Strange White Whispy Stringy Stuff

aakaakaak

Superstar Fish
Sep 9, 2010
1,324
0
0
Chesapeake, Virginia
#1
This is the second water change in a row I've gotten this. It seems to go away on its own overnight and none of the fish seem to be bothered by it, but it's strange as heck. It covers everything in the tank except the heater, concentrating on the plants the most.

This only happens about 5-10 minutes after a water change, and only in the 29 gallon. I've gotten it with both AquaSafe and Prime after waiting about 15 minutes to dechlorinate. I've been dosing with Flourish "Comprehensive Supplement" but it doesn't seem to effect the water in my 10g when I dose that, so I don't believe that to be an issue.

Currently in the 29g is everything in the sig, plus a bunch of Mystery Snail peas.

It looks similar to this, but not green. Totally white:


Anybody have any ideas? Is this Long Beard Algae or something?
 

nanu156

Large Fish
Mar 8, 2010
745
0
0
Detroit, Mi
#4
I almost want to suggest pet hair in the water... (I know i find my hair in the water all the time lol)

maybe some sort of slime IDK I don't have a real suggestion here. Just spitballing
 

aakaakaak

Superstar Fish
Sep 9, 2010
1,324
0
0
Chesapeake, Virginia
#5
It definitely disappears. I'm not really sure where it goes. Either the snails eat it or the fish do. Maybe it simply dissipates. It's definitely not pet hair. I don't have anything but fish.

Imagine the stingy stuff from above, but has the look and texture of this white stuff. It was definitely in strands of 2-4 inches:


It hung off everything. Maybe an overload of beneficial bacteria or something?
 

Fishman1995

Superstar Fish
May 11, 2010
1,341
0
0
North Carolina
#7
The white clingy stuff is from your snails. Mine used to do it all the time. Pick up your snail and feel its bottom side (Not really) But they are very slimy. Sometimes, they leave a slime strail and even less of the time it becomes dislodged and clings to a plant or decoration but they also eat that.

Another theory is this. When i used to overfeed my fish with shrimp pellets id find slimy clumps/strings in the aquarium. SO if your overfeeding that might be it too.

Hope i helped :D
 

nanu156

Large Fish
Mar 8, 2010
745
0
0
Detroit, Mi
#8
bacteria can get out of wack if you overfeed Kira, better husbandry can clear up the issue.

Thats not snail slime, there is WAYYY too much of it, the presence of it after a water change suggests bacterial slime, or some sort of fungus to me, honestly i don't have a real suggestion as to what it is, your guess is as good as mine, really clean water cures most things tho.
 

nanu156

Large Fish
Mar 8, 2010
745
0
0
Detroit, Mi
#10
you fast them?

Ummmmm I just feed mine when i think about it honestly which is about 5x or so a week (only 1x per day).... I clean tanks on sundays because thats when i have time with out a kiddo running around and getting in my way lol.

I don't however house anything that isn't an opportunistic eater, most fish in the wild eat a lot when they find food then don't find much for a few days then eat again... So, its not imperative to feed them on a schedule. Discus larger cichlids oscars etc need to eat much more frequently.
 

Kiara1125

Superstar Fish
Jan 12, 2011
1,142
0
0
Florida
#11
Yes, I feed my fish 1-2x a day, depending on my schedule (but I mainly feed them 2x over the weekend, then fast them). But when I have things to do after school (club meets, volunteer work with my dad at his Elks Lodge meetings, etc) I don't feed them. This stuff only happens 2-3x a week, so they still get enough to eat. Is it ok if I use this schedule with my fry?? Cuz right now, I've been feeding them 3x a day.
 

aakaakaak

Superstar Fish
Sep 9, 2010
1,324
0
0
Chesapeake, Virginia
#13
I'm cleaning the tank weekly, if not more. Usually about a 50% water change. I still have the 40-ish danios, who are about 1/2-2/3 thier full size. I also have a massively growing, massively hungry snakeskin gourami in the tank. I also have around a bajillion mystery snail peas I'm planning on selling/giving away to the pet store soon. I normally feed twice a day because of the growing fish.

Depending on the day they get:
Tetra Color Flake
Tetra Algae Flake
Hikari Algae Wafers
Hikari Micro Wafers
Aquarist Shrimp Pellets
Frozen Blood Worms
Frozen Brine Shrimp
Blanched Zuchini

Nothing lasts that long in the tank including the zuchini.

With the bazillion snails it's possible they're dumping mucus on the water change.
 

nanu156

Large Fish
Mar 8, 2010
745
0
0
Detroit, Mi
#14
.

Depending on the day they get:
Tetra Color Flake
Tetra Algae Flake
Hikari Algae Wafers
Hikari Micro Wafers
Aquarist Shrimp Pellets
Frozen Blood Worms
Frozen Brine Shrimp
Blanched Zuchini

.
yikes on the tetra brand food. Not to be debbie downer but tetra and wardly have the worst products on the market at the moment. The ash content is extremely high, anything that has ash content listed on the bottle is bad news.

Check out the links i have been posting on fish food

Fish Food - Your Fish Flakes - Your Fish Stuff Store

these are less expensive and have fish and veggies as the main ingredients they are also ash free. Your fish need less food to get more nutrition and as a result poop less. Making them grow better and dirty the water more slowly.

