What triggers a bacterial bloom?

[Reefchris28]

Been seeing a few threads lately on cloudy water and bacterial blooms being the cause, but what is actually triggering the bacteria to bloom? Could it be changes in weather and air temp, having Windows in the house open, having the heat come on? I have also had 3-4 days where my water seems to be a tad bit cloudy, nothing to create panic but it's noticeable, but goes away 24 hrs later on its own, I've had this happen 3 times and I'm not at all too worried about it, just trying to figure out what could cause this to happen in our reef tanks. Any Info on the topic would be appreciated.

 

[saltyhog]

The most common source I've heard of is some type of carbon source. In my case it was from carbon dosing with vinegar.

 

[Reefchris28]

@saltyhog thanks for the reply. I've seen the same as you mentioned also, but I don't dose a carbon source. I'm just curious as to what else could cause it for people that experience this.

 

[Diesel]

Below some info that I had saved in a file.
Hope it helps


What is a Bacterial Bloom?

There are 2 types of bacteria at work in our tanks:-

Autotrophic Bacteria - Bacteria capable of synthesizing its own food from inorganic substances, using light or chemical energy. Our beneficial filter bacteria are autotrophs.

Heterotrophic Bacteria - Bacteria that cannot synthesize its own food and is dependent on complex organic substances for nutrition. The heterotrophs in our aquariums mineralise the organic waste (break down the uneaten food, fish waste, dead plant matter etc into ammonia).

Contrary to popular belief, it is commonly the heterotrophs which are seen in our bacterial blooms, not our trusted autotroph nitrifiers.

It is the heterotrophs which are primarily responsible for creating the "bio-film" (slimy residue found on the tank walls and ornaments) which builds up in our aquariums.

The heterotrophs are generally bigger than the autotrophs and therefore don't attach themselves to surfaces with the same ease. They also reproduce much more quickly. Heterotrophs can reproduce in around 15 - 20 minutes, whereas autotrophs can take up to 24 hours to reproduce.

In a newly set-up aquarium, the heterotrophs get to work quicker than the autotrophs, causing the 'cycling bloom' we so often see. Blooms are almost certainly heterotrophic if they are caused by a build up of organic waste in the substrate, which most, if not all, are.

Bacterial blooms are common in tanks with apparently no organics present (for example, where all that is in the tank is water and ammonia for a fishless cycle). This is caused by the dechlorination of the water suddenly enabling the water to support bacterial populations. The heterotrophs immediately get to work on the organics in the water itself. The severity of the bloom and even whether a bloom happens at all is dependant upon the level of organics contained in the water supply.

Our autotroph nitrifiers are strictly aerobic (require oxygen), but the heterotrophs can be facultative anaerobic (they can switch between aerobic and anaerobic function depending on their environment). Therefore the heterotrophs in the substrate will be in their anaerobic state and breaking down the organic waste into ammonia, but if they bloom up into the water column, they will switch to their aerobic form and will start to convert the ammonia back to nitrite, although very inefficiently. The heterotrophs are around 1,000,000 times less efficient at ammonia oxidisation than our beneficial autotrophs as the heterotrophs are not true nitrifiers.


The Effects of a Bacterial Bloom

Most of the bacteria in the aquarium are aerobic as it is a oxygen dominated environment, and these bacteria require lots of oxygen. When the heterotrophic bacteria bloom into the water column and switch to their aerobic state, this is a big drain on the oxygen content of the water. Oxygen depravation is the only risk to the fish which i am aware of during a bacterial bloom, as the heterotrophs themselves are harmless to fish, so good advice is to increase aeration!

To help you to understand why bacterial blooms occur, overfeeding ,dead fish or dead plant matter will cause a rise in the reproduction of the heterotrophs in order to break down the organic waste, they re-produce too quickly to be able to attach themselves to a surface and this causes a bacterial bloom. As the ammonia production increases due to the increased mineralisation, the nitrifiers are slow to catch up (as i said above) and so you see an ammonia spike 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.


Treatment and Prevention of Bacterial Blooms

A thorough gravel vac will certainly help the situation, as will trying not to overfeed. Also, increase aeration as I noted above. Water changes will probably not clear the cloudiness as when you remove the free-floating heterotrophic bacteria, the others will reproduce more to compensate. Given the reproduction rate of the heterotrophs, it would require a 50% water change every 15 - 20 minutes just to stop the bloom getting worse, and even more if you want to make any progress towards clearing the bloom.

