Bacterial bloom - water changes or not?

C

cshepard

AC Members
Jun 17, 2005
50
0
0
Vancouver Is. BC
Hi, I'm in the 2nd day of a bacterial bloom in a cycled 70 g. tank and I've read all the old posts about it. There seems to be a difference of opinion, though, on whether or not to do water changes to help reduce the cloudiness or to wait till the bloom subsides.

Mine came on due to a massive water change - and if the bacteria or the nutrients that caused them to multiply came in with the water, wouldn't a water change just bring in more?

Also, I've put a diatom filter on the tank for 6 hours but I don't think it helped much. My fish (3 fantails) started gasping at the surface so I put in two extra 4" airstones.

Any other ideas on how to help the situation? And the water - to change or not to change?
 
Are you positive that is is a bloom and not just cloudy water? What are your water prams (Ammonia, pH, NitrIte, NitrAte)?

Sometimes when a person does a water change it can simply be minerals in the water that cause it to become cloudy. It may take anywhere from a couple hours to a couple day to clear. You may want to check and see if the water company has done anything to the water lately. Usally a couple times a year they will add things to the water.
 
It is rain water from my 8000g cistern that I've been using in another tank and a pond with no problems.

Am=0
NI=0
NA=0
Ph=6.8
KH=4
Gh=6

Really, it fits everything I've read about bacterial blooms, so I'm going on that assumption.
 
Does NA mean Zero nitrates? That isn't what it should read if your tank is cycled at all.
If it means NA as sodium, then Ok :) Ignore this :)
If it's a bacterial bloom, you should see some Ammonia and/or Nitrites soon for a short time as it mini cycles.
Doing water changes doesnt effect the cycle from everything I've read. So I can only assume something in your large water change killed off your good bacteria if they cloudiness lasted more than a day or 2.
Did you treat the water before adding it with anything?

Kath
 
NitrAtes are usually around 5-10 but went down to 0 after the water change. I'm sure they will start climbing again soon.

From what I've read about bacterial blooms, they have nothing to do with the ammonia-nitrite-nitrate cycle of the tank. They are bacteria that cause a white cloudiness either by being disturbed out of agitated gravel or by a large water change or in a new tank set up.

Some people say it takes a couple days to clear up- some say up to a couple months. After reading the instruction booklet on the Vortex diatom filter, it says that even it can't filter out a bacterial bloom - let it settle on it's own.

I would like to know about whether or not to do water changes. On an old post about bacterial blooms RTR said not to do changes until it settles, but alot of others say to do them - they never hurt. So I'd like to hear some informed opinions one way or the other. Thanks.
 
there is a lot of differing opinions about bacterial blooms.
it could be stirred up from bacteria that has been trapped and it is also caused by an imbalance of the tank..ie new source or more ammonia lends to an increase of bacteria production.

I had one in my 75 shortly after it cycled and I added new fish(ammonia spike) it lasted 2-4 days then it was gone.

another source for cloudy water and is possible after a large water change or tank blackout..dead algae.

I did a blackout for 3 days and found the water got cloudy for a few days after the black out.
 
star_rider said:
I did a blackout for 3 days and found the water got cloudy for a few days after the black out.
Click to expand...

did you notice any problems with the plants and/or water perams after your blackout? ive been wanting to do one on my planted tank because of a horribe blue-green algea problem but i was advised to do a blackout as a last resort. im basically to that point but i just wanted to know of any ill effects the blackout causes. thanks for any help!!
 
no problems for the plants..at the time tho it was mostly low maint plants . the parameters stayed normal..) ammonia,0 nitrites, 20 nitrates(my tap is 20)

the algae dies and turned the water milky
 
star_rider said:
no problems for the plants..at the time tho it was mostly low maint plants . the parameters stayed normal..) ammonia,0 nitrites, 20 nitrates(my tap is 20)

the algae dies and turned the water milky
Click to expand...

yeah i think thats what im gonna do. im sick of scooping 10 pounds of algea out a day =/
 
Don't mean to be rude but lets get back to the posters question please.

As for if you should do a waterchange again or not...Personally I would do a small change every other day or so. I would keep a very close eye on anything that is living in the tank just incase something does happen. By looking at your water prams they do look good except for the NitrAte level. It should not be at 0. This most likely means you are going through a mini-cycle and the cloudyness will remain until it is through this stage. If you want to try and help this along you could go and get some Bio-Spira. This should help to bring the NitrAte level up and start fighting off the bloom.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
AquariaCentral.com
Top Bottom