Okay guys, so I've set up my tank and everything, but the fish are still stressed and aren't really eating that much! They do eat some, but only when I'm not around, so I usually just leave the food in there and they eventually grab it. Here's the problem though, or, atleast I think it is? I was looking at the tank and noticed this cotton like material inside the tank, and the first thing I think is, "why is there even cotton in my tank?!" But then I realized it was the pellets! After a few days of sitting, they decomposed into this cotton like substance and kind of laid in the gravel. It was fairly easy to get most of it out, but some pieces just went floating around. The bag DID say to avoid leaving the food in there to avoid health problems, and now I'm wishing I listened. Is this an issue? Will this harm the little guys? Thanks for your input everyone!
Hikari cichlid food question?
- Thread starter Rykershot101
- Start date
You are feediing too much. What kind of fish are you keeping and what size are they?
Those cotton balls are actually molds that are growing on the food as it decomposes and rots in your fish tank. You need to clean your tank,change the sour water, cut down on the amount of food and remove uneaten food before it spoils.
You wouldn't want to live in a room that smelled of mold and had mold growing all over the walls and floors... It would make you sick and the same goes for your fish.
Those cotton balls are actually molds that are growing on the food as it decomposes and rots in your fish tank. You need to clean your tank,change the sour water, cut down on the amount of food and remove uneaten food before it spoils.
You wouldn't want to live in a room that smelled of mold and had mold growing all over the walls and floors... It would make you sick and the same goes for your fish.
We need more info. Is the tank properly cycled ? Does ammonia read 0 ppm ? What fish are in there ? What is the size of the tank ?
Okay, so I cleaned all the stuff out, they (oscar, severum, pleco; all 2-3 in.) seem to be eating more now, good! I probably shouldn't have this problem anymore, but thank you very much on the info of that beaing mold, I honestly didn't know what it was but knowing that I'l definitley be more careful with it in the future! And no, I don't know that the ammonia is 0, I'll go test it tomorrow and see. Although I did get a test at petco and he didn't mention anything about ammonia, only that everything looked great! Do they test for ammonia levels?