Beneficial bacteria

[Tl52505]

I just completely redid my 40 gal tank after most of my fish died from ich. I took water from that tank and put it into my old 10 gal for now, but it started to turn slightly green. My stepdad who keeps fish said I should put that water back in because it had beneficial bacteria that the fish need to survive. I am worried that it will spread and turn my whole tank green, because I have had a bad experience with algae.

 

[mbsqw1d]

I just completely redid my 40 gal tank after most of my fish died from ich. I took water from that tank and put it into my old 10 gal for now, but it started to turn slightly green. My stepdad who keeps fish said I should put that water back in because it had beneficial bacteria that the fish need to survive. I am worried that it will spread and turn my whole tank green, because I have had a bad experience with algae.

The water itself contains next to none of the beneficial bacteria. The BB lives on surfaces, in/on the substrate, the glass, the filter media, rocks, wood, plants etc.

 

[Oblio]

BB lives primarily on the surfaces, substrate, and filter media, not in the water.

 

[Tl52505]

The water itself contains next to none of the beneficial bacteria. The BB lives on surfaces, in/on the substrate, the glass, the filter media, rocks, wood, plants etc.

The only thing that is going in from when it is set up before is plants and a big fake rock. I just got a fluval 207 the other day and it was in that tank for about 2 days. Anything I should do before putting fish back in

 

[TwoTankAmin]

Make sure it is cycled by adding some ammonia and then testing to see what happens. You may need to allow too few bacteria left in the new set-up to multiply. However, you cannot add ammonia to a tank with fish or inverts as it will kill them at worst and do serious harm at best.

You should hveE moved the old media to the new filter. You should have saved the top 1/2 inch (or all) of the substrate and kept it wet to be used in the new tank if possible.

What is keeping the water free of ammonia where the fish now are?

The green is an algae bloom from excess nutrients in the water.

Unfortunately, the best time to have asked questions was before you did things. But what is done is done. Now, you need to provide a lot more information for us to give the best advice here. What was in the tank right before you did any of the above. Where is the old filter and its media? Was there substrate in the tank? If so where is it? How many live plants were in the tank before the redo began? How many fish are there now and what sizes/species? Also what are the your tap and tank water params- pH, KH and GH?

All of this stuff matters in terms of the cycle and keeping the fish safe.

 

[Colin_T]

If the water is going green or you are getting green algae all over the glass and ornaments, reduce the light or add live plants.

 

[Tl52505]

Make sure it is cycled by adding some ammonia and then testing to see what happens. You may need to allow too few bacteria left in the new set-up to multiply. However, you cannot add ammonia to a tank with fish or inverts as it will kill them at worst and do serious harm at best.

You should hveE moved the old media to the new filter. You should have saved the top 1/2 inch (or all) of the substrate and kept it wet to be used in the new tank if possible.

What is keeping the water free of ammonia where the fish now are?

The green is an algae bloom from excess nutrients in the water.

Unfortunately, the best time to have asked questions was before you did things. But what is done is done. Now, you need to provide a lot more information for us to give the best advice here. What was in the tank right before you did any of the above. Where is the old filter and its media? Was there substrate in the tank? If so where is it? How many live plants were in the tank before the redo began? How many fish are there now and what sizes/species? Also what are the your tap and tank water params- pH, KH and GH?

All of this stuff matters in terms of the cycle and keeping the fish safe.

My old filter was just a small overflow filter, I got some API quick start and put the fish in, when I first put them in a couple of the older ones just sat in the gravel, but after about a minute they are swimming around. Anything I should look out for?

 

[TwoTankAmin]

Ammonia. test in the morning ans the evening for a few days. Feed sparingly until you know the tank is safe in that respect.

 

[Tl52505]

Ammonia. test in the morning ans the evening for a few days. Feed sparingly until you know the tank is safe in that respect.

Any idea why the water would be slightly cloudy, idk if it actually is or it is just me, can u tell if it is cloudy from this picture

 

[BrianK]

Any idea why the water would be slightly cloudy, idk if it actually is or it is just me, can u tell if it is cloudy from this picture

new tank syndrome

 

[Tl52505]

new tank syndrome

Do you think it will go away on its own

 

[Tl52505]

new tank syndrome

I also noticed it slightly smelled after putting good bacteria and fish in, could this just be from the bacteria?

 

[Colin_T]

Cloudy water can be caused by uneaten food rotting on the substrate. This is common in newly set up tanks. If it doesn't clear after 24 hours, do a big water change and gravel clean the substrate.

Depending on the smell, it could be rotting fish food or the filter bacteria. however, the amount of filter bacteria is tiny compared to the water volume in the aquarium, so it's unlikely to be that. But you can smell the bottle of bacteria and see if the tank smells the same.

If you are concerned about the water, do a 50-75% water change.
Make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it's added to the tank.

 

[itiwhetu]

Aim to have 30-50% of the volume of your tank in plants.

 

[gilpi]

I just completely redid my 40 gal tank after most of my fish died from ich. I took water from that tank and put it into my old 10 gal for now, but it started to turn slightly green. My stepdad who keeps fish said I should put that water back in because it had beneficial bacteria that the fish need to survive. I am worried that it will spread and turn my whole tank green, because I have had a bad experience with algae.

I'm taking into assumption that your tank was not properly cycled... if you feel the beneficial bacteria is in the water. You beneficial bacteria (90 percent or more) resides in your filter as water passes through it, this is why you should never change the filter media (sponge or floss) just rinse it in tank water, outside of the tank. Your water is cloudy because simply put, it's not clean, it needs to be changed and taking water from an infected tank to put into another...
As far as ick, it is one of the easiest diseases to treat and all you basically need to treat it along with many other diseases, is to keep up your maintenance, frequent water changes and no overfeeding and not to be hard on you, but these are very simple steps that will keep your fish healthy.