However, water changes won't exacerbate the situation as it will be heterotrophs (which are producing ammonia) which are removed from the water column via the water change. A water change will remove virtually no nitrifying autotrophic bacteria from the tank at all as 99% of the nitrifiers are housed in the filter, not in the water column. Water changes are not essential in clearing bacterial blooms, as left alone, they will usually dissipate within a matter of days.

Reducing the amount of organic waste in your tank is the ultimate solution to treating a bacterial bloom, and avoiding a build up of organic waste in the tank is the best way to prevent a bloom. The best way to do this is to maintain a regular aquarium husbandry routine involving water changes and substrate vaccuuming.

As I said above, blooms are common in tanks with apparently no organic waste present, most commonly when only water and ammonia are in the tank for a fishless cycle. In this case, there are few easy ways to remove the organics from the water, and so my best suggestion is to sit it out and wait. Water changes with purified water would help as it would dilute the concentration of organics in the water. Reverse Osmosis water would be ideal in this situation, however i would suggest that patience is the cheaper and more environmentally friendly option.

A bloom in an established tank indicates that there is a problem which has allowed a build-up of organic waste, usually in the substrate. This can be caused by excess dead plant matter, over-feeding which leaves food lying around the tank, or leaving dead fish in the tank. None of these are desirable in an aquarium and a bloom in your established tank will certainly indicate one or more of these causes present in the tank. If you experience a bloom in an established tank, improve your husbandry.

 

[Reefchris28]

Below some info that I had saved in a file.
Hope it helps


What is a Bacterial Bloom?

There are 2 types of bacteria at work in our tanks:-

Autotrophic Bacteria - Bacteria capable of synthesizing its own food from inorganic substances, using light or chemical energy. Our beneficial filter bacteria are autotrophs.

Heterotrophic Bacteria - Bacteria that cannot synthesize its own food and is dependent on complex organic substances for nutrition. The heterotrophs in our aquariums mineralise the organic waste (break down the uneaten food, fish waste, dead plant matter etc into ammonia).

Contrary to popular belief, it is commonly the heterotrophs which are seen in our bacterial blooms, not our trusted autotroph nitrifiers.

It is the heterotrophs which are primarily responsible for creating the "bio-film" (slimy residue found on the tank walls and ornaments) which builds up in our aquariums.

The heterotrophs are generally bigger than the autotrophs and therefore don't attach themselves to surfaces with the same ease. They also reproduce much more quickly. Heterotrophs can reproduce in around 15 - 20 minutes, whereas autotrophs can take up to 24 hours to reproduce.

In a newly set-up aquarium, the heterotrophs get to work quicker than the autotrophs, causing the 'cycling bloom' we so often see. Blooms are almost certainly heterotrophic if they are caused by a build up of organic waste in the substrate, which most, if not all, are.

Bacterial blooms are common in tanks with apparently no organics present (for example, where all that is in the tank is water and ammonia for a fishless cycle). This is caused by the dechlorination of the water suddenly enabling the water to support bacterial populations. The heterotrophs immediately get to work on the organics in the water itself. The severity of the bloom and even whether a bloom happens at all is dependant upon the level of organics contained in the water supply.

Our autotroph nitrifiers are strictly aerobic (require oxygen), but the heterotrophs can be facultative anaerobic (they can switch between aerobic and anaerobic function depending on their environment). Therefore the heterotrophs in the substrate will be in their anaerobic state and breaking down the organic waste into ammonia, but if they bloom up into the water column, they will switch to their aerobic form and will start to convert the ammonia back to nitrite, although very inefficiently. The heterotrophs are around 1,000,000 times less efficient at ammonia oxidisation than our beneficial autotrophs as the heterotrophs are not true nitrifiers.


The Effects of a Bacterial Bloom

Most of the bacteria in the aquarium are aerobic as it is a oxygen dominated environment, and these bacteria require lots of oxygen. When the heterotrophic bacteria bloom into the water column and switch to their aerobic state, this is a big drain on the oxygen content of the water. Oxygen depravation is the only risk to the fish which i am aware of during a bacterial bloom, as the heterotrophs themselves are harmless to fish, so good advice is to increase aeration!

