# Temp Over occupied tank...need advice



## darkyputz (Nov 18, 2015)

Hello...

I started Tilapia last fall...and to my drama i got way to many...which was OK for me in the beginning i thought...but keeping up with cleanup is getting a problem...
Now, i have a new problem...
The two 5 Gallon Bucket filters get clogged by some sulfur smelling slime every week...
First i thought keep some of it in it, it will be your bacteria that is doing your nitrogen cycle, but now i really have to clean it all out, because it is growing like a weed...
I have 2 55 Gallon tanks with each 35 fish now...
Changing 90 of water every weekend but water keeps getting foggy a day after taht again, and after 3 days, i barly can see these big fish anymore...
Amonia is outranged and nitrit in the 2ppm area
Is there anything i can do besides killing fish?

Thx in advance...
Pictures are in my profile...just uploaded my drama....


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## brads (Mar 23, 2013)

Yeah, that's a problem alright. Well, at least you didn't just dump the fish in a lake. Good for you. Anyhoo, what's happening is simple. Too many fish, not enough filtration and not enough water movement. I'll post a blog about it below. Ok, I think the stuff in you filter is aquarium slime. (Cyanobacteria or slime algae) Mainly caused by over population, under filtration, too much food and too much lighting. Sounds like you've already figured that out and the blog below should answer any questions.

What to do about your fish. Ummm, get a lot more tanks? (probably not...) Mass fish give away? Put them on craigslist. Check with your LFS. 

Thank you That Fish Blog

Aquarium Slime: What is it and what to do about it?

Posted by: marinebioblog in General September 9, 2008	11 Comments 8691 Views 



Please welcome back Desiree Leonard with another “What’s this and What do I do?” article.

This frequently encountered problem is Cyanobacteria or “Slime Algae”. 

The name “slime algae” is a misnomer. Because Cyanobacteria are photosynthetic and aquatic, they are often called “blue-green algae”. In reality they are NOT algae, but something more in between algae and bacteria. Cyanobacteria are bacteria that manufacture their own food and live in colonies — large enough for you to see them! It’s these colonies that cause trouble for aquarists. They are not necessarily blue-green but can be black, green, blue green, and the familiar dark red sheets covering many surfaces in an aquarium.

The first thing aquarists who find an unwanted colony of cyanobacteria in their aquarium want to know is how to get rid of it. Well, this is where it gets tricky. To eradicate the problem – the particular trigger for the cyano bloom must be identified and treated. Not every bloom is in response to the same trigger and while throwing a chemical at the problem will perhaps clear it up temporarily, it will come back, and it will be worse. (More on this later.)

As with all types of algae, any uncontrolled growth indicates an imbalanced system. An imbalance in one or both of two main triggers can set off a cyano bloom.

• DOC – Dissolved Organic Carbon is a food source of the bacterial side of the bacteria-algae. Sources of dissolved carbon include: fish slime, algae, bacteria, digested/uneaten food, metabolic waste, live food, some aquarium additives etc.
• Lighting – The food source for the algal side of the bacteria-algae is light. Light bulb spectra shift to red as they age, resulting more favorable conditions for photosynthesis to take place more vigorously.
Note: It is said that slime is caused from phosphates and silicates in the water. It’s true that these 2 elements will certainly grow algae of all sorts, but if removed will not reduce or remove a slime problem.

Okay – so what DOES remove the problem? 

• Control your DOC. This is best done by frequent water changes, good water movement (power heads and closed system circulation) and (this is important!) a good protein skimmer. An undersized or ineffective protein skimmer, high waste loads, or a combination thereof will increase the dissolved carbon level. As a rule of thumb for skimmers; buy one that is rated for at least twice the size of your tank. It may take some adjusting but a properly functioning skimmer can remove ½ cup of thick organic scum from a tank a day.
• Use an RO/DI filtering system (Reverse Osmosis/Deionization) for water changes whenever possible. This eliminates adding DOC into your tank via tap water.
• Add more lighting or change your bulbs. Change bulbs at least once every 9 to 12 months, don’t wait till they burn out. To be more cost effective, you can stagger your replacements rather than replacing them all at once, but if the slime persists you may have to go all out and do full replacement.
• Watch what you feed. Feed once a day. If you wish to feed twice, simply split the amount in half – don’t feed twice as much food. If you feed grocery store bought seafood or are making your own foods, rinse all foods thoroughly as seafood sold for human consumption is treated with phosphates and preservatives to keep it fresher longer. (It’s true!) Avoid flake foods, these dissolve too fast – pellets and crisps are much better and more palatable.
• If you aquarium is freshwater, the above treatments still apply, but a protein skimmer is not used. Water circulation, frequent water changes, extra charcoal filtration and changing lights all will be effective controls.
Disclaimer: I am in no way saying that if you have a slime outbreak, that you are a bad aquarist and your water is swill. Even in the best kept tanks there are still cyanobacteria. You will, in fact, see outbreaks in systems which are free of phosphate and silicate; they also have new halides, actinics and great water flow. There is always another factor – vitamin supplements, liquid foods, and other additives can add the organics that can trigger a cyano explosion. Look for anything different you are doing and stop doing it.

