What's this floaty stuff that looks like dust or fibers?

[Nells250]

HI all

Lately I have had this mystery-stuff floating all through Plant Test Tank #1. It looks like very small uniform fibers, like from velvet, or even dust of some kind. It does not collect on the surface, it circulates all around the tank with the current.

Yesterday I cleaned the sponge filter and changed about half the water. This morning, I go to switch on the light, and there it all is, possibly even worse than yesterday!

I decided to put on my makeshift lid and boost the air to the filter. But so far, instead of pulling in the stuff, it is all still just circulating around the tank.

I'll get a video or photo later today, but I don't understand why a sponge filter in a small tank doesn't handle whatever the stuff is!

 

[CassCats]

Sounds like a possible diatom bloom. Very normal in young tanks, especially within the first year of being setup. It will eventually go away on its own, it just sucks lol

 

[Nells250]

So I just got home and took a peek at the tank. All those floaties are GONE! Did the filter do its job with just a bit more air?? There has to be more to this...

Good thing I grabbed a super quick video before I left this morning!

 

[CassCats]

Yeah looks like a diatom bloom, can even see some on your glass

 

[MaloK]

It looks like a Seed Shrimps explosion These little critters often comes with Cherry Shrimps.

But you would need to keep the camera static so we can see them move.

I'm pretty sure I can see they are swimming. But you don't remain stable long enough for certitude.

They multiply a lot and becomes more active and swim freely when you stir the filter.

 

[WhistlingBadger]

You do have some diatoms, but that isn't what the little white flecks are. They look to me like something alive, maybe copepods or some kind of worms. If you turn off your filter, do the little white flecks move around on their own power?

 

[MaloK]

You do have some diatoms, but that isn't what the little white flecks are. They look to me like something alive, maybe copepods or some kind of worms. If you turn off your filter, do the little white flecks move around on their own power?

If it's ostracod or copepods, The diatom problem is "naturally" resolved. Loll

 

[Nells250]

I should explain there are indeed those swimmy seed shrimp in there, but those tiny things that look like straight lines are what I am referring to.

If you turn off your filter, do the little white flecks move around on their own power?

Let me go look...

OK, so I THOUGHT they were NOT moving on their own. Then I got the bright idea to get my loupe and used it to look at them through the glass.

THEY'RE ALIVE!! ;-) They look like teeny tiny worms, or threads. Compared to the seed shrimp, which look COOL up close, they almost look yellow. They sure are small, but were wiggling around a little.

Does this help?

HOW do all these things get into tanks?? Am I drinking these things in tap water every day??

 

[CassCats]

Ahh your video on my end was hard to see as little strings lol

Hang on, I have your answer. I've had those little things before too.

Spirostomum ciliates

Here's a USB microscope of them gathering in colonies on my plants i had a few years back. But they'd start off as an annoying cloud in the water. They apparently feed off of bacteria, are harmless. Mine eventually went away on their own.

 

[Nells250]

That pic isn't what I have... looks scary, though!!

 

[CassCats]

That pic isn't what I have... looks scary, though!!

It floats around before settling in colonies to feed. That's a microscope view of it. It's small like thin wormy specks by eye

 

[Nells250]

 

[CassCats]

Hmmm they're definitely too large then to be the ciliates.

Perhaps look into some of the flatworms, they can swim in the water column. Weird looking when they do, but usually seen on the glass and look almost like planaria but have round heads instead of triangle (planaria is a flat worm too, but they're the ones harmful to shrimp while the other one is not)

 

[WhistlingBadger]

I should explain there are indeed those swimmy seed shrimp in there, but those tiny things that look like straight lines are what I am referring to.


Let me go look...

OK, so I THOUGHT they were NOT moving on their own. Then I got the bright idea to get my loupe and used it to look at them through the glass.

THEY'RE ALIVE!! ;-) They look like teeny tiny worms, or threads. Compared to the seed shrimp, which look COOL up close, they almost look yellow. They sure are small, but were wiggling around a little.

Does this help?

HOW do all these things get into tanks?? Am I drinking these things in tap water every day??

Some kind of little worms. Probably came in on some plants and spent a while quietly doing their little wormish things before they became numerous enough to invade the water column. I never worry too much about critters like that, though there is the (slight) possibility that they're something harmful. Once you introduce fish, they'll most likely get eaten up very quickly.

 

[Nells250]

Thing is, this tank is shrimp only, so they won't get eaten up