AC 500 foam - Funny color?

[cichlid_guy]

I have a question.
In my Oscar 75gallon tank the AC 500 Foam inserts are a red/pink color. Why is that? its not on my other tanks.

scottie

[morleyz]

Are you using a different type of gravel in that tank? I found in my tank with flourite, the sponge was a bit more red from the dust the substrate created.

[Raithan Ellis]

Oscars are generally a messy fish to begin with, perhaps it's a similar color to their food?

[AikidoGuy]

rotted foods on the sponges with do that.

[OrionGirl]

Only time my sponges turn pink is when new driftwood is leaching tannins. For some reason, instead of the tea color, the sponges turn pink-ish.

[cichlid_guy]

I do over feed my Oscars, not sure on the color of food doing it.

I was thinking that maybe the nitrates were doing it.
I have to do water changes once a week to keep them down.
I have backed down on the feeding of the oscars. I'll see if that helps.

there is not driftwood in the tank, so its not that.
what i feed them is:
Beefheart, shrimp, sardiens (spelling?),
flakes, pellets, crickets, guppies.

(Beefheart and flakes are red.)

I have to get a tester for Nitrates, I have one for all other tests
but i just take sample of water in to a LFS to test Nitrates.

scottie

[beviking]

No treatments in that tank recently? I've noticed my sponge turn pinkish after treating with teramyacin, even though I did large water changes after.

[punkie pishie]

Have you washed the sponge yet? i also have an AC 500 and i see that with extreamly dirty fish and dirty tanks make the sponge reddish pink too.

[cichlid_guy]

Yes i did clean foam and they stayed that color.

I talked to a good freind today at a FS.
it is becouse of a over dirty tank. Nitrites/nitrates.

I had two large oscars in the tank,
(witch is fine normaly)
but i was holding my friends pleco and albino oscar.
this was a load on the bio system.

scottie