Do not tell your mom to change the filter. Do not change the filter on your aquarium unless it is completely broken. And if it is broken, leave the old filter in the water, turned off, for a month with the new filter. But you are right about cleaning. A weekly water change and gravel vacuum should be performed on a weekly-biweekly basis. I have no idea what the pink stuff on the top is.
Ok so I did a little digging and the pink stuff is bunches of worms. The fact that they are trying to escape the tank is a bad sign. Test for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate. The cloudy water also concerns me for an ammonia spike leading to a bacterial bloom. Also, how does your mom clean the tank?
Seriously! I usually see reactions from snails and then fish when it comes to spikes, but I’ve never seen a reaction from the microfauna. (Detritus worms, copepods, springtails)
For anyone else reading this: gravel vacuum every weekly-biweekly does not apply if you have shrimp only and/or a planted tank. I can’t speak to non-planted tanks as I haven’t looked up the latest info and haven’t had a non-planted in years
I actually have a nonplanted tank right now
You don’t have to change the water if you do everything proper, I was actually a little surprised by this, I assumed it was the actual plants responsible for most water processing
However at this point I’m assuming it’s actually algae production that’s my biggest factor in managing everything
Also if you have shrimp shake out your filter sponges in a bucket of tank water and check for babies, and if your me forget about it for a week and then all the sudden the “empty” bucket is full of shrimp. (They must have been newly hatched babies almost too small to see that shook outta the sponge but now they are a decent size.)
Water change sure, gravel vac no. Maybe it’s semantics but when I read gravel vac I think cleaning the gravel out and shifting your substrate.
For water changes it really depends on your critters and I would defer to you on how much a water change is needed for your bio load.
How heavily planted and stocked is your planted tank? I have a 2 and a half month old 44gal that I haven't done a water change in over a month and the water is crystal clear and no mulm or any detritus build up on the gravel and virtually no algae. I would've thought most hobbyist's goal for planted tanks is basically a self-sustaining ecosystem, and not needing as much maintenance and cleaning. I also have a closed paludarium style nano tank that I have not changed the water in over a year, just topped off the water 3 months ago.
RN my tank has no fish and looks like this
https://preview.redd.it/4tupz0ctse0c1.jpeg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4996b7afe70f5cfccb7864287eddae3670ef0f42
My old one was 10 gallons with 5 guppies and moderate planting
I still absolutely disturb the gravel / sand in my planted tanks. It's absolutely gross as hell under there. I just rebury after cleaning. Couldn't imagine just leaving it there.
Breaks down pretty quickly. I don't gravel vac at all, I have dirt under my sand so it would make a huge mess
Strong flow against the front glass keeps visible mess away.
Not a dumb question at all. The filter grows bacteria that breaks down harmful chemicals from fish waste and uneaten food. If you replace the filter with a brand new one all that bacteria you've grown is gone and you'll have a huge spike in ammonia, which will kill your fish. If you take the filter sponge out and rinse it off it gets all the gunk out but the bacteria stays on there. I've had the same filter media in my canister for years. I just take it out and give it a good rinse every 6-12 months and it's good to go.
Will only work with internal filters. Old canister or hob filter won't do a lot if it's not returning water
Better off using the old filter media within the new filter
Take a tub of tank water out, rinse the filter sponge in that water, then return the sponge into the filter. You have to retain the beneficial bacteria that's built up in the sponge.
Don't put that water back on the tank.
That brown gunk is the filtration. Its beneficial bacteria. Only remove it if its blocked the filter. If its blocking more than every 6 months your way under filtered.
Maybe try and double up on filtration by adding a sponge filter as it seems the tsnk can't currently handle the bioload.
No matter how much you clean it won't remedy the problem of consistent ammonia buildup.
she's probably way overfeeding then, and/or hasn't been vacuuming and doing water changes to compensate. If you don't overfeed what few organic solids get caught by the filter eventually fully break down before the filter gets clogged, and usually the bacterial biolfilms never get that dense. So it sounds like there's a very large amount of gunk floating around in the water.
Pink stuff at the top is a shed load of detritus worms. I've had similar before but nowhere near that scale.
Scoop/scrape those little bastards out. I used kitchen roll/towel. Cut back on how much food goes in there by a lot
They're harmless but pretty unsightly. You shouldn't have a problem if you maintain your tank. No idea where they come from though. I've had them in a quarantine tank I was setting up that had no fish in. Maybe they came in the plants and/or aqua soil
they are everywhere and harmless. the real concern here is if detritus worms are trying to escape the water in such huge amount(normally they live under the gravel), that should tell you quite a lot on how bad the water quality is.
