Weird stuff in water

[PerceptivePesce]

I'm in week 3 of a new tank cycle.  This morning my tank was fine, then 5 minutes ago I saw all this stuff floating in my water. It looks like white flake food. What's going on?

Edited November 1, 2022 by PerceptivePesce

[PerceptivePesce]

My tank has dandruff! 

The guppies are eating it.  It must be algae, or something, that was growing in my canister and it broke loose?  I haven't cleaned my canister yet, was planning on doing that next week at the 4 week maintenance day.

[PerceptivePesce]

[lefty o]

likely some form of bio film. the fish are eating it, id not overly worry. safe , but unsightly.

[nabokovfan87]

It could be a sign of stagnant water or some sort of reaction with decor.  I've seen it moreso on tanks with a filter that isn't working quite right.  I would just inspect the pump and then go ahead and clean the impeller and pre-filter sponge and hopefully everything is ok.

As far as the hob.... if you have ONLY a cartridge in there, this is likely also causing some of that.  It's a film / biofilm and is usually the bacteria and stuff trying to find a place to colonize.  Adding sponge or ceramic media in the HoB might help if that's the case too.

If you have plastic decorations or something like that... it could be a weird reaction and I would try to isolate that out.  If it happens again, turn off the filtration, use a brush / toothbrush to get some of that stuff off the surfaces and then just siphon it out prior to turning back on the flow to the tank. 

[PerceptivePesce]

@nabokovfan87

I don't have a hob.  I have an aquatop canister filter and a large sponge filter.

Three trays in the canister. The first has coarse filters from aquarium coop. The second has a blue, medium coarse filter that came with the filter and poly-fill fiber.  The 3rd has 2 bags of these ceramic bioballs.

https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/ceramic-bio-sphere-seaside-aquatics.html

Edited November 1, 2022 by PerceptivePesce

[nabokovfan87]

awesome.  Sounds like it's definitely not the filter.

[PerceptivePesce]

I noticed my GH seems to be rising.  I use remineralized rodi so I'm thinking there must be something in the tank. 

All the plants were RR'd.

I'm not stressing, just talking.  I'll keep my eye on it.

[JoeQ]

You might want to blow out your lines, awhile back I was getting lots of white floating particles from my out flow. After blowing out the gunk in my lines with a garden hose it solved the issue.

[PerceptivePesce]

On 11/1/2022 at 7:18 PM, JoeQ said:

You might want to blow out your lines, awhile back I was getting lots of white floating particles from my out flow. After blowing out the gunk in my lines with a garden hose it solved the issue.

Yeah, the translucent outflow tube has opaque sections.  I bet that's what it was.

[JoeQ]

On 11/1/2022 at 8:57 PM, PerceptivePesce said:

Yeah, the translucent outflow tube has opaque sections.  I bet that's what it was.

You are lucky that your tubes are clear, mine are black (Fluval 307) and it took me forever to find where my particles were coming from!

[Gwallace]

On most any can filter just switch the inlet and outlet for a few seconds.  This will back flush the whole can through the inlet side.  It will also clean all the gunk out of the inlet hose.  Obviously put the end of the hose in a bucket...not the tank!  By using a pre-filter and doing the described back flush every 90 days I only clean my cans once a year.  Even then they are not terrible.

Edited November 3, 2022 by Gwallace

[SC Fish]

genuinely looks like pieces of tissue

[PerceptivePesce]

On 11/4/2022 at 10:42 AM, SC Fish said:

genuinely looks like pieces of tissue

That ran across my mind when I was initially freaking out, but when I saw the gups eating it, I relaxed.  I scooped out a lot with a net, and scooped a good bit off the sponge filters.  After a couple hours the fish had cleared it all out.  Go go Guppy cleanup crew!

[eatyourpeas]

I agree with previous posters on it being biofilm. It looks like the surface proteins when they break up on the surface and then swim all over the tank. I would not worry about it, but keep an eye on water quality.

[JoeQ]

On 11/4/2022 at 12:35 PM, PerceptivePesce said:

That ran across my mind when I was initially freaking out, but when I saw the gups eating it, I relaxed.  I scooped out a lot with a net, and scooped a good bit off the sponge filters.  After a couple hours the fish had cleared it all out.  Go go Guppy cleanup crew!

IMO,  it is flake food that lost its color as it sat in your tubes.

[PerceptivePesce]

On 11/4/2022 at 3:48 PM, JoeQ said:

IMO,  it is flake food that lost its color as it sat in your tubes.

I did ghost-feed with flake food for a week before I was given guppies.  The canister intake has had an ACO pre-filter sponge since day one

[redfish]

Kinda looks like the root tab gel after it breaks down and floats.

[PerceptivePesce]

I havent used root tabs.

Remineralized rodi water, easy green, easy iron, and GLA microbe-lift beneficial bacteria.  (I'll be using fritz zyme 7 on WC day -monday)

[redfish]

Well, don't be surprised if/when you use root tabs to see the gel capsule float up like that eventually!  At least you ruled that out for now.

[PerceptivePesce]

When I scooped it out, it wasn't white.  It was a yellow/green brown color, slimy texture

[PerceptivePesce]

I cleaned my canister filter today, the whole thing, tubes and all.  I saw the same shape junk, like ripped tissue paper, except it was a yellow/green color in my white bathtub.  It had to of been algae in my tubes that sloughed off, inflow and outflow.

I never got a bad algea problem in my tank while cycling, so I guess the new tank algae bloom happened in my canister. 🤷‍♀️

[JoeQ]

Weird, have you always had clear pipes? Also im still waiting on that journal! 

[PerceptivePesce]

You're cute, @JoeQ❤

The day my journal is ready will be a glorious day!  I'm hoping it'll be in the forum by 2023 🙏

[JoeQ]

Talk about keeping a guy in suspense,  SHHHHHHHEEESHHHH!