Very Stubborn Bacterial Bloom

[Chessolin]

I had a 26 gallon brackish tank with gravel. About a year ago, I switched to Stony River aquarium sand, which is great stuff. It says it doesn't need to be rinsed but I did anyway. Water got cloudy. I did water changes and it helped but then it would get cloudy again.
I later upgraded to a 36 gallon. I have some mollies and a violet goby. I do over feed a bit because I want to make sure my idiot goby can find enough food. But even when I cut back, it didn't change much.
I use an AquaClear 70 HOB filter with an added bit of batting to filter more. I can't afford one of those UV cleaners. Is there anything else I can do? More biological filter media? More/less light? The light is kept dim at the moment. My Ammonia and Nitrites are 0, and my Nitrates are like 40.

 

[FreshyFresh]

How often do you do water changes and how much water do you change? I would up both of them.

I wouldn't leave the lights on more than ~8hrs a day also.

 

[dougall]

What makes you say it is a bacterial bloom?

Changing more water to get nitrates lower certainly would not hurt, assuming there are none from your tap aim for maybe 20.

 

[Chessolin]

How often do you do water changes and how much water do you change? I would up both of them.

I wouldn't leave the lights on more than ~8hrs a day also.

I change the water about 20% every two to three weeks. I usually keep the light off for the goby I was afraid if I did too many water changes, it would make it worse.

 

[Chessolin]

What makes you say it is a bacterial bloom?

Changing more water to get nitrates lower certainly would not hurt, assuming there are none from your tap aim for maybe 20.

Tap water tested 0 Nitrates. I assumed it was bacteria since adding water clarifier didn't help and it's not green

 

[dougall]

Bacterial blooms generally go away over time

Adding a clarifier/flocculant will make the bits in the water stick together, so will be more easily filtered but that depends on your filter flow and media.

If it's still there after some time and bactetial, I would question if something is killing the bacteria that is there, like not treating tap water. If it's particles in the water, maybe you need something finer as filter media to get it out.

What media do you soecifically have in your filter? You kentiin adding batting. I would maybe try using any bacterial media alone with batting (it isn't there with anti bacterial or such is it?) And see how that changes things.

But posting as much information as possible might allow someone to see potential aras to look closer at.

I doubt a UV filter will help much.. I wouldn't be trying to buy one. I would work on getting those nitrates down though.

 

[Chessolin]

Bacterial blooms generally go away over time

Adding a clarifier/flocculant will make the bits in the water stick together, so will be more easily filtered but that depends on your filter flow and media.

If it's still there after some time and bactetial, I would question if something is killing the bacteria that is there, like not treating tap water. If it's particles in the water, maybe you need something finer as filter media to get it out.

What media do you soecifically have in your filter? You kentiin adding batting. I would maybe try using any bacterial media alone with batting (it isn't there with anti bacterial or such is it?) And see how that changes things.

But posting as much information as possible might allow someone to see potential aras to look closer at.

I doubt a UV filter will help much.. I wouldn't be trying to buy one. I would work on getting those nitrates down though.

I'm treating the tap water with Tetra AquaSafe. Same thing I use in all my aquariums. It just happened after I switched the gravel for sand, which confused me. Our town only very recently started adding chlorine to our water; I had assumed they already were.

My filter has a big spring-like filter, a bag of carbon that I change once a month, and a bag of filter media. I also cut squares of batting to get the finer particles, but maybe I need something even finer. I use the batting in the other tanks too because it's cheaper than store bought filters.

It's funny, I've upgraded the tank and changed the entire filter and it persists. And only in the one tank. I should do more water changes though, mollies **** like crazy.

 

[dougall]

Unless you are trying to get chemicals from your water, I would maybe skip using carbon... It's going to house bacteria, which will be losr when you change it

Use the space for more foam or more batting

And check your water.. I suspect they just started using chloramine and had used chlorine in the past.

Check Aquasafe will treat chloramine and chlorine, and that you are using it correctly. Just in case.

But change water more.. nitrates need to come down

 

[TwoTankAmin]

If you have a bacterial bloom, and you very well may, it is caused by excess nutrients in the water, The heterotrophic bacteria can multiply very fast unlike those we need in our filter. The cause in your case would be two things combined.

Over feeding is the source of the excess nutrients and changing too little water compounds the problems as the excess nutrients can build up.

Feed less, the fish will not starve. Until the clouding cleans up, either feed every other day or feed 1/2 as much every day.

Give the substrate a good vacuuming to clean up an excess food that might be there.

Change 50% of the water weekly from now on. However, for the next week or two change the water at least twice a week as long as it is cloudy. Change it more often if it clouds before the next change is due.

Do contimue to use the dechlor according to the directions.. I agree about not needing the carbon. Imo, more bio-media is the best choice in place of the carbon. Once carbon reaches it's adsorbitive capacity it becomes more bio-media anyway.

 

[Chessolin]

Feed less, the fish will not starve. Until the clouding cleans up, either feed every other day or feed 1/2 as much every day.

I have tiny baby mollies, will they be ok being fed less? They're in a breeder net so I could just feed them I suppose.

I put an extra layer of batting in the filter and I'll up the water changes. I kept looking up if water changes help or make it worse, and I got conflicting results.

Thanks for all the help all!