Two things! one cool idea and a question

[~~Eddie~~]

Hey yall so i just upgraded to a 50 gal tank and got a chiller so that my two axis are super happy (im going to get more now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

So heres the thing the out take on my chiller was causing a huge current in the tank so i took a gatorade bottle and filled it about 2/3's full with sand and drilled some holes in the top. Then i took the cap and cut it so that the out take tube could fit in sungely. It works great!

I want to do another one and take silicon and cover the out side of it so it would blend better with the tank!

but my question....

so this chiller and what not, since ive gotten it there is a fine film over everything, when i touch it, it breaks apart. It looks like it could just be some sort of alge or fungus Should i be concerned about this stuff???

[jhonny]

protein buildup no worries

i'm intrested in the bottle theory.. could you show a picture? i cant quite figure out what you did by just reading it..

[~~Eddie~~]

Yes i will, when i get home from work tonight!

Will i ever have to clean it?

[Jason R Davis]

you could also have filled the bottle with gravel or other media that would weight it down as well as aid in allowing bacterial growth to aid in your cycling.

Good Luck

[jhonny]

i leave it.
i tried removing it, but it just comes back. it feels gross.. and looks sloppy.
but its not a problem so..

[Ben]

I get it on my tank without a chiller it's a bit annoying but I just get some off in main visible areas when I do water changes to make it look nicer

[Ben]

Just reading a post about moving a tank and someone said :

Originally Posted by Jennewt

The clear slime that grows in the inside of everything in the tank is indeed biofilm. This film is very beneficial. This is where the "good bacteria" live, the ones that cycle the nutrients in your tank. In addition to Chirple's good advice to keep some of the water in buckets, I would recommend keeping all the tank ornaments and rocks in those buckets of water if possible, in order to preserve that wonderful biofilm. This will keep the slime alive and you will have less problem with cycling once you get it all set back up. Don't be worried if you keep some tank dirt along with the water. This may be a good time to invest in a couple of 5-gallon buckets, if you don't have any. Good luck with the tank move and new floor!

She is talking about the person moving the tank at the last bit so don't worry about that

[~~Eddie~~]

i try not to over worry about my axolotls, i found that when i first got them i worryed sooo much and they were always ok. So now i just observer much closer and if something odd starts to happen i just test the nitrate's and ammonia in the water and if its good i dont lose any sleep! but its great to know that its beneficial slime!

[tusken raider]

Originally Posted by jhonny

i'm intrested in the bottle theory.. could you show a picture? i cant quite figure out what you did by just reading it..

THIS, yeah i'm interested in seeing this too

[~~Eddie~~]

ok sorry this has tank so long here is the pic of the bottel its kinda hard to see but im no good with a cam.

and a more detailed description of what i did.

Step 1: find empty bottle
2: clean it!
3. drill holes all around the bottle (specifically i did mine in the top part of the bottle)
4. I then took the cap and in a start sliced it open so that i could push the tube into it but still keep the cap on the bottle. (its not super tight but snug enough not to move around freely)
5. put sand in the bottom of the bottle (to keep it from floating away and staying where i want it!

[tusken raider]

Ahhh i get you now nice DIY

[~~Eddie~~]

im thinking of even taking it a step further and coating the out side in silicone and rolling it in sand, that way it would blend into the tank better, as at some point in this tank's life time i plan to have a large hill on one side with hides essentially building it! i dk how im going to that yet but im considering a few ideas!

[tusken raider]

I have seen tutorials on it for making PVC caves, it doesn't look to hard but remember to get aquarium safe silicone

[~~Eddie~~]

yes yes! i bought some from Pets Mart a while ago i have about half the tube left. but i dont need anything fancy i think im going to buy a plastic storage bin that would fit in the cornner/ one side and cut the front out with holes to put PVC into then silicone that together and cover all that **** with sand and what not, so that in theory they could go through the PVC in multipul places and then have a whole cave underneath, then it would also add a second layer almost like a shelf in the tank. but thats just what i think about while im at work lol