. Flatworms (rhabdocoela) and Planeria both glide along the glass similar to what snails do. So, this creature was found sliding along the glass like a flatworm or planeria, but since it lacks the arrow shaped head, I think I have a flatworm. So, flatworms are harmless, right? This is in the 10G tank with a Betta and Nerite Snails. I have live plants and driftwood in there, and I do have some tiny bladder snails (a few here and there) that I squish when I see them. I'm assuming since I'm still seeing random bladder snails that the flatworms are probably not harmful, right? I've heard Planeria will prey on bladder snail eggs or babies. Pointer finger for size reference and to get the camera to focus: Zooomed in and screenshot; head is on the upper left:

Many tank inhabitants will thank you for growing a tasty treat!

I'm trying Aponogeton Crispus, Water Sprite & a Tiger Lotus in my tank just for the adventure! (Previous thoughts were to only try what I thought I could handle.) So, thank you for the encouragement!

I can't give you breeding or fish advice, but I'll share what to expect when you re-scape a tank as that is what I've been working on lately with my 46G. When I moved my 46G at the end of last year, I tried to keep everything intact and didn't change anything at that point because I wanted to maintain the nitrogen cycle and beneficial bacteria (BB) as much as possible. I was also keeping the same inhabitants. The move went well, and my cycle stayed intact, but then 2 weeks later my sister showed up with some half-frozen fish I ended up taking in. With the increased bio load, I was able to maintain the nitrogen cycle, but I did have some diatoms show up. I no longer had my "well-seasoned" tank even though it was "cycled." Last month, I re-scaped the same tank, after everything stabilized. Once again, I kept the same inhabitants, and wanted to change the least amount possible to maintain my cycled and BB. I kept the same filtration and substrate. I removed the decorations and plastic plants (lost some BB there) and added driftwood and live plants. Even with that minimal change, I still disrupted things enough that I still have some diatoms, but the cycle stayed steady (no ammonia, no nitrites, steady nitrates). If I had changed more than that, I think it would have disrupted my cycle and I would have had to re-established it, although it would have been easier and gone quicker being able to use seeded materials from the tank. I think keeping the same inhabitants probably also helped as I didn't change anything too drastically. If I had done more, I would have been more nervous about having fish in the tank while re-establishing things. As far as cycling with plants, there's not much difference except the learning curve that comes with keeping aquatic plants. Dealing with the plant melt wasn't too bad for me but some plants did melt back to nothing, while others showed new growth almost immediately. I did have to change lighting on my tank to have enough for the plants I wanted to keep. Even though I have plenty of nitrates, I still have to dose Easy Green to make sure I have enough other nutrients for my plants. If your bio-load is too low (like it is in my Betta tank) you will have to add EG on a regular basis to make up for the lack of Nitrogen/nutrients. Otherwise, just make a plan and research (fish and plants) and ask lots of questions!