Bacteria or fungus??

Hi everyone, does anyone know what this white wispy stuff could be inside my tank?
It seems to have just taken over the walls and the decor and my axies don't really seem bothered by it nor does it seem to be growing on them.
So I looked it up online and apparently it could be that my tank didn't have enough bacteria to neutralize the ammonia inside the tank and somehow the bacteria started to cluster up like that to combat a supposed ammonia spike. But the thing is that the ammonia level didn't really spike at all, the only thing that went up a bit was nitrite to about .25 so I started treating with Seachem's Stability just to be sure it had enough bacteria.
Before I was doing 40-50% water changes every 3-4 days and treating the new water with Seachem's Prime. Then I added API's Nitra Zorb to my HOB filter because the Nitrate levels were never at 0, but this seemed to have started a couple days after I added Nitra Zorb so I have since removed it.

Does anyone have an explanation to what this could be? Any help is appreciated

EversoriZ said:

Hi everyone, does anyone know what this white wispy stuff could be inside my tank?
It seems to have just taken over the walls and the decor and my axies don't really seem bothered by it nor does it seem to be growing on them.
So I looked it up online and apparently it could be that my tank didn't have enough bacteria to neutralize the ammonia inside the tank and somehow the bacteria started to cluster up like that to combat a supposed ammonia spike. But the thing is that the ammonia level didn't really spike at all, the only thing that went up a bit was nitrite to about .25 so I started treating with Seachem's Stability just to be sure it had enough bacteria.
Before I was doing 40-50% water changes every 3-4 days and treating the new water with Seachem's Prime. Then I added API's Nitra Zorb to my HOB filter because the Nitrate levels were never at 0, but this seemed to have started a couple days after I added Nitra Zorb so I have since removed it.

Does anyone have an explanation to what this could be? Any help is appreciated

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If you use something that increase the nitrate that thing has more chance to be algae then fungus.

I wouldn't put anymore of these chemicals into your tank, just cycle naturally and do water changes.

How to Cycle a Fish Tank

AxolotlChris said:

I wouldn't put anymore of these chemicals into your tank, just cycle naturally and do water changes.

How to Cycle a Fish Tank

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So should I just clean out the tank and decor and add completely new water to it? But won't this break the cycle and make it harder for the axolotls to live in that uncycled aquarium?

Its hard to say what this stuff is.. probably hair algae.

You can try using a fresh tooth brush to brush the most affected areas and use a magnetic glass cleaner to clean the walls. Just don't go deep cleaning your ornaments, plants ect. or that will remove any good bacteria.

hair algae isn't dangerous, there are certain snails that can feed of it.

You would perhaps have less of these algae with a lot of live aquatic plants in your tank. Live plants uptake not only nitrates, but also ammonium.
The plants we can see on the photos seem artificial. Have you natural plants too?

Thanks for the tips AxolotlWrangler! I'll do that, but should I take out the ornaments to scrub them with the toothbrush? Because I have a feeling if I scrub inside the tank it'll just create a mess of algae floating around.

Also no, I was planning to get live plants eventually but I understand they need light to survive and I'm not sure how to provide that since I do have an aquarium light but I think my axies wouldnt appreciate it being on for a long time lol and also I'm not sure if they need substrate on the bottom which I dont have yet because my axies are still a bit young.

If this is hair algae then it should eventually go away, you can use the bristles on a tooth brush to begin twirling the threads around it to pull it off. You can then do a large water change around 50% to clear out anything floating.

Clean the glass as well, if you can use a magnet cleaner like this: http://img.auctiva.com/imgdata/1/3/5/4/6/7/2/webimg/642670970_o.jpg

As I said before don't do a deep clean on your ornaments/plants or the bacterial biofilm will be destroyed and your tank cycle will crash.

EversoriZ said:

Thanks for the tips AxolotlWrangler! I'll do that, but should I take out the ornaments to scrub them with the toothbrush? Because I have a feeling if I scrub inside the tank it'll just create a mess of algae floating around.

Also no, I was planning to get live plants eventually but I understand they need light to survive and I'm not sure how to provide that since I do have an aquarium light but I think my axies wouldnt appreciate it being on for a long time lol and also I'm not sure if they need substrate on the bottom which I dont have yet because my axies are still a bit young.

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jm29 is right, water change its really a bad idea to solve your problem because it is the best way to worsen the situation, it decrease the level of good bacteria and that increase ammonia.
You need real plants to complete the cycle of ammonia, plants like egeria densa and a biofilter and remember that plants need light to work.
if you want to solve the problem THIS are the right advices

Caudata Culture Articles - Filters

in this link there is also a photo of how need to be an axolotl tank.

