AxieTails
New member
Hello all,
I did a water change last night and am worried there might be a bacteria bloom going on in Neo's tank. I've never dealt with this before so I was hoping to get some second opinions.
Tank setup: I've had this tank for years. It's a 20 gallon with sand and artificial decorations. I use a Tetra Whisper Filter with bio bag filter cartridges. I treat the water with Seachem prime and add a mineral solution similar to Holtfreter's. I usually do a 9 gallon water change ever 2 weeks. For about a month I've also been using an aquarium chiller, a cheap one by Poafamx. It has a small pump I kept submerged near the top of the water level. I had it set to keep her between 65-68 degrees Fahrenheit (18-20C)
Last night I noticed an off white slimy film inside of the chiller tubes and the filter. I'm embarrassed to say the bio bag looked quite filthy, it was very brown and slimy.
I continued with the 9 gallon water change, scrubbed the filter with primed water, removed the chiller, and have been keeping Neo tubbed out of caution (She has a towel covering one side, a small fake plant and I change the water 100% around every 12 hours). The filter has been running with a fresh bag for a little over 12 hours and the water still looks a bit blurry. I've also noticed white chunks, which I'm assuming are bacterial debris since none of her food is white.
I just tested the water, coming out to this:
Ph - 8.0, Ammonia - 0 ppm, Nitrite - 0 ppm, Nitrate - 5.0
Is it possible that the bacterial overgrowth is just from the bacteria taking advantage of all the new surface area in the chiller?
I've looked at a few other threads and saw a people saying further water changes at this point can exacerbate bacterial blooms, so my plan was to keep her tubbed until the water seems to be staying clear. Before I add the chiller back in I plan on flushing it by running a mixture of primed water and vinegar, then with just primed water to rinse. Does this seem like a good course of action?
Thank you for reading this far. I'll attach some photos.
I did a water change last night and am worried there might be a bacteria bloom going on in Neo's tank. I've never dealt with this before so I was hoping to get some second opinions.
Tank setup: I've had this tank for years. It's a 20 gallon with sand and artificial decorations. I use a Tetra Whisper Filter with bio bag filter cartridges. I treat the water with Seachem prime and add a mineral solution similar to Holtfreter's. I usually do a 9 gallon water change ever 2 weeks. For about a month I've also been using an aquarium chiller, a cheap one by Poafamx. It has a small pump I kept submerged near the top of the water level. I had it set to keep her between 65-68 degrees Fahrenheit (18-20C)
Last night I noticed an off white slimy film inside of the chiller tubes and the filter. I'm embarrassed to say the bio bag looked quite filthy, it was very brown and slimy.
I continued with the 9 gallon water change, scrubbed the filter with primed water, removed the chiller, and have been keeping Neo tubbed out of caution (She has a towel covering one side, a small fake plant and I change the water 100% around every 12 hours). The filter has been running with a fresh bag for a little over 12 hours and the water still looks a bit blurry. I've also noticed white chunks, which I'm assuming are bacterial debris since none of her food is white.
I just tested the water, coming out to this:
Ph - 8.0, Ammonia - 0 ppm, Nitrite - 0 ppm, Nitrate - 5.0
Is it possible that the bacterial overgrowth is just from the bacteria taking advantage of all the new surface area in the chiller?
I've looked at a few other threads and saw a people saying further water changes at this point can exacerbate bacterial blooms, so my plan was to keep her tubbed until the water seems to be staying clear. Before I add the chiller back in I plan on flushing it by running a mixture of primed water and vinegar, then with just primed water to rinse. Does this seem like a good course of action?
Thank you for reading this far. I'll attach some photos.