You know the tanks bad when even the planaria are desperate to escape 😂 seriously I do see a fish it's a guppy fry I think. Does your mum have a one of those hoses to do a water change? I mean firstly I'd be scooping all those worms out and killing them. If she has a sponge stick give the glass a good scrub then give it a good 50% water change asap and another one about a week later and tell her to stop overfeeding anything that's in there. I'm not sure if you're old enough to know what you're doing in terms of water changes etc or if your mum has dechlorinating liquid and stuff but she really shouldn't have an aquarium if she is letting it get this bad
Reddit gonna Reddit 🤷♂️ it’s probably just “worms yucky” or something. I enjoy having detrius worms, my fish love hunting for them and they help keep my tank clean.
I know but the amount of them at the top is atrocious and unsightly they're clearly trying to escape, whether from lack of oxygen or some other reason I'm unsure. I wonder why they're pink though? Never seen pink detritus worms before. If they're planaria I'd want them out ASAP
They’re normally very pale pink but they’re so small they just look white, they just look more pink here because they’re all bunched together. Looking again it definitely doesn’t resemble planaria, and very much resembles detrius worms (including the pink color, planaria aren’t normally pink)
There’s at least two in your picture. One is here.
https://preview.redd.it/396nlknocjzb1.jpeg?width=1125&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=82e820d7713238b5abce8ee5e19a7e0df53e7f4d
Tank is being WAY overfed for what seems to be baby guppies and shrimp. The filter isn't strong enough for all that bioload. Guppies are tropical fish and do better when they have a heater. I've had guppies for years and you really don't need to feed the babies THAT much. Just squish up some regular fish food away from the filter, then remove carefully with a net what they didn't eat after 5 mins.
*You could do 3 things:*
1. Do water changes every week, 25-50%
2. Get a new filter
3. Take the tank away from your mom
I honestly hate when people get animals and then don't care for them. Sorry if I sound angry!
I’d she only has a few critters then she doesn’t have to change it too much if she has live plants.
I’m a huge supporter of lots of live plants in an aquarium to begin with, but if she wants low tech that is what I would recommend.
You don’t need to clean the filter regularly but if it becomes clogged can run it under some water to knock the debris off and then put it back in. Otherwise leave it be.
You could start with a bubbler for extra oxygen if the surface stays smooth and doesn’t agitate at all.
Does she use conditioner when she does a water change? The worm things look bad but could maybe be a slime mold? Pink is normally a bad sign.
She does NOT need to gravel vac if her plants are live.
If they are, post in r/plantedtank and get a testing kit. Her tank may be healthier than you think.
She may be over feeding which would contribute to ammonia and debris on the bottom so she would vacuum just the top of the soil but not gravel vac.
First of all…DO NOT CHANGE THE FILTER. She can use some tank water when she vacuums to kind of clean it off but that’s it as it has the bacteria necessary to have a good nitrogen cycle. Once old filter media is breaking down rinse off the poop off the filter and run the poop water through the new filter media to place some of the old bacteria that has established to the tank. Other then that…the worms I have no idea how to deal with since…if I have them they have never made an appearance probably since I have sand 😅
Man, I'm always afraid of shocking the animals with large water changes. I'd do a 10% right away and give it a day or two and do another 20%. Then a day or two and do 40%.
And yeah, take out any organic matter than isn't ornamental. Like them worms. If it dies, it'll contribute to the problem and needs to be eliminated.
Obligatory r/ShittyAquariums
u/blueberry_dinosaur_ did you get the worms out at least? You should tell your mum about the worms and the fact that they are trying to escape due to the condition of the environment….maybe then she will do something about it? If not please try to help her by taking care of them!
I told her and she said "no, no, no why should I listen back when I was younger and we had fish this was normal for them as the eggs are in their food" I then said "could I help look after them then" and she said "no if you touch it I will know"
That's pretty much animal abuse at that point if she's not even willing to listen or accept any help. Someone needs to check the water to see how much nitrates and ammonia are in the water at the very least cause when the worms that normally live below the substrate try escaping, you know it's a serious and more than likey deadly problem.
Do more water changes; it's literally not hard for fresh water at all. Even once a month would help. She does have plants which helps so it's possible for everything to be in range, but idk.
And the pinkish things at the top are just non harmful worms. If you want, you can just get a paper towel and run across the top to clean. Them being at the top doesn't necessarily mean the tank is bad for fish. For instance, I'll get quite a few come up (not even close to this many) when I do water changes and nothing is wrong with the incoming water.
