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Oh the fish are all out, a few didn't make it. I'm just trying to understand what I need to do to stop the process and what is savable. I'll follow Babel's advice get carbon and keep doing big water changes. My other thought which you touched on is just to start clean.



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Sham,

Sounds similiar, because the smell made my eyes stink alittle. Believe it or not, when just about all of the water was out, I found a bristlenose pleco, moving around the eco-complete alive and well.

I wounder if I need to rinse out the substrate. I don plan on reusing the eco. I would like to save the biological filter if possible, I kept some water in the substrate

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When testing diy co2 on a 10g I had what looks just like the picture. Except not only was it cloudy but extremely acidic. It really burned a cut on my hand when I reached in to pull the plants out and I had to rinse it off my skin immediately. There were no fish in the tank luckily. I don't remember exactly how it got into the tank that time. I had the mix get in the tank at 3 seperate times which is one reason why I never setup diy co2 on my larger tank. After it got that bad I just stripped the tank down and set it back up with different substrate and no co2.

Last edited by sham at 01-Sep-2005 14:04

First, thanks Callatya for the redirect. I guess it was "I guess it was a vacation day for many of my "FP" friends.

Anyway, Trys:
When I went to bed that nite my tank was crystal clear.
Within a few hours it looked like the pic, beacause I woke up a 1am and saw it with the lights off. You couldn't even see the plants in the tank. Most of the fish were gasping and the NH3 was 1ppm.

Does a bacterial bloom spell like a a co2 bottle? My entire room were the tank is spelled like warm beer.

All the fish are out, but I have a few big fish (angels) in very small quarters. I did end up taking all the water out. Do you think the bilogical filter is toast from this.
I left alittle water in the gravel and there is still water in the filter.



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To be honest my DIY CO2 has overflowed a bit into the tank before in my 10. I had just refilled my bottle and didn't leave enough space at the top so it foamed over. It didn't do much of anything except cloud the water a tiny bit, nothing like that picture. I didn't have any ammonia when I tested the tank and my otos were ok, it just made a bit of a mess in the substrate because I add flour to the mix.

Personally, I don't think the yeast mix caused this. The pic looks like a bacterial bloom to me, which is really common when you have a sudden ammonia spike. The trick is in finding the cause of the elevated ammonia and correcting it so it doesn't happen again. You might get that kind of effect if you dumped the whole bottle in your tank but as far as overflow goes, I doubt it.

As long as the fish are safe, all you can really do is wait for it to clear. Eventually as the ammonia is consumed the bacteria will die off and all will be well. Do water changes until you get it below 0.25-0.5 ppm and your plants/bacteria will take care of the rest. If it was yeast mix, the particles would be large enough that your AC and filter media would clear it within a matter of hours.

As far as the check valve goes, if you put it on the DIY CO2 system the right way, it will prevent water from being siphoned OUT of the tank rather than preventing your mix from getting in. If the water in your tank starts siphoning out and into the bottle, you'll have a far bigger mess on your hands than a bit of yeast mix getting in the tank. Honestly, I've done it. It really doesn't do all that much and cleans up really quickly. Of course it's always a good idea to leave enough space at the top of the bottle but if a bit of yeast and sugar and water gets in your tank it isn't the end of the world.

There are no liquid vs air check valves are there, I always thought it was to prevent backup, but I'm not 100% sure. You know I've been having high nitrate levels letter (if no real eason, plus some grey slimy and brown stuff in my tank. Is it possible the leaking of co2 mix into my tank was the culprit all along.

Babel,
Got the AC and hopefully it will help clear it. Only think left in the tank are the plants.


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Funny then that my check valve prevents it from happening.

Airline hose is clear, you can see the buildup from co2 mix before the check valve, but you don't see it after the check valve.

Maybe mine is special.

^_^[font color="#999999][hr width='40%']"When you try your best but you don't succeed. When you get what you want but not what you need
When you feel so tired but you can't sleep
Stuck in reverse
And the tears come streaming do" ][hr width='40%']"When you try your best but you don't succeed. When you get what you want but not what you need
When you feel so tired but you can't sleep
Stuck in reverse
And the tears come streaming down your face
When you lose something you cannot replace. When you love someone but it goes to waste
COULD IT BE WORSE?" ~Coldplay

A check valve wouldn't have prevented this.

check valves prevent syphons so you put them the direction that gravity goes. if you put it to prevent the contents of the bottle from going into the tank it would prevent the co2 from going into the tank also so that is not a problem.

you should always keep the bottle below the tank.

it would only prevent a wet floor if the hose comes off the bottle.

