I have been cycling a 20 gallon for about 3 weeks now. It is a fishless cycle and my ammonia levels are at 0. My nitrites are still off the charts but that is to be expected. My question is, I have noticed some light brown residue all over the deco and such. Is this common? I have a few live plants in there for now too.
Residue from Cycling tank
- Thread starter shecky71
- Start date
Is the tank in the sun? Salt water tanks are prone to brown algae, but I am not sure about fresh water. And certainly not in such a new tank that is not exposed to a lot of light. Another question, what is your ammonia source? If it was water from say a turtle tank (my favorite) then it may just be sedimentiation. If it is, then the addition of fish will solve the problem. They will keep the water stirred until the gunk gets sucked into the filter.
My Tank is in a pretty dark area of my house and it recieves no sunlight. I am adding pure Ammonia to the tank as my source. It doesn't seem to be algae. It is more like a dust that settles on things.
I have 2 Filters that hang on the back. I was hoping that it was something that should be there.
Thanks for the help!
Thanks for the help!
What is your 'Pure Ammonia'? If it is cleaning ammonia, then you need to drain the tank, give it two rinses and then refill. If it came from a biological entity (don't ask) then you are ok. I think you are only dealing with sedimentation since it is dusty. Bacteria will be slimy and slippery to the touch.
That really does sound like a bacterial deposit, right now your bacterial levels are probably higher than they will be when the tank is stocked, the use of ammonia sometimes does that. things should normalise after stocking as the waste levels will determine the ongoing bacteria population.
guppy;527134; said:
I agree with Guppy on this one. I've seen it before.
If its brown and slimy then its most likely a large mat colony of Nitrobacter. Try to get some of the slime into your filter media.
I have been stirring things up in there and I think most of the residue is being picked up. Thanks for all of the knowledgte and help.
You guys ROCK!
You guys ROCK!