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Brown/Grey residue on substrate

Jaap

Jaap

Member
Joined
30 Sep 2011
Messages
1,068
Location
Nicosia
Hello,

I keep collecting this matter from the substrate of the aquarium. This initially appeared when I started overdosing Excel to kill thread algae. The thread algae died and I think left this behind. The problem is that I keep collecting this stuff from the tank and it keeps coming back.

Is this because the algae grows and dies all the time? I don't see any algae any more for a long time but I keep overdosing Excel.

Maybe its my Azzoo substrate which deteriorates?

What is this anyway?

photo961254121.jpg

 
Re: Brawn/Grey residue on substrate

I have no fish, alot of snails and low plant biomass of just Eleocharis Parvula...
 
Re: Brawn/Grey residue on substrate

This mulm is unbelievable! I remove it and after a couple of days BAM its there again! No fish! Just snails and a low biomass of Eleocharis Parvula....I can't believe the malm gets created so quickly....something else must be wrong....
 
1. If I add corries or shrimp will they lift the mulm off the substrate so the filter can collect it?

2. If I add filter floss will this help?

3. If I do more wc will this get rid of the problem?
 
Hi Jaap
Seems to be adequate....are you pumping Co2 into the filter?
If so I would reverse this procedure and have it distributed via the out tube method.
Purchase Up atomiser....stop using excel.
Ive never been that successful with hair grass i found it difficult to grow in certain substrates...change your substrate if you want to continue to grow hair grass.
Ive found it can be realy slow to carpet also....maybe I'm too impatient.
hoggie
 
Talk about raising a thread from the dead....this one is from 2012 but I finally cracked it!

The residue is filamentous algae that has been killed off by overdosing of Excel. However, due to low biomass, this filamentous algae keeps growing back daily. Because the Excel overdosing is done daily though, the algae is killed off before it grows. This creates this residue looking mulm!

At least this is my theory with what I am going through now which is pretty much the same thing.
 
It's just mulm from fish poo and plant debris in the tank rather than ending up in the filter....

This is my collection after 90 litre vacuuming of my tank.
WP_20150524_12_53_24_Pro_zps7q1bl3zo.jpg
 
Don't have any fish and didn't have any fish back then. Also the very little bio-mass that I had in combination with the vacuuming that I did, couldn't have produced mulm the very next couple of days. I think I'll stick with my theory :) It looks like mulm, but its dead algae. Your's is mulm though I am guessing....
 
ian_m said:
It's just mulm from fish poo and plant debris in the tank rather than ending up in the filter....

This is my collection after 90 litre vacuuming of my tank.
WP_20150524_12_53_24_Pro_zps7q1bl3zo.jpg
Click to expand...
Yup, this is what I collect from my filter once a month or every other month... Fish poo, shrimp poo, plant debris, whatever is in the tank and breaks down. This is exactly what I was saying to you Jaap in other threads. This is what I found to be one of my most important sources for algae. As you mention, even when you think you are perfect in your tank husbandry, this stuff is in your tank, but you only notice it when you perform a hardscape change or when you dismantle a tank. This stuff can really penetrate your substrate, at least that's what I found...
This is why I have mentioned several times that if you've had serious problems with algae outbreaks and plant melting, it is much easier to reboot the whole tank. Once you have some experience and you are able to avoid this, weekly husbandry is enough to avoid this stuff (now only poo) from building up.

Jordi
 
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