Millions of white dots......can anyone help!!??

[Wasserpest]

That's great news Wasserpest!! I'm glad to hear that your critters are gone!! Now... how'd you do exactly what you did??

Well this is what I did: got a Magnum 250 which comes with a "Micron filter cartridge". Ran that for a while, and nothing exciting happened. So I went and bought a bag of diatomacious earth (10 lbs for $6). Filled a cup with it. Took a pitcher and slipped it under the inlet and outlet of the pump, lifting the pitcher out of the water to get a closed recirculation and no DE into my tank. Then I dumped the DE into the pitcher with the pump running. First it is one milky mess, but after two minutes or so the DE is stuck in the micron cartridge, and the water is clear. Take the pitcher out, and let it run it's course. It is SCARY how clear the water gets after a few hours (depending on your tank size... mine is 100 gal).

So now I have an excellent way of polishing water, getting rid of little white dots, algae, whatever floats in the water, plus I have a backup filter just in case. The Magnum is inexpensive and transportable, on the downside the compartment for filter materials is pretty small for it's size. Love it.

 

[AngelKay]

Great!! I should be able to do exactly what you did Wasserpest because I have the Magnum 350 canister. I also have an internal filter, should I take it out while I try (when I can do it) your solution? I am wondering if the critters that are in the internal filter will be sucked out through the Magnum. Mogo did say that I had quite a few different types of these critters, hopefully I can get them all.
Your water is still in good condition? They haven't come back??
Thanks for the detailed explanation, I really did need the extra help!!
AngelKay

 

[Mogo]

That's great news Wasserpest! Hmm....I wonder if it would work on copepods? Maybe only when they're swimming around and not sticking on the glass. Would have to figure out a way to do it near the water surface, as they tend to swim there.

Tons of little critters Angel Kay, most of them are harmless to the fish. The harmless kinds only cause problems when they are there in large numbers, adding to the waste for example. Let me know how things turn out if you try the DE.

 

[Wasserpest]

I have done the DE filtration two times overnight with a week in between. The water is glass clear, and the white dots almost gone. I wouldn't say there are zero, but it went from millions to hundreds None of the fishies are scratching anymore. Even the plants started pearling like crazy, perhaps due to the additional light due to the clarity?
I will keep watching the water, and if it looks like the numbers go up again use another cup of DE. I have about 700 cups left
I think it doesn't matter if you turn off the internal filter, this doesn't reduce them to ZERO anyway, unless you let it run a very long time, cleaning and recharging it often. While doing the DE filtration, you could clean the other filter...
I think you don't want to run the DE all the time... not necessary and puts a lot of stress on the pump. Another thing, when you turn it off, don't turn it on again without the pitcher, or after cleaning it... or you could end up with a lot of DE in the tank

 

[Wasserpest]

Mogo... I don't think that would work too well for the bigger, very actively swimming copepods, maybe the smaller ones, with a little more current to keep them floating.

 

[andyt_uk]

oh my - i read this whole thread yesterday
when i got home last night i checked my tank - crickey - it's that contagious my tank appears full of tiny particles of dust floating around!!
also my fish all seem to have white spot - and that definately wasnt there yesterday morning.
a few weeks ago one of my fish had a single white spot, so i increased the temp from 24-28C, last night i increased it further.
i have some meds, but reluctant to use just yet

perhaps the ich at the high temps rarely attaches itself to the fish and just floats about?

going to see what the higher temp does for a day or so, not sure where i can get some of that DE stuff, nor if i could easily use it with my Biorb filter - though i may be able to open the filter cartridge and place some inbetween the carbon & the sponge (thats if i can get some)

i also noticed this morning 2 hair looking critters - can only describe it as a small grey hair, but it makes attempts at swimming by kinda contracting itself in a sort of corkscrew motion then stretching out again - what the chuff is that?

 

[Mogo]

AGHHH!!! Looks like I'll be stuck with copepods in that aquarium then!!!! It's funny, I searched the net to see if anyone found a good, easy way to rid them, and it appears everyone is trying to introduce them to their tanks, as a source of food. Perhaps I should start selling mine?

Andyt, the hair like squigly thing you are seeing is probably a couple of oligochaete worms (harmless to fish) that are usually hidden burrowed in the sand/gravel. I said a couple of them, because they come out of the sand to do the mating thing and are stuck together end to end, and thats when you're likely to see them.

 

[emjay653]

Hi Angelkay,

Did you ever find out what it was, because my tank seems to be showing the same symptoms?

Mj

 

[andyt_uk]

this thread is so long now i dont think i have read a definative solution (other than using DE earth to filter out/kill whatever it is)
although i decided to use meds for the white spot and that 'seems' to have reduced - though not completely eradicated - the floaters

 

[emjay653]

I think I'll try the meds first.

That fails, I'll have to just scrub the entire tank, which I don't want to do as that'll mean starting from scratch again, and might kill the fish. On the other side of the coin, is the fact that I could lose them anyway if I sit on my bum and do nowt...Decisions decisions!!!

Mj

 

[andyt_uk]

i used meds because my fish actually did have white spot - it may be a coincidence or a side effect that the floating dots have reduced since.

i wouldnt use meds unless you have a specific illness in there - i think the general opinion was they dont seem to be harming the fish (yet...)