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Reoccurring bacterial bloom

3965 Views 6 Replies 4 Participants Last post by  cbwmn
Good morning all

I have a 16 gallon tall moderately planted aquarium (10 g footprint)
that has been up and running for 2 years now.
About 3 or 4 times a year it develops milky water (bacterial bloom) that is whitish and not green. The livestock is 8 neon’s and 1 SAE.
I don’t overfeed and push 2 ½ WPG with occasional 5 WPG burst for about an hour.
It has DIY CO2 injected through a HOB.
Out of four tanks, this is the only one with this problem.
In fact my 46G heavily planted is temporarily overstocked with 6 DD black super veil tails and 2 LF ABN’s.
I fertilize PMDD, FE, Flourish EI method w/50% PWC’s once a week.
On the 46 BF I do 3 X 30% PWC’s per week to accommodate the DD blacks.
My question is what causes this bacterial bloom in only that tank?
I am at my wits end on this one.

Thank you
Charles
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It might be a chemical precipitate rather than a bacterial bloom. Perhaps at that time your DIY CO2 is running low, causing the pH to get high, causing either calcium phosphate or iron phosphate precipitate. Check your pH next time this happens.
I think HeyPK may be right on this. I had the same problem in my 55 for a while. I just lived with it and never looked back, but after reading the above post, I think that may have been it. My water was hard and DIY CO2 fluccuates greatly depending on age of the mixture, temps in the house, the exact amount of yeast used, age of the yeast, etc...

-Dave
Hey & Dave

U'R right.
I just checked the PH and it's off the chart.
That bottle was started 12/11 so it's used up but still bubbling.
Water comes in at 7.0 and drops to 6.6 - 6.8 after A new batch of CO2.
I usually don't check PH and do a new batch when it stops bubbling.
Gonna start a new batch now.

In case you want to see my black angels,look here:
http://gs69.photobucket.com/groups/i60/7NOBMDJJ0N/

The Ludwigia Repens & L. Sessiflora have grown so much now that they are draping over the top of the water.
Gotta do a plant trim.

Thanks folks
Charles
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Re: Reoccurring bacterial bloom(actually I'm jealous)

One of my favourite aquarium was a 45 high with dd veiled angels, clown loaches, and upside down catfish. I had big swords with leaves going to the top. Looking at yours makes me so jealous. When the angels was small(i got them at 1/2 inch) I had them with large neon tetras in a twenty nine. They looked nice together but I knew their days together was numbered.
Re: Reoccurring bacterial bloom(actually I'm jealous)

One of my favourite aquarium was a 45 high with dd veiled angels, clown loaches, and upside down catfish. I had big swords with leaves going to the top. Looking at yours makes me so jealous. When the angels was small(i got them at 1/2 inch) I had them with large neon tetras in a twenty nine. They looked nice together but I knew their days together was numbered.
M
thank you
I bought them on Aquabid last July. Their bodies were the size of a dime.
Now they are silver dollar sized and &' tall fin to fin.
I've been waiting for a couple to pair up so I can remove the pair. But it hasn't happened yet.
Charles
Re: Reoccurring bacterial bloom(actually I'm jealous)

M
&' tall fin to fin.
QUOTE]

Sorry, my fingers aren't awake yet.
I meant 7" tall, not &".
Charles
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