Here is the break down on the color enhancer (just as an example) Grab your can of tetra and read it's ingredient list as well as analysis and well you be the judge.

Salmon Fish Meal, Special Mix of Plankton, Shrimp, Krill and Dry Spirulina Algae, Wheat,
Oat Flours, Dried Yeast, Natural Astaxanthin From Natural Sources. Fish Oil, Lecithin.
Vitamin Supplements: A, D-3, B12; Biotin, Double Stabilized Vitamin "C";, Methionine, No Preservatives, Some Coloring
Analysis

45% Protein
4% Fat
1.6% Fiber
8% Moisture
 

aakaakaak

Superstar Fish
Sep 9, 2010
1,324
0
0
Chesapeake, Virginia
#15
No biggie. Tetra is about standard compared to most of the other brands you get in the store. Looking at the jar though, ash isn't listed:
49% Protein
10% Fat
2% Fiber
6% Moisture
1.3% Phosphorus

Fish food is probably one of the few things I haven't really done crazy amounts of research on. Mostly I go with as big a variety as I can feasibly provide.

Edit: Hikari micro-wafers are between your numbers and these numbers, but closer to yours.
 

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nanu156

Large Fish
Mar 8, 2010
745
0
0
Detroit, Mi
#16
Hikari micro-wafers and any other product made by them is great.

I know tetra uses ash as well as other fillers (I actually know a guy who sells food to package with the local LFS stores names on the bags) and he did a ton of research on what to buy what is in each product etc.

Anywho his advice (which i trust) is that tetra and wardly make junk fish food (when i stopped using the junk food my tank got much cleaner) When I didn't have access to his food and i couldn't order online fast enough i picked up some omega one and tetra and did a mix of the two I experienced cloudyness and nitrates (well we all have nitrates but mine went up much faster on the junk food) OMEGA is a pretty respected brand so Im blaming tetra (honestly I just didn't want to pay 14.99/bottle for enough omega to feed my fish)

Anywho that link i sent is great, their products are fabulous and super cheap. A pound of flake is like 2 full 2qt ziplock bags and it is 10.00. With your stock that would last you a year! You can buy by the half pound which is what i suggest. :)
 

aakaakaak

Superstar Fish
Sep 9, 2010
1,324
0
0
Chesapeake, Virginia
#17
Thanks Marcy. I'll look into it as my flake dwindles down. I may end up completely quitting the use of flake anyway. But, again, I need to do my own research. I'm not even sure which ingredients are better than others really. More crude fat? more protein? More fiber? I dunno.

(The hikari micro wafers have like 18% ash. The whole thing confuses me. Is that bad or good?)
 

nanu156

Large Fish
Mar 8, 2010
745
0
0
Detroit, Mi
#18
are they, hakri makes a good pellet, but i only buy from my importer and that website so I haven't read a package for hakri in a long time.

Fish meal is the best ingredient to see first, some brands boast whole fish but whole fish has water in it and they it is dehydrated, fish meal is the already dehydrated fish so it is more potent. Protein and crude fat are the important things.
 

Kiara1125

Superstar Fish
Jan 12, 2011
1,142
0
0
Florida
#19
Marcy (nanu, what do you want me to call you?!?!), in your experience, what do yuo think would be the most nutritional brand of food??

Hikari
Tetra
Omega-One
Wardley
Other
 

nanu156

Large Fish
Mar 8, 2010
745
0
0
Detroit, Mi
#20
LOL on the name game, yeah my name is marcy lol. You can call me whatever you like long as it's a nice enough word to be used on daytime tv lol.

Not wardly or tetra, I had a run out deal where i used a tetre/omega one blend and my tank got cloudy, the omega flakes are also sorta see through, smallish and didn't seem to hold together as well as what im used to.

I know people who use Hikari and like it. I have had some hikari pellets in a bag under my tank for some time (given to me by the friend in question) they are ok, sometimes i toss them in for variety.

I really like the site i keep posting to buy fish food.

Fish Food - Your Fish Flakes - Your Fish Stuff Store

select the appropriate flake for your tank (kira your tank should have tropical flake for instance)

Then for treats for your tank I would go with the freeze dried tubiflex or brine

Fish Food - Freeze Dried Foods - Your Fish Stuff Store

the algae waffers are also pretty solid off this site (they hold together for a long time in the bottom which is nice as the tetra/wardly/omega ones i have tried seem to fall apart and disappear on me)

HBH Veggie Algae Wafers :: Fresh Bulk Aquarium Fish Food and Supplies

so for what you pay for a tiny bag at the pet store you are getting a huge amount of much higher quality stuff.

(1/2 lb fills up a big ziplock totally full of flake for instance)

The only other brand (that i can't remember now) that i used and really liked for my tanks had black lables and blue lids but it was expensive as all get out and I don't have indefinite amounts of cash to spend on my fish.

click on the names of each of the food to be directed to the site, if you buy 3 x 1/2 lb flake (I buy 1/2lb tropical, 1/2 lb color and 1/2lb spirillina flake) and a bag of pellets of some kind your shipping will be around 6.00 as that is my typical order
 

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