Caudata Culture Articles - Cycling

Daimler - I don't see how advising that getting live plants is the best way to solve this issue. EversoriZ has not got lights to grow plants. So many people do not keep a planted aquarium so to suggest using plants to fix the issue will change EversoriZ entire setup. Some don't want to maintain plants within their tank. Plants are not essential to keeping a tank cycled, but they are beneficial depending on how many plants you use.

Also the bacteria biofilm is not free moving within the water, it attaches its self to surfaces within the tank. Doing water changes will not affect the bacteria biofilm, as long as you don't do an extreme change as there must still be a source of ammonia to feed the bacteria to keep it alive.

For instance, if you started doing an 80% daily water change you would weaken your bacteria colony's potentially destroying it as you'd be removing most the ammonia to feed the bacteria, so some or all colony's could die off.

EversoriZ, can you test your water? post the results back. Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate, and PH

What kind of testing kit do you use ?

AxolotlChris said:

Daimler - I don't see how advising that getting live plants is the best way to solve this issue. EversoriZ has not got lights to grow plants. So many people do not keep a planted aquarium so to suggest using plants to fix the issue will change EversoriZ entire setup. Some don't want to maintain plants within their tank. Plants are not essential to keeping a tank cycled, but they are beneficial depending on how many plants you use.

Also the bacteria biofilm is not free moving within the water, it attaches its self to surfaces within the tank. Doing water changes will not affect the bacteria biofilm, as long as you don't do an extreme change as there must still be a source of ammonia to feed the bacteria to keep it alive.

Click to expand...

Axolotl has gills.
The gills to work need oxigen.
The plants transform the co2, ammonia and no3 in oxigen.
The plants to work need light (or from the sun or from the neon)
Algae works just like plants to live and plants would compete with algae for no3.

Aquarium Algae Control

This is not an advice, this is a true fact. :wacko:
If he start his tank with plants, they will be "fighting" with algae for the no3.
If i wrote (or the plants wrote) something that has offended you, first i say that im sorry and second there is a button on the left called "report post" and you can also PM a moderator if i say something wrong.
And about the water change, here you can find that 25% its good

Caudata Culture Articles - Aquarium Invaders: Algae, Snails, Worms and Other Critters

well here a good list of plants and their effect

http://www.caudata.org/forum/f46-be...ers-substrate/104290-plsetups1.shtmlants.html

and here some good setup

Caudata Culture Articles - Setups, Aquatic

Nothing offended me there's no need to PM moderators at all? All I was saying is that you don't have to use plants to get rid of algae. And that a lot of people don't want to maintain a planted tank. you can get rid of the algae by other means. So you were giving advice. I know what your saying is true but the algae can also be dealt with by following the information in the link you provided: Caudata Culture Articles - Aquarium Invaders: Algae, Snails, Worms and Other Critters

You can stop the algae growing by manually removing it, not allowing lots of light, and by doing your normal water changes to keep your nitrates at 0.

Seemed wrong to say that water changes remove good bacteria when it does not. The information in the above link shows that doing water changes daily helps. You just need to still have a source of ammonia.

Me and some of my friends have non planted tanks with no issue. So my advice was based on EversoriZ not wanting to have a planted tank.

Sorry if you got confused about what I was trying to say!

AxolotlChris said:

Nothing offended me there's no need to PM moderators at all? All I was saying is that you don't have to use plants to get rid of algae. And that a lot of people don't want to maintain a planted tank. you can get rid of the algae by other means. So you were giving advice. I know what your saying is true but the algae can also be dealt with by following the information in the link you provided: Caudata Culture Articles - Aquarium Invaders: Algae, Snails, Worms and Other Critters

You can stop the algae growing by manually removing it, not allowing lots of light, and by doing your normal water changes to keep your nitrates at 0.

Seemed wrong to say that water changes remove good bacteria when it does not. The information in the above link shows that doing water changes daily helps. You just need to still have a source of ammonia.

Me and some of my friends have non planted tanks with no issue. So my advice was based on EversoriZ not wanting to have a planted tank.

Sorry if you got confused about what I was trying to say!

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good, but...

"I don't see how advising that getting live plants is the best way to solve this issue"

Axolotl has gills.
The gills to work need oxigen.
The plants transform the co2, ammonia and no3 in oxigen.
The plants to work need light (or from the sun or from the neon)
Algae works just like plants to live and plants would compete with algae for no3.

at the end of this link

Caudata Culture Articles - Aquarium Invaders: Algae, Snails, Worms and Other Critters

you can find "Aquarium Algae Control article on FishLore.com" and its a good source of info.

