# Possible Bacterial Bloom?



## Canadian731 (Jun 25, 2013)

So I have recently gotten a cloudy tank, It happened the day before yesterday and im kinda stumped, here are my readings.

Ammonia - 0ppm
Nitrite - 0ppm
pH - 9+ ( im suspecting that the cuttlebone my girlfriend added for the snail raised my pH and caused a bacterial bloom)
Nitrate - 5ppm

The only thing I could think of it being is a bacterial bloom due to the pH shift, any opinions are welcomed!


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## jbyoung00008 (May 16, 2011)

How are you cleaning your filter and what type of filter do you have? What size tank? What fish? How long has the tank been up and running? How long did you cycle it.

If your PH is 9. Than you need to do some big water changes over the next week to bring it back down. No fish will like a high PH like that.

A couple things can cause cloudy water IME. One of the ways is because all the good bacteria in the filter has been killed by cleaning the filter in correctly.

The tank wasn't cycled properly to start. The nitrogen cycle is too much for the beneficial bacteria to consume so the water goes cloudy. Doing water changes wont seem to help. I just dealt with someones goldfish tank that had this same issue. I brought over some of my bio media and did a water change. It solved the problem right away. The cloudy water didn't come back. I made him go buy another filter aswell. 

Give more info and we might be able to solve the problem

Cheers
Justin


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## Richmond Dave (Jul 21, 2013)

Another possibility, if you have used algae wafers (or the like), is cyanobacteria. I had a big problem with this, as the blue-green algae in the wafers is cyanobacteria, and decided to grow like crazy.


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## Livyding (Feb 6, 2013)

If this is a relatively new set up (I see in your signature you're in the process of getting a 33 up and running) then I'd put money on diatom bloom.

(like this?)


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## Steve (Mar 27, 2013)

jbyoung00008 said:


> If your PH is 9. Than you need to do some big water changes over the next week to bring it back down. No fish will like a high PH like that.
> 
> Cheers
> Justin


I keep my tanganyikans at a pH of 9 and they seem to love it. Have about 60 fry julidochromis transcriptus pop up over the past couple weeks


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## jbyoung00008 (May 16, 2011)

Steve said:


> I keep my tanganyikans at a pH of 9 and they seem to love it. Have about 60 fry julidochromis transcriptus pop up over the past couple weeks


A Ph of 9 is okay for Africans. Im not sure what fish this person is keeping but Im going to assume normal tropical fish since its a 10g

I bet that's neat seeing all the baby juli's. I have 1 in my tank and he is always fun to watch.


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## Steve (Mar 27, 2013)

It's awesome! As soon as food drops into the tank it's like there is a bunch of striped torpedos that attack the pellets !


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## Canadian731 (Jun 25, 2013)

my stock in my 33 is Corydoras, Mollies, Guppies, German Rams, Neon Tetras, an ADF, a Mystery Snail. I did have a lot of diatom algae in my tank once the plants were put in there, My pH is back to normal now from what ive read with an algae bloom you arent supposed to do any water changes so hopefully that didn't put me back.


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## Master wilkins (Dec 10, 2012)

So it is the new 33g? You could have new tank syndrome with a high stock fish count like that. If thats what it is use some filter media from an aged tank or add some "cycle" i think its from seachem.


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## Canadian731 (Jun 25, 2013)

I dosed stability and ran my old filter in tandem with my new ones, my readings are perfect which is why im guessing some sort of bacterial bloom


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## Master wilkins (Dec 10, 2012)

Post a pic?


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## Canadian731 (Jun 25, 2013)

Currently running an AC200(50) and a AC30


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## Master wilkins (Dec 10, 2012)

It looks to me like new tank syndrome, only because I see the PH and ammonia readers stuck to the glass (those things don't work). If thats what you're using to get your readings I wouldn't doubt that they are way off. Maybe a forum guru could make a better diagnosis, but if I'm right, your old filter with the healthy bacteria cant compensate to the new bigger tank and all the inhabitants.

If it is new tank syndrome, I would do daily 10% water changes until it clears up.

Edit- Also the cuttlebone PH swing "may" have killed off your beneficial bacteria adding to the root cause.


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## Canadian731 (Jun 25, 2013)

I dont think its new tank syndrome as im getting perfect readings, if the bacteria were all killed off my ammonia wouldve spiked which I have seen none of, Im using the API master test kit, those were bought before when I first got the 10g, The pH is garbage but the Ammonia is good incase of a spike.


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## Master wilkins (Dec 10, 2012)

Well one last hypothesis in my book, after this its up to a guru on here. The test kits do expire, you say you got it when you first got the 10g? That could have been a while ago, not to mention how long it was sitting on the shelf before you bought it. I know friends of mine who work at pet stores have told me that they have seen expired test kits still on the shelf waiting to be purchased.


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## Canadian731 (Jun 25, 2013)

Test kit expires August 2017, Just bought it 3 months ago. Got worse when I changed water from what ive read its most likely a bloom but would love more opinions on how to deal with it


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