Can someone explain bacteria blooms?

[Miami Reef]

Short story: I didn’t feed my tank while fishless (5-6 month old) and I got Dino’s. I got 00 phosphates.

I started heavy feeding to bring it up to 0.1ppm phosphates.

Now my tank has a slight cloudy look to it. It looks dingy and gross.

I did a little googling and “white milky” appearance is a bacterial bloom, while green is an algae bloom.

Great. Now, is this good or bad? Should I try turning on my skimmer (it’s off) to remove the bacteria?

Does bacteria bloom mean the bacteria is in the water? Or does it mean they are producing waste from the surfaces?

I want to know what this cloudiness is, and I want to know if removing it (water changes, skimmer, diatom filters) will quicken the bacteria process or SLOW the process?

I want bacteria to grow to outcompete the Dino’s.

Oh, and ps: I might have overdosed microbacter 7 today because I thought my cloudy water was from LACK of bacteria. Whoops. But it was cloudy before I dosed the bottle. The cloudiness is about the same before and after the microbacter. Maybe a tiny bit worse after the dosage.

TL;DR I want my crystal clear tank back. Will leaving my tank cloudy help reach my goal faster or will skimmer help? What’s going on on a microscopic level when a tank has a bacterial bloom?

 

[Llyod276]

The bacteria will die when the nutrients run out, so stop feeding. Water changes, at least 25% for the next couple of weeks. Run carbon and gfo if you have it. Don't dose phosphates so heavy. In a fishless system nothing is eating anything except the bacteria.

After this expect an algea bloom. The best thing I've found for dinos is turn the temp up to 82°F.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Short story: I didn’t feed my tank while fishless (5-6 month old) and I got Dino’s. I got 00 phosphates.

I started heavy feeding to bring it up to 0.1ppm phosphates.

Now my tank has a slight cloudy look to it. It looks dingy and gross.

I did a little googling and “white milky” appearance is a bacterial bloom, while green is an algae bloom.

Great. Now, is this good or bad? Should I try turning on my skimmer (it’s off) to remove the bacteria?

Does bacteria bloom mean the bacteria is in the water? Or does it mean they are producing waste from the surfaces?

I want to know what this cloudiness is, and I want to know if removing it (water changes, skimmer, diatom filters) will quicken the bacteria process or SLOW the process?

I want bacteria to grow to outcompete the Dino’s.

Oh, and ps: I might have overdosed microbacter 7 today because I thought my cloudy water was from LACK of bacteria. Whoops. But it was cloudy before I dosed the bottle. The cloudiness is about the same before and after the microbacter. Maybe a tiny bit worse after the dosage.

TL;DR I want my crystal clear tank back. Will leaving my tank cloudy help reach my goal faster or will skimmer help? What’s going on on a microscopic level when a tank has a bacterial bloom?

Also known as bacterial blossom, bacterial bloom is a condition in which a sudden increase in the number of bacterial colonies occurs, specifically bacteria that are suspended in the water column. The bacteria grows so rapidly that collectively they become visible to the naked eye, causing the water to become milky/cloudy/hazy in appearance. This condition most often is seen in a newly started aquarium, but can also occur in a tank in which there is has been an increase in the nutrients in the water, particularly nitrates and phosphates. Excessive feeding of fish without cleaning the debris can also cause a sharp increase in nutrients that results in these blooms .
There are two types of bacteria at work in aquariums:

• Autotrophic Bacteria: Bacteria capable of synthesizing its own food from inorganic substances, using light or chemical energy. The beneficial bacterias are autotrophs.
• Heterotrophic Bacteria: Bacteria that cannot synthesize its own food and is dependent on complex organic substances for nutrition. The heterotrophs in the aquariums mineralize the organic waste (break down the uneaten food, fish waste, dead plant matter, etc. into ammonia).

It is more common that the heterotrophs are seen in bacterial blooms, not the trusted autotroph nitrifiers. It is the heterotrophs which are primarily responsible for creating the "bio-film" (slimy residue found on the tank walls and rocks. As the ammonia production increases due to the increased mineralization, the nitrifiers are slow to catch up and an ammonia spike occurs until the autotrophs reproduce enough to take care of it. Contrary to popular belief, bacterial blooms cause an ammonia spike, not the other way around.
It is unclear whether the autotrophic nitrifiers ever bloom into the water column or if they simply multiply too slowly to cause this effect.
Water changes will play a role as well as filter maintenance.

WHAT FILTER(S) ARE YOU USING ?

 

[Miami Reef]

Thank you. So if I’m getting this straight: I’m over feeding which is causing bacteria to over grow to consume nutrients.

Am I needing these heterotrophic bacteria to outcompete Dino’s, or autotrophic?

I don’t think anyone will know because nothing was ever proven for Dino’s. It’s all anecdotal.

 

[Reefahholic]

Thank you. So if I’m getting this straight: I’m over feeding which is causing bacteria to over grow to consume nutrients.

Am I needing these heterotrophic bacteria to outcompete Dino’s, or autotrophic?

I don’t think anyone will know because nothing was ever proven for Dino’s. It’s all anecdotal.

Heterotrophs multiple so fast they can really cloud up the water.

One simple and easy way to reduce their numbers is to remove their fuel (organic carbon sources). Then add some 1-5 micron felt filter socks. I promise you will cut their numbers by 75% or more with the socks and the water will clear in less than 24 hrs. I’ve don’t it several times.

 

[CoralB]

microbactor clean or UV light

 

[vetteguy53081]

Thank you. So if I’m getting this straight: I’m over feeding which is causing bacteria to over grow to consume nutrients.

Am I needing these heterotrophic bacteria to outcompete Dino’s, or autotrophic?

I don’t think anyone will know because nothing was ever proven for Dino’s. It’s all anecdotal.

to a degree - yes