ianr
Junior Member
Posts: 65
|
Post by ianr on Mar 14, 2019 7:07:07 GMT -5
Hey so I'm dealing with a bacterial bloom atm fed my cichlids live fish for the first time there must have been some leftovers that slid under a rock or something after hunting I come up empty handed. So basically what I did was point the outputs for my filter towards the bottom to stir it up a bit then i add a tetra floculant to try to clear up any detritus and small particles to reduce the "food" for the bad bacteria after that I add a waste management product from tetra to decay this waste in the filter so now I'm gonna fast my fish for two days or stick to very small feedings and the problem should resolve itself how do you guys deal with this?
|
|
|
|
Post by freshwater on Mar 14, 2019 10:17:22 GMT -5
I would just do extra water changes, maybe small water changes every other day till it clears
|
|
ianr
Junior Member
Posts: 65
|
Post by ianr on Mar 14, 2019 10:19:21 GMT -5
I would just do extra water changes, maybe small water changes every other day till it clears Really? I once read that water changes are bad for a bacterial bloom cause they just add minerals and nutrients for them to feed off albeit chemicals aren't the greatest choice either |
|
|
|
Post by freshwater on Mar 14, 2019 10:27:53 GMT -5
I had a bloom in the 220g recently, I did extra water changes reduced feeding and reduced light and it cleared up quickly, with in a week
|
|
ianr
Junior Member
Posts: 65
|
Post by ianr on Mar 14, 2019 10:32:12 GMT -5
I had a bloom in the 220g recently, I did extra water changes reduced feeding and reduced light and it cleared up quickly, with in a week Hmm okay maybe I'll give that a try seems a more natural route |
|
|
|
Post by jred on Mar 14, 2019 11:18:31 GMT -5
Bacteria blooms aren't inherently horrible for the tank however what can happen is the bacteria consumes the ammonia too quickly and starves out - then restarting the cycle again. I had this happen in a tank where I kept going up and down and up and down for 2 months and it was very frustrating. I would agree about doing smaller more frequent water changes to allow for it to correct itself. As well, if you are worried about uneaten food I would suggest a scavenger like a armored catfish or preferably a synodontis species - I find they are good and smelling out uneaten food and breaking it down further (even with the lights off they forage). Good luck!
|
|
ianr
Junior Member
Posts: 65
|
Post by ianr on Mar 14, 2019 11:36:38 GMT -5
Bacteria blooms aren't inherently horrible for the tank however what can happen is the bacteria consumes the ammonia too quickly and starves out - then restarting the cycle again. I had this happen in a tank where I kept going up and down and up and down for 2 months and it was very frustrating. I would agree about doing smaller more frequent water changes to allow for it to correct itself. As well, if you are worried about uneaten food I would suggest a scavenger like a armored catfish or preferably a synodontis species - I find they are good and smelling out uneaten food and breaking it down further (even with the lights off they forage). Good luck! Okay yeah I'm pretty sure it's just from the feeder fish I gave them one must have died under a rock starting it off it will most likely be clear today or tomorrow |
|
|
|
Post by jred on Mar 14, 2019 13:22:50 GMT -5
Oh sorry I missed the feeder fish part - may I ask why you are feeding feeders to them? I saw a pic of your tank and most of the fish you have are mbuna which are herbivores. While some like the oscar and the jack dempsey are more protein consumers, I find feeders can introduce parasites and other pathogens due to the poor conditions they are raised in. Just wondering if you had been advised that or not. cheers
|
|
ianr
Junior Member
Posts: 65
|
Post by ianr on Mar 14, 2019 13:26:34 GMT -5
Oh sorry I missed the feeder fish part - may I ask why you are feeding feeders to them? I saw a pic of your tank and most of the fish you have are mbuna which are herbivores. While some like the oscar and the jack dempsey are more protein consumers, I find feeders can introduce parasites and other pathogens due to the poor conditions they are raised in. Just wondering if you had been advised that or not. cheers Tbh I picked up some gold fish for a stag and doe With 2 extra incase some died none died so I fed them to my fish wanted to see what would happen if they'd eat it or what |
|
|
|
Post by Andre on Mar 14, 2019 22:03:46 GMT -5
Like already mentioned bloom is not bad..
just manage the easy way and do small water changes every day and fast your fish for a few days and when you do feed just keep it minimal.
Bloom will clear up fairly quickly, it's a sign that your filters are still playing catch-up to the Bio load you've added to the tank.
I would try and get out of the habit of using products when most are or needed and more just a money grab.
Water changes will fix most problems.. just my opinion but by all means do what you are comfortable with. Great thing about this hobby is what works for one person might not work for the other and vice versa.. we do what works for us!
|
|