Last edited by sonic2041 at 31-Aug-2005 13:09

It prevents a liquid from flowing where it shouldnt.

I suppose that's the best way of saying it.

Not sure on the biofilter, I have to let that one be answered by others.

Sorry this has happend it sure looks a mess .

^_^[font color="#999999][hr width='40%']"When you try your best but you don't succeed. When you get what you want but not what you need
When you feel so tired but you can't sleep
Stuck in reverse
And the tears come streaming down your face
When you lose something you cannot replace. When you love someone but it goes to wast" ][hr width='40%']"When you try your best but you don't succeed. When you get what you want but not what you need
When you feel so tired but you can't sleep
Stuck in reverse
And the tears come streaming down your face
When you lose something you cannot replace. When you love someone but it goes to waste
COULD IT BE WORSE?" ~Coldplay

Fallout please don't delete.

My tank has turned milky white from crystal clear overnite.
It seems like my diy co2 bottle when I change it.
Half water change has done nothing. I believe it's reproducing in the tank. How do you stop it. Do I have to break down the tank.




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if co2 is really saturated it will be replacing oxygen on the ciliate structures of the bacterias cells and not permitting more oxygen to enter- thusly your filter may be compromised at the mo, as the bacteria in the gravel, the filter and free swimming in the water will be dying en masse.

what is noticeable is that the cloud is not really dispersing which means that bacterial death is contributing to the the co2 situation- better get even more serious on the water changes. Id also consider getting the fish the hell out of the tank.

If the cloud doesnt disperse over the next couple of days your plants will be at risk too, because they wont be able to metabolise that much carbon during a state of low illumination, effectively limiting their effective periods of gaseous exchange.

Maybe youd better start preparing for a total water change and recolonisation of the filter, not to mention alternative accomodation for the fish and plants should the worst come to the worst.

Last edited by longhairedgit at 31-Aug-2005 12:46

Yep, actually excuse me ignorance, but doesn't a check valve protect water / air going from the aquarium not to it.

Do you know if the biological filter is gone as well.



Last edited by tetratech at 31-Aug-2005 12:28

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I didn't have a check valve.

Sorry to say it but that's exactly what caused your problem. Textbook example if ever there was one.

If you don't have carbon at home right now I'd reccomend getting some. The co2 mix is currently in your tank, carbon is the easiest way to get it all out @this point. I suppose a diatom filter would work as well.

^_^ [font color="#999999][hr width='40%']"When you try your best but you don't succeed. When you get what you want but not what you need
When you feel so tired but you can't sleep
Stuck in reverse
And the tears come streaming down your face
When you lose something you cannot replace. When you love someone but it goes to waste
COULD IT BE WORSE?" ~Coldplay" ][hr width='40%']"When you try your best but you don't succeed. When you get what you want but not what you need
When you feel so tired but you can't sleep
Stuck in reverse
And the tears come streaming down your face
When you lose something you cannot replace. When you love someone but it goes to waste
COULD IT BE WORSE?" ~Coldplay

No disconnected the co2 right away and did 50% water change. I am not running carbon, I didn't have a check valve. The co2 bottles still look full, but there's definitely a strong co2 solution smell.

I have religiously done 20 - 30% water changes weekly.
This tank went from crystal clear to what you see in just a few hours.

Last edited by tetratech at 31-Aug-2005 12:06

Last edited by tetratech at 31-Aug-2005 12:07

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whoa- that looks like how untreated tapwater goes sometimes when youre cycling a new tank under low oxygenation- id get on the water changes tho, just to be sure.
The only other time i saw clouding like that which wasnt co2 related was when my dad ued tetracycline on a tank that was off- and it started to kill bacteria in the water and filter.

Last edited by longhairedgit at 31-Aug-2005 12:06

Last edited by longhairedgit at 31-Aug-2005 12:09

Is the Co2 bottle still being fed into the tank?

Did you have a check valve on the airline?

Have you run carbon?

^_^[font color="#999999][hr width='40%']"When you try your best but you don't succeed. When you get what you want but not what you need
" ][hr width='40%']"When you try your best but you don't succeed. When you get what you want but not what you need
When you feel so tired but you can't sleep
Stuck in reverse
And the tears come streaming down your face
When you lose something you cannot replace. When you love someone but it goes to waste
COULD IT BE WORSE?" ~Coldplay

Guys, this is my tank. This is no joke, I really woke up to this, this morning.

See how it looks billowy, like somethings being manufactured. It has to be the DIY C02 got in and is reacting inside the tank.



tetratech attached this image:


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