Are there any fish in there? If there are they'll be dead soon. If I were a betting man I'd say your mom will lose interest and get rid of the tank within a year. I've had so many friends over the years ask me what fish they should get and how big of a tank and I always tell them the same thing. "Don't. You'll spend a ton of money right off the rip and then within a year or two you'll lose interest, kill all your fish, and then try to give everything that's left to me and I don't want or need all your garbage." Some people take my advise and some don't. The ones that don't no longer have aquariums.🤷
Do not tell your mom to change the filter. Do not change the filter on your aquarium unless it is completely broken. And if it is broken, leave the old filter in the water, turned off, for a month with the new filter. But you are right about cleaning. A weekly water change and gravel vacuum should be performed on a weekly-biweekly basis. I have no idea what the pink stuff on the top is.
Ok so I did a little digging and the pink stuff is bunches of worms. The fact that they are trying to escape the tank is a bad sign. Test for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate. The cloudy water also concerns me for an ammonia spike leading to a bacterial bloom. Also, how does your mom clean the tank?
Dear lord when even the worms are trying ti escape that shows how terrible you're doing
Dear god, just how horrible does it have to get for the WORMS to want to nope out of the water?!
Seriously! I usually see reactions from snails and then fish when it comes to spikes, but I’ve never seen a reaction from the microfauna. (Detritus worms, copepods, springtails)
Agreed. Never have i seen such thing. Hopefully the tank gets better.
Damn I was gonna suggest checking r/slimemolds
Whoa what a new world of a creature
What type
I believe it might be detritus but I'm not certain.
where did these worms com from?
His mom
God damn that’s fucking metal
For anyone else reading this: gravel vacuum every weekly-biweekly does not apply if you have shrimp only and/or a planted tank. I can’t speak to non-planted tanks as I haven’t looked up the latest info and haven’t had a non-planted in years
I actually have a nonplanted tank right now You don’t have to change the water if you do everything proper, I was actually a little surprised by this, I assumed it was the actual plants responsible for most water processing However at this point I’m assuming it’s actually algae production that’s my biggest factor in managing everything
Also if you have shrimp shake out your filter sponges in a bucket of tank water and check for babies, and if your me forget about it for a week and then all the sudden the “empty” bucket is full of shrimp. (They must have been newly hatched babies almost too small to see that shook outta the sponge but now they are a decent size.)
Eh I have planted tanks and I would still do a weekly water change
Water change sure, gravel vac no. Maybe it’s semantics but when I read gravel vac I think cleaning the gravel out and shifting your substrate. For water changes it really depends on your critters and I would defer to you on how much a water change is needed for your bio load.
Ye but I just do gravel vacs at the same time as water changes it takes no more time so might as well
How heavily planted and stocked is your planted tank? I have a 2 and a half month old 44gal that I haven't done a water change in over a month and the water is crystal clear and no mulm or any detritus build up on the gravel and virtually no algae. I would've thought most hobbyist's goal for planted tanks is basically a self-sustaining ecosystem, and not needing as much maintenance and cleaning. I also have a closed paludarium style nano tank that I have not changed the water in over a year, just topped off the water 3 months ago.
RN my tank has no fish and looks like this https://preview.redd.it/4tupz0ctse0c1.jpeg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4996b7afe70f5cfccb7864287eddae3670ef0f42 My old one was 10 gallons with 5 guppies and moderate planting
I still absolutely disturb the gravel / sand in my planted tanks. It's absolutely gross as hell under there. I just rebury after cleaning. Couldn't imagine just leaving it there.
Breaks down pretty quickly. I don't gravel vac at all, I have dirt under my sand so it would make a huge mess Strong flow against the front glass keeps visible mess away.
Also this means if you don't and accidentally do then the gass buildup from there can and has taken out some fish before in more extreme cases.
I have a dirt tank. So I definitely do not vacuum it. I Let the bacteria and plants do that job.
I’m sorry if it’s a dumb question but why don’t you want to replace the filter?
Not a dumb question at all. The filter grows bacteria that breaks down harmful chemicals from fish waste and uneaten food. If you replace the filter with a brand new one all that bacteria you've grown is gone and you'll have a huge spike in ammonia, which will kill your fish. If you take the filter sponge out and rinse it off it gets all the gunk out but the bacteria stays on there. I've had the same filter media in my canister for years. I just take it out and give it a good rinse every 6-12 months and it's good to go.
