# Bacteria Bloom fix?



## imeridian

How are you cleaning the filter media? ...if it's a true bacterial bloom it's because your bio filtration is lacking or being disturbed on too regular a basis. The only way to actually get rid of a bacterial bloom is to wait it out, zapping it with UV, water changes, etc, are not a solution as you've realized (just masking it).

What size tank and what are the inhabitants? Water change schedule?


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## BentZero

I think I'm going through the same thing. Tank is about 3 months old. I scooped water out into a white plastic cup and the water had no green color to it. This led me to believe that it's a bacteria bloom. I'm going on week 3 with this. I was doing daily 25% water changes for 4 days and didn't notice any change. I guess I should ride it out. When I didn't have the bloom I was doing weekly 5g water changes. This is a 20g RCS tank.


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## EricSilver

BentZero said:


> I was doing daily 25% water changes for 4 days and didn't notice any change. I guess I should ride it out. When I didn't have the bloom I was doing weekly 5g water changes. This is a 20g RCS tank.



I get mild bacteria blooms *only* after water changes. Stop the water changes and ride it out, as you said. 

To accelerate the process, oxygenate the water by dropping the level a few inches, so that the return flow splashes into the tank. That clears mine within a day.


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## lauraleellbp

Just a water change shouldn't send your tank into a bacteria bloom- especially not a planted tank?

I'm with Indie- anything at all you can think of that may have affected your biological filtration?


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## EricSilver

lauraleellbp said:


> Just a water change shouldn't send your tank into a bacteria bloom- especially not a planted tank?
> 
> I'm with Indie- anything at all you can think of that may have affected your biological filtration?


The organics and chlorine in tap water contribute to my tank's slight blueish haze after large water changes. The chlorine definitely impacts biological filtration.


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## imeridian

I've never encountered that, I dose Prime for my aquarium volume and then refill (with otherwise untreated water) the 50% volume previously removed. The reaction of Prime against Chlorine/Chloramine in the water is virtually instantaneous. If you're killing your beneficial bacteria when doing a water change then something is wrong with how you're performing the water changes or the dechlorination chemical being used.


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## tom855

It may just be the filtration in my tank. I'm getting close to the time when I'd clean the filter and replace the pad. Perhaps I need to reduce the time between changes. I'm planning to do a filter clean in a couple of days and will see how that affects the water clarity. Thanks for the advice..... back soon.....


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## EricSilver

indiboi said:


> I've never encountered that, I dose Prime for my aquarium volume and then refill (with otherwise untreated water) the 50% volume previously removed. The reaction of Prime against Chlorine/Chloramine in the water is virtually instantaneous.


I use straight tapwater, which is bad, but the bloom lasts only a few hours if the water is aerated. Should the need arise for a large water change, I'll use the Prime.


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## Mishmosh

EricSilver said:


> The organics and chlorine in tap water contribute to my tank's slight blueish haze after large water changes. The chlorine definitely impacts biological filtration.


I was wondering about that phenomenon! Thanks for the explanation. It probably doesn't help that I give a little bit more fert after a water change.


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## lauraleellbp

Never even occured to me that you might be using untreated tapwater! LOL

I never add untreated tapwater to my tanks. That definitely would be a good explanation.


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## imeridian

Wow, there are no circumstances where I'd ever do a water change without treating the water. 

If you know it's bad, why do you do it?


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## lauraleellbp

tom855 said:


> It may just be the filtration in my tank. I'm getting close to the time when I'd clean the filter and replace the pad. Perhaps I need to reduce the time between changes. I'm planning to do a filter clean in a couple of days and will see how that affects the water clarity. Thanks for the advice..... back soon.....


Forgive me if I'm telling you things you already know, but you should never change all the media in your filter at the same time. A large portion of any tank's Nitrogen-fixing bacteria are found in the filter, and if you remove too much media all at once, that by itself can trigger a cycle and bloom in a tank. I only change 1/2 my filter media or less at a time, and any time I clean my filter I put back in the old media and don't change any media at all for at least several weeks to a month afterwards.


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## EricSilver

indiboi said:


> Wow, there are no circumstances where I'd ever do a water change without treating the water.
> 
> If you know it's bad, why do you do it?



The tap water is bad in a nuisance way, not a tragic way. A typical tap water change for me never exceeds 3 gallons (approx 11%). For larger water changes I use distilled. When bacterial blooms occur, they are very mild, short-lived, and cause no harm.


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## Mishmosh

Did a water change today with dechlorinator. No blueish/white cloudy water at all--water is crystal clear. I don't know if it's because my canister is only a month old but I was used to doing 50% water changes with untreated tap and I never noticed anything but very transient cloudiness. A couple of weeks ago, it lasted a few days though. I am glad this thread came up--I am going to treat from now on.


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## BentZero

EricSilver said:


> I get mild bacteria blooms *only* after water changes. Stop the water changes and ride it out, as you said.
> 
> To accelerate the process, oxygenate the water by dropping the level a few inches, so that the return flow splashes into the tank. That clears mine within a day.


Hey Eric, thanks for the tip! I added an airstone to my tank and after 24 hours I could see a drastic difference. Day 2 and the tank is clear again. <Borat>Great success!</Borat>


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## BentZero

lauraleellbp said:


> Forgive me if I'm telling you things you already know, but you should never change all the media in your filter at the same time. A large portion of any tank's Nitrogen-fixing bacteria are found in the filter, and if you remove too much media all at once, that by itself can trigger a cycle and bloom in a tank. I only change 1/2 my filter media or less at a time, and any time I clean my filter I put back in the old media and don't change any media at all for at least several weeks to a month afterwards.


My neighbor's tank is always losing fish or going through blooms because of this. What's maddening is that he doesn't believe me when I tell him that this is the cause of most of his problems. He's a know-it-all that knows nothing when it comes to fish. Maybe for is birthday I'll buy him a bio-wheel.


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## lauraleellbp

You sound like a good neighbor


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## imeridian

Hehe, bio-wheels are probably the best filter for those that 'need' to replace filter media.


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## EricSilver

BentZero said:


> Hey Eric, thanks for the tip! I added an airstone to my tank and after 24 hours I could see a drastic difference. Day 2 and the tank is clear again. <Borat>Great success!</Borat>


Great. Anerobic Bacteria + Oxygen = Dead bacteria.


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## lauraleellbp

Eric- Any bacteria blooming in the water column are not anaerobic bacteria. My guess is that improving your water circulation probably helped your situation b/c the chlorines etc in your tap water would mix more quickly with the treated water in your tank plus evaporate out at the surface.


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## EricSilver

lauraleellbp said:


> My guess is that improving your water circulation probably helped your situation b/c the chlorines etc in your tap water would mix more quickly with the treated water in your tank plus evaporate out at the surface.


That sounds most likely. 

I am certain my haze is mostly air, because it clears up more rapidly than any bacterial bloom should, and because it is much more pronounced when using warm (tap) water versus cold (since hot water holds much more dissolved chemicals and air than cold water).


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## g8wayg8r

I never had a much trouble with bacteria blooms until I started my new set-up for my 75-gallon tank: added lots of driftwood in the tank and used some clay mixed with sand for the bottom of my substrate. Time solved my problem but I still get a trace of cloudiness. I'm also cleaning out my filter more often so theres not so much rotting plant matter in it. Whether that helps or not, I'm unsure. It's not like I did and designed experiment.


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