Right – that covers the long term, not so easy fix. But for those who still want a quick fix, there are products that are available to help remedy the problem. BUT – if the underlying issue is not addressed, don’t say I didn’t warn you…..

• Cyano is a gram negative (thin cell membrane) bacteria, much like most bacteria in the aquatic environment. A dose of Erythromycin will knock out the colony of slime quite quickly. However, since the nitrifying bacteria you need in your tank are gram negative as well, they will be affected also, either being killed or severely damaged. This treatment is more advisable in freshwater aquaria, but only with careful attention paid to water quality while treating. Like all antibiotics, if dosed frequently the cyano will develop a resistance.
• Chemi-Clean by Boyd Enterprises and Red Slime Control by Blue Life are highly effective reef safe treatments for slime. These are non-antibiotic formulations and will do less damage to your biological filter. If used frequently however, there is still a chance of the cyano developing a resistance.
I hope this info is helpful in your endeavors to keep a slime free tank. For more and more thorough information, check out these links! Happy Fish keeping!

cyanobacteria2 | NetPets.org

BlueGrAlgae


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## darkyputz (Nov 18, 2015)

Thx for the answer...

But why are you saying add MORE LIGHT?
Would not be less light better if the bacteria loves light?
Or do i get it wrong way?
Dumping my babys is not an option...first they would die off (min 55f) and second...invasive species...NOT WITH ME
How many of them would you say can be safely in a tank of 55 Gallon, so that i a have an idea where to look at...


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## brads (Mar 23, 2013)

Sorry, you're right. Less light for algae control and dumping them is NOT an option. They are an invasive species. How many in the tank... At their present size I think 10 would be the max. There's that old inches of fish per gallon rule. (you have open water fish that need swimming room so this only works as a very general guide line.) A fish 4 inches long must have at least 4 gallons of water. 10 fish, 4 inches long would need at least a 40 gallon tank. (10x4=40) It looks to me like you have some that are more than 4 inches so...


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## darkyputz (Nov 18, 2015)

So could having them in the dark for a few days help a little with the main algae bloom?
Besides cleaning like no tomorrow until i have a solution?


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## brads (Mar 23, 2013)

A few days might slow it down a little but won't remove what's already there. You could cover them with a drop cloth or blanket. That would be easy. (Oh I forgot to mention, sunlight is the worst thing. Just saying...) I think your answer is more filtration. Could you add more buckets to your filter system? Maybe stack some on top of what you've already got, fill them with filter material, punch holoes in the bottoms and make a drip filter system? That way you could add as many buckets as you like and maybe not have to get more pumps. Not a beautiful solution but would probably work for now.


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## Summer (Oct 3, 2011)

To have a tank over stocked to this capacity you are going to have to massivly up the filtration, thats the key. This is how many breeders/ fish stores are able to keep such large amounts of fish in tanks without crashes. If it were me, I would upgrade the tanks to a 180 or something similar. Massive filtration on that and lots and lots of plants. 


That...or.....tarter sauce?


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## darkyputz (Nov 18, 2015)

Hello...

Thx...will add more filtration but the spring forward solution will be my 250 gallon tank outside...
As soon it stays above 50 at night...
And next year, no more that amount of fish...but was an accident...
For testing i had both bucket filters on one tank yesterday for a few hours and it cleared up a lot...


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## darkyputz (Nov 18, 2015)

Hello again...

Small update...
For some reason, Lowes was throwing out UV clearer (9 Watt) for just a few bucks, so i plugged them into the two fish tanks...
and not joking...OVER NIGHT, the algae were gone in total...
Still leaving a light black tea tint in the water (which was not meant to be gone) but so much better...
If i had known, how useful these are, i would have gotten them earlier...
They are meant to be used up to 150 gallon fresh water fish tank or 2000 gallon ponds...
Which should be plenty for my super poop environment...

Happy fish keeping


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## Summer (Oct 3, 2011)

awesome. glad you found a solution!


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