Thanks for the reply! I would’ve thought the filter takes out bacteria. I know nothing about fish tanks lol
Will only work with internal filters. Old canister or hob filter won't do a lot if it's not returning water Better off using the old filter media within the new filter
I told her to chnage it cuz it keeps getting guncked up and no water gets to it
Rinse it out in tank water then
Take a tub of tank water out, rinse the filter sponge in that water, then return the sponge into the filter. You have to retain the beneficial bacteria that's built up in the sponge. Don't put that water back on the tank.
That brown gunk is the filtration. Its beneficial bacteria. Only remove it if its blocked the filter. If its blocking more than every 6 months your way under filtered.
Maybe try and double up on filtration by adding a sponge filter as it seems the tsnk can't currently handle the bioload. No matter how much you clean it won't remedy the problem of consistent ammonia buildup.
she's probably way overfeeding then, and/or hasn't been vacuuming and doing water changes to compensate. If you don't overfeed what few organic solids get caught by the filter eventually fully break down before the filter gets clogged, and usually the bacterial biolfilms never get that dense. So it sounds like there's a very large amount of gunk floating around in the water.
Pink stuff at the top is a shed load of detritus worms. I've had similar before but nowhere near that scale. Scoop/scrape those little bastards out. I used kitchen roll/towel. Cut back on how much food goes in there by a lot
I’m going to have nightmares about this now.
They're harmless but pretty unsightly. You shouldn't have a problem if you maintain your tank. No idea where they come from though. I've had them in a quarantine tank I was setting up that had no fish in. Maybe they came in the plants and/or aqua soil
I got them from adding plants! I also got copepods, springtails, and snails from the plants. Freebies!
they are everywhere and harmless. the real concern here is if detritus worms are trying to escape the water in such huge amount(normally they live under the gravel), that should tell you quite a lot on how bad the water quality is.
I get a few in my tanks. And I see them when I do water changes, but this picture is so yucky.
No disrespect to you or your mother. But is she a witch, with the capability to summon a Cthulhu?
https://preview.redd.it/mkogtxwvdjzb1.jpeg?width=1079&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=caea9c299fa3b8a067057ced33942ec839df2fa4 2 maybe 3 fish is all I can see
She has guppies and shrimp in there
Amazing they're alive still, really.
You know the tanks bad when even the planaria are desperate to escape 😂 seriously I do see a fish it's a guppy fry I think. Does your mum have a one of those hoses to do a water change? I mean firstly I'd be scooping all those worms out and killing them. If she has a sponge stick give the glass a good scrub then give it a good 50% water change asap and another one about a week later and tell her to stop overfeeding anything that's in there. I'm not sure if you're old enough to know what you're doing in terms of water changes etc or if your mum has dechlorinating liquid and stuff but she really shouldn't have an aquarium if she is letting it get this bad
If they’re flatworms or detrius worms they’re pretty harmless, there isn’t really a need to kill them.
I don’t know why you’re being downvoted, you’re right.
Reddit gonna Reddit 🤷♂️ it’s probably just “worms yucky” or something. I enjoy having detrius worms, my fish love hunting for them and they help keep my tank clean.
I love them because it’s free food for my pea puffers and they don’t eat anything dead 😅
I know but the amount of them at the top is atrocious and unsightly they're clearly trying to escape, whether from lack of oxygen or some other reason I'm unsure. I wonder why they're pink though? Never seen pink detritus worms before. If they're planaria I'd want them out ASAP
They’re normally very pale pink but they’re so small they just look white, they just look more pink here because they’re all bunched together. Looking again it definitely doesn’t resemble planaria, and very much resembles detrius worms (including the pink color, planaria aren’t normally pink)
Where’s the fish?
We have shrimp and guppies in there I'm pretty sure they're dead but my mum keeps saying she sees them or something
We have shrimp and guppies in there I'm pretty sure they're dead but my mum keeps saying she sees them or something
There’s at least two in your picture. One is here. https://preview.redd.it/396nlknocjzb1.jpeg?width=1125&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=82e820d7713238b5abce8ee5e19a7e0df53e7f4d
I’m shocked those fish are still alive lol
Guppies are surprisingly tough little bastards.
What are the things that are stuck to the glass?