"So many people do not keep a planted aquarium so to suggest using plants to fix the issue will change EversoriZ entire setup"

So many people keep a planted aquarium

http://www.plantedtank.net/

Aquarium Gallery - Main Index

Caudata Culture Articles - Setups, Aquatic

http://www.aqua-rebell.com/images/aquascaping/aquascaping-art-of-the-planted-aquarium-adrie-01.jpg

http://greenleafaquariums.com/planted-aquarium-gallery.html

so i suggest to use plants.
Change the setup? add 2-3 different type of plants is still better then nothing and he don't need to change anything.

"Plants are not essential to keeping a tank cycled, but they are beneficial depending on how many plants you use."

wat? :wacko:
plants are very different each other, an aquarium full of anubias its different from one full of egeria densa.

"it attaches its self to surfaces within the tank"

i tell you a story about biofilter, it has ceramic ring to work, why? because bacteria are not only in the surface but also in the rock and... and in the water! and with big water change you say bye bye to your bacteria and welcome to new ammonia.

"as long as you don't do an extreme change as there must still be a source of ammonia to feed the bacteria to keep it alive."

you can do all the water change you want, animals are an infinite source of ammonia and co2, plants are an infinite source of oxigen and clean water

"Why use plants?!"

its not so complicated, you dont need to be a genius to understand how much is complete an aquarium with plants.
PS since axolotl are not proteus anguinus they need light to have vitamin d3 just like the plants to produce oxygen.
Dont have light? don't have plants? bad bad bad :wacko:
i understand who don't use plants because has p. ruber or Necturus maculosus in tank with very very cold water, but hey... we are talking about axolotl

And now a photo of the axolotl natural habitat!

http://mexdesc.impresionesaerea.net...ic/xochimilco-canales-ene11.jpg?itok=6Q4HnfO7

see that floating aquatic plants? they are all real :wacko: wow

hey floating plants are very good against algae! because...

Axolotl has gills.
The gills to work need oxigen.
The plants transform the co2, ammonia and no3 in oxigen.
The plants to work need light (or from the sun or from the neon)
Algae works just like plants to live and plants would compete with algae for no3.

And the floating plants stole some light that algae needs

My point was that some people don't want a planted tank, I wasn't saying plants are bad. I was just pointing out that you don't have to use plants to get rid of algae. Which is what the OP seemed to be after.

I didn't ask "why plants?!" I can understand their benefits.

I was only talking about plants in relation to their affect on the cycle of the tank and that you need quite a few to make a difference.

You'd only limit the light so not to encourage the algae, not leave the tank in darkness for ever..

Normal water changes up to 50% will not crash your cycle so to say it's bad to do so because it will remove good bacteria seems wrong to me. Everything I have read says that the bacteria is not free swimming.

So many people don't use plants, so many people do use plants. I'm not saying either is wrong.

Anyway.. Thanks for the info

"I was just pointing out that you don't have to use plants to get rid of algae"

and im just pointing that tank need plants to be complete.
More the water is cold, more is the oxygen.
Hot water (more then 24C) without plants, with high no3, algae, ammonia, water change its an hell for ALL the caudata.
Cold water (Under 24C) with plants, without ammonia,no3,algae and with little 10% water change its good.
Do you understand? no?
Well :wacko:

Axolotl has gills.
The gills to work need oxigen.
The plants transform the co2, ammonia and no3 in oxigen.
The plants to work need light (or from the sun or from the neon)
Algae works just like plants to live and plants would compete with algae for no3.

It's not mandatory, I know people who have had non planted tanks for years, no algae, no other problems. I'm not disagreeing with what your saying.

Anyway.. You've proven your points as much as possible.

Thanks!

AxolotlChris said:

It's not mandatory, I know people who have had non planted tanks for years, no algae, no other problems. I'm not disagreeing with what your saying.

Anyway.. You've proven your points as much as possible.

Thanks!

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And i know people who say that a tea of cannabis and onion can cure the cancer. :wacko:
I have tank full of plants since i was child, first aquarium in 1997.
I believe in my experiences, in my error and success and also in scientific data.
An aquarium with plants is still better then a tank without plants.

http://www.nuhomeinterior.com/wp-co...fish-tank-cool-aquarium-aquascape-designs.jpg

And that's all folks :wacko: