White confetti storm

[bison]

New 55gal FO tank set-up 3 weeks now with damselfish (I know, I know.... next time will do the shrimp thing). The other night, I bumped the tubing from my pump to the tank and suddenly had a BLIZZARD of what looked like confetti made of white tissue paper flying into the tank!
Had noticed a white build-up on the inside of the tubing the day before, and a couple of 3 & 4mm sized white "floaters" here & there in the water. Bumping the tube, though, released even larger pieces--some up to 1 cm! The fish were actually trying to dodge the stuff, but it was everywhere!! After a few hours, the "confetti blizzard finally settled to the bottom of the tank in a couple areas, with only a few remaining floaters. As best I could, I vacuumed up the stuff that had settled & was left with a tsp or so of slighltly yellow slimey sludge in the vacuum filter sock. My pre-filter also caught some of the "confetti" but it appeared to be a more gelatinous white goo on the pre-filter.
Is this white stuff normal? Will it harm the fish? They've been trying to eat it, but most of the time they spit it out.

 

[lionstorm]

definately not normal. no idea what it could be though, have you tried a search on like white goo or something similar to that?
sorry i can't help you but that definately doesn't sound good

 

[marvida]

I used to have the same thing happen when I was using a Fluval canister filter. Whenever I would clean the filter, this material would come out of the lines. It never created any obvious problems & it would disappear shortly. Don't know what it was.

 

[bison]

I did use a marine buffer about a week ago. Wonder if it could be a residue in the tubing from that? Haven't yet done any filter changes, but have rinsed off my pre-filter a couple times since it happened. Think most of it has cleared out of the water now, but there continue to be a couple of floaters. Fish still seem unaffected.

 

[michaeltx]

what is your calcium at. you might be getting some precipitating back in the tank and holding on to the tubes till the are touched.
could be saltcreep at the water line it will stay there until something breaks its hold the it will fall back into the tank.
Mike

 

[nacl-man]

Originally posted by MarVida
I used to have the same thing happen when I was using a Fluval canister filter. Whenever I would clean the filter, this material would come out of the lines. It never created any obvious problems & it would disappear shortly. Don't know what it was.
The exact same thing happened to me a few times. Then one day after my maintence it didn't do it... hasn't happened since. Very wierd.

 

[bison]

Don't know what my Ca level is as I don't have a test for that--yet. Will get one tomorrow. Don't think it's "salt creep" (if I understand correctly what that is?), as the "white confetti" was coming from inside the walls of the tubing from my water pump in the trickle filter and being blown into my tank, but not building up at the top of the water line. Whatever caused it doesn't seem to be building up in the tubing again, but there are still very tiny fragments of the stuff being blown into the tank yet, but they settle out rather quickly. The mystery continues..... still, I want to thank everyone for their replies!

 

[michaeltx]

ok that sounds like a bacteria build up that built up and shook loose.
Mike

 

[beaslbob]

could this be a calcuim carbonate storm?

 

[michaeltx]

was coming from inside the walls of the tubing from my water pump in the trickle filter and being blown into my tank, but not building up at the top of the water line. Whatever caused it doesn't seem to be building up in the tubing again, but there are still very tiny fragments of the stuff being blown into the tank yet
this makes me thinkmore of a bacteria buildup rather than a calium precipatation into the tank. whenI had my calcium storm it was all over not just in the tubes. but I get a bacteria buildup in the tubes in the higher flow areas that if bothered will fall back into the tank.
Mike