White Hair like things.. please help !!!

Hello all,

I have a 20 gallon set up since 3 weeks.

I think my cycle is not that bad. my readings are ok. but, my ammonia is at 0.25. I am doing 50% water changes every 3rd day since a couple weeks.

I purchased "Seachem Purigen" yesterday and I put it in a small filter mesh bag in my filter in the empty compartment. I have a tetra whisper 20 filter.

Now, I see some white hair like things on my tank.

I also set up this light a couple weeks ago. [h=1][/h]
I have two guppies. they did not show any signs of disease until now. they swim happily all over the tank.

What are these white hair like things ? they really worry me.. please HELP !!

 

Are they detrious worms from over freding or algae

 

I am very sure that I did not overfeed. I fed them very little amounts of food. I can say that for sure

 

They are the only 2 rhings I can think of that it sounds like. Does it move around the tank or is it attached to one spot and how easy is it to wipe.of the glass

 

alink please help.
do you know what they are ?

 

I've seen that before in my tank. They LOOK almost like dust particles, or tiny hairs that may have been floating around in the air and ended up in the tank. If that makes sense. Is that what they look like to you too?

I have purigen in my tank too....I wonder if they are related.

 

As for what they are, I don't know. Possibilities... fish poop, hair (do you have any cats or dogs in your house?), plant matter, blood worms, or some critter that hitched a ride into your tank with your plants. Could be something else entirely.
I can tell you that I use Purigen and have never had anything like that in my tank, nor in my tank that doesn't have Purigen.
You say your Guppies haven't shown any signs of disease til now. What signs are they showing?

 

@ I will record a video tonight and post it here.

I do have cats. but I don't think its her hair. she doesn't get on the stand. and no way all that hair entered the tank in just one day.

I will test the ammonia today..

I assume as a newbie that it might be due to excess lighting ? I turn that light on for like >12 hours a day.. lol
I turned it off today.
I will get that DIY co2 system on next tuesday. I am hoping to balance the ecosystem with it. and I hope my moss and tears can grow well..

Yes.. that's what they look like. How did you get rid of them ?

I've seen that before in my tank. They LOOK almost like dust particles, or tiny hairs that may have been floating around in the air and ended up in the tank. If that makes sense. Is that what they look like to you too?

I have purigen in my tank too....I wonder if they are related.

 

If it is just small inert particles of dust or debris, your filter should take care of them within a day or so. I wouldn't think they would be harmful to anything. If they are something that is alive, then its a completely different situation..

 

I get these same things (or similar) every time I do a WC. I can only assume that it is something that comes with the water or floated in via air breeze

 

Ok.. this is how my guppies behave.. they are hungry right now.. so they are swimming at top.. I just fed them after this video. they ate happily.

here is the video


That's a relief.. thanks.. they kinda went down a little bit since I turned off the light today.

I get these same things (or similar) every time I do a WC. I can only assume that it is something that comes with the water or floated in via air breeze

 

I've never had guppies or seen them in person, but what is wrong with that behavior that makes you think they are sick?

 

I don't think they are.. err.. I am not sure.

I just tested my ammonia.. it is still at 0.25.

why does it never go down ? how long does it take ?

 

How old is your test kit?

Have you tested your tap water for ammonia?
Have you tested a bottled water for ammonia?

Some times the ammonia test will read 0.25 even when its 0. If the bottled water shows 0.25 then this is the case. If it reads 0 and your tap water reads higher than 0, then that is the cause. If both are 0 then..... you have ammonia in the tank. I believe nitrifying bacteria can double in population in 24 hours. So definitely within a day it should be at 0. If the bottle of water is 0, tap water is 0, tank water is >0 after 24 hours, then I have no idea what to tell ya...

 

oh.. I should test those.. thanks..

yea.. both my tap water and bottled water show 0.25.. this stupid test.

I have this.

 

Well at least you know that the ammonia level in the tank is fine and you can stop stressing about it.

You can keep the test, it should still work for higher amounts, you will just notice that it won't read 0.

 

yay. that's a good news..

I will set up the co2 system in a week.. and I will get a school of tetras after that.. may be like 6 cardinal tetras

I wanna get something that can eat algae and the stupid snails that show up on my glass walls sometimes. I think they came with plants.

any suggestions ?
my tank is 20 gal

so, fish community would be

2 guppies
6 cardinal tetras
+ whatever fish or something for algae and snails

 

Look into using Alum to dip your new plants in. is a link to a thread talking about it. Your tank isn't suited for a snail eating fish, so its either something like that or you with a tweezers pulling them out. As for an algae eater, I say you should wait until you have an actual algae problem, especially if you are going to be injecting CO2. You may not even have an algae problem. Here is a link to a thread where Dolfan discusses all things algae. I suggest you give that a good read.

 

Lol. I just battled these two weeks ago. It freaked me out the first time I saw it. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I did some reading and apparently these guys are harmless and will always be in your tank. (Primarily substrate) and if the O2 levels are low in your tank then they come out. left over food makes it worst.



I starved my fish for a week and cleaned up my tank. Now it's not so bad. I see a few every so often

 

Yea.. they kinda went down a bit. I did 30% water change last night.

low O2 levels ??

How do I fix that ?? my surface area on the top is actually quite good and I don't even have a lid on top. isn't that enough ?

and I definitely see growth on my plants. So, I don't think I have low O2 levels.

I think my fish leave like 2-3 pellets. that's it. they eat the rest. I use these pellets..

great suggestions.. thanks..
I will get the tetras soon and post a video.
and I read that if I float a lettuce leaf on top at night, snail should be logged onto it. But no, I donlt even see a single snail on it. I left a big lettuce leaf float over night. no use.

do you know any snail treatment products ?

I can't take the plants out and dip them now. they are established.

 

No idea. I just started the hobby, but that's what I read. So I bought an air stone w/ airpump. Whole thing cost me under $10.
At first. I did daily 50% water changes. but it came right back and they were all over the place. Then I starved the fish for a week. That helped a bit.
I don't know if adding the airstone helped or anything but for $10 bucks who cares.

 

The only thing I would suggest to get rid of those snails is to take them all out of the aquarium by hand. In the future, dip your plants to get rid of any parasites and snails. To get rid of the algae is to use some ALGAEFIX by API or to get some Apple/Golden Snails. But be careful, Apple snails may go for your plants instead of algae, so keep a close eye on them. Hope this helped you out!

 

10 bucks is def not much.. but, I am gonna have some flow when I add the co2 tube.. so, I don't think I need a extra air pump

and btw, air pump is not gonna increase the O2 content by a lot.. it just disturbs the water more for air exchange.

add me.. may be we can share our experiences.

.. I hate those snails.. yuck. if I don't have a choice, I have to do it I guess.

 

Another option is to use any kind of algae remover/killer (ALGAEFIX)

 

alright.. here is my tank with the new fish.. wanted to get cardinal tetras, but these rummynose caught my eye.

 

Your tank is AMAZING! The rummy nose tetras are schooling very well too!

 

Thank you.