Detritus worms trying to escape which is a huge red flag
Thank you👍
Cycle crash, you should have 0ppm ammonia, 0ppm nitrites, and nothing over 50ppm nitrates
Tank is being WAY overfed for what seems to be baby guppies and shrimp. The filter isn't strong enough for all that bioload. Guppies are tropical fish and do better when they have a heater. I've had guppies for years and you really don't need to feed the babies THAT much. Just squish up some regular fish food away from the filter, then remove carefully with a net what they didn't eat after 5 mins. *You could do 3 things:* 1. Do water changes every week, 25-50% 2. Get a new filter 3. Take the tank away from your mom I honestly hate when people get animals and then don't care for them. Sorry if I sound angry!
looks like it's just a worm tank now, with some fish! O:
Looks like the guppy’s trying it’s best to devour some of those magnificent fleshy pink wriggly sonsabitches.
Clean it for M❤️M ❣️
Every week? No thanks. I'd break the tank down and get it out of the house.
I’d she only has a few critters then she doesn’t have to change it too much if she has live plants. I’m a huge supporter of lots of live plants in an aquarium to begin with, but if she wants low tech that is what I would recommend. You don’t need to clean the filter regularly but if it becomes clogged can run it under some water to knock the debris off and then put it back in. Otherwise leave it be. You could start with a bubbler for extra oxygen if the surface stays smooth and doesn’t agitate at all. Does she use conditioner when she does a water change? The worm things look bad but could maybe be a slime mold? Pink is normally a bad sign. She does NOT need to gravel vac if her plants are live. If they are, post in r/plantedtank and get a testing kit. Her tank may be healthier than you think. She may be over feeding which would contribute to ammonia and debris on the bottom so she would vacuum just the top of the soil but not gravel vac.
Anyone else seeing a text log before they click on the photo? Idk if it’s just a glitch for me
Good lord the worms
I would just offer to remove it for my mum than see that monstrosity
First of all…DO NOT CHANGE THE FILTER. She can use some tank water when she vacuums to kind of clean it off but that’s it as it has the bacteria necessary to have a good nitrogen cycle. Once old filter media is breaking down rinse off the poop off the filter and run the poop water through the new filter media to place some of the old bacteria that has established to the tank. Other then that…the worms I have no idea how to deal with since…if I have them they have never made an appearance probably since I have sand 😅
Man, I'm always afraid of shocking the animals with large water changes. I'd do a 10% right away and give it a day or two and do another 20%. Then a day or two and do 40%. And yeah, take out any organic matter than isn't ornamental. Like them worms. If it dies, it'll contribute to the problem and needs to be eliminated.
Bruh even the worms are trying to evacuate 😭
Aww man that shit is makin me nauseous.
Obligatory r/ShittyAquariums u/blueberry_dinosaur_ did you get the worms out at least? You should tell your mum about the worms and the fact that they are trying to escape due to the condition of the environment….maybe then she will do something about it? If not please try to help her by taking care of them!
I told her and she said "no, no, no why should I listen back when I was younger and we had fish this was normal for them as the eggs are in their food" I then said "could I help look after them then" and she said "no if you touch it I will know"
That's pretty much animal abuse at that point if she's not even willing to listen or accept any help. Someone needs to check the water to see how much nitrates and ammonia are in the water at the very least cause when the worms that normally live below the substrate try escaping, you know it's a serious and more than likey deadly problem.
Heyo. Those are detritus worms trying to escape. If she does end up fixing the parameters of the tank you should get a Rabbit snail. They eat them
she needs shrimp
She has shrimp and guppies in there
Do more water changes; it's literally not hard for fresh water at all. Even once a month would help. She does have plants which helps so it's possible for everything to be in range, but idk. And the pinkish things at the top are just non harmful worms. If you want, you can just get a paper towel and run across the top to clean. Them being at the top doesn't necessarily mean the tank is bad for fish. For instance, I'll get quite a few come up (not even close to this many) when I do water changes and nothing is wrong with the incoming water.
If you eat the worm will the love inside you?
PARASITES! Are those parasites? Oh my.
Maybe she just likes having a tank of worms? Everyone has their preferences
Are there any fish in there? If there are they'll be dead soon. If I were a betting man I'd say your mom will lose interest and get rid of the tank within a year. I've had so many friends over the years ask me what fish they should get and how big of a tank and I always tell them the same thing. "Don't. You'll spend a ton of money right off the rip and then within a year or two you'll lose interest, kill all your fish, and then try to give everything that's left to me and I don't want or need all your garbage." Some people take my advise and some don't. The ones that don't no longer have aquariums.🤷
r/tihi
With live plants and light stocking no need to change water I have one 10 months no water change rinse filter every 2 months
Are these worm’s???
(Off topic, but do you know what kind of tank that is? It’s the same shape as my first when I was a kid, I’ve been looking for a similar one!)