To help you to understand why bacterial blooms occur, overfeeding ,dead fish or dead plant matter will cause a rise in the reproduction of the heterotrophs in order to break down the organic waste, they re-produce too quickly to be able to attach themselves to a surface and this causes a bacterial bloom. As the ammonia production increases due to the increased mineralisation, the nitrifiers are slow to catch up (as i said above) and so you see an ammonia spike 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.


Treatment and Prevention of Bacterial Blooms

A thorough gravel vac will certainly help the situation, as will trying not to overfeed. Also, increase aeration as I noted above. Water changes will probably not clear the cloudiness as when you remove the free-floating heterotrophic bacteria, the others will reproduce more to compensate. Given the reproduction rate of the heterotrophs, it would require a 50% water change every 15 - 20 minutes just to stop the bloom getting worse, and even more if you want to make any progress towards clearing the bloom.

However, water changes won't exacerbate the situation as it will be heterotrophs (which are producing ammonia) which are removed from the water column via the water change. A water change will remove virtually no nitrifying autotrophic bacteria from the tank at all as 99% of the nitrifiers are housed in the filter, not in the water column. Water changes are not essential in clearing bacterial blooms, as left alone, they will usually dissipate within a matter of days.

Reducing the amount of organic waste in your tank is the ultimate solution to treating a bacterial bloom, and avoiding a build up of organic waste in the tank is the best way to prevent a bloom. The best way to do this is to maintain a regular aquarium husbandry routine involving water changes and substrate vaccuuming.

As I said above, blooms are common in tanks with apparently no organic waste present, most commonly when only water and ammonia are in the tank for a fishless cycle. In this case, there are few easy ways to remove the organics from the water, and so my best suggestion is to sit it out and wait. Water changes with purified water would help as it would dilute the concentration of organics in the water. Reverse Osmosis water would be ideal in this situation, however i would suggest that patience is the cheaper and more environmentally friendly option.

A bloom in an established tank indicates that there is a problem which has allowed a build-up of organic waste, usually in the substrate. This can be caused by excess dead plant matter, over-feeding which leaves food lying around the tank, or leaving dead fish in the tank. None of these are desirable in an aquarium and a bloom in your established tank will certainly indicate one or more of these causes present in the tank. If you experience a bloom in an established tank, improve your husbandry.

Awesome write up diesel. Really appreciate the info you have provided. It definitely helped me understand everything about the whole "bloom process" and how it works. Hope this helps anyone having problems with their reefs in the future with cloudy water syndrome

 

[jetmaker]

I don't have any uv steralizer

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I agree the organic additions to the tank, either intentional or accidental are the most common cause.

Another cause is if there is already a lot of organic matter around and the bacteria are being limited by some required trace element being in short supply. In that case, even a water change can trigger a bloom.

 

[kpiotrowski]

How about removing a significant portion of the tanks current biological filter, like pulling a few rocks out. And sure an open window combined with a lot of springtime pollen. That can be some nutritious stuff!

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

How about removing a significant portion of the tanks current biological filter, like pulling a few rocks out. And sure an open window combined with a lot of springtime pollen. That can be some nutritious stuff!

I don't think removing rock usually causes a bloom (unless perhaps from stirring up organic detritus from under it). It might cause a problem with ammonia from lack of bacteria, but it usually doesn't make them suddenly start growing in the water column in large numbers.

 

[kpiotrowski]

So, in a reef tank I wouldn't dare do something like remove too much rock. But in freshwater what am I seeing if I say vacuum too much of the gravel at one time or allow a canister filter to go so long without cleaning that the mechanical part becomes the biological part, and after a heavy cleaning you get cloudy water. Is this not bacteria?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

So, in a reef tank I wouldn't dare do something like remove too much rock. But in freshwater what am I seeing if I say vacuum too much of the gravel at one time or allow a canister filter to go so long without cleaning that the mechanical part becomes the biological part, and after a heavy cleaning you get cloudy water. Is this not bacteria?

I do not know what you were seeing, but it might have been bacteria. If it was, it is likely because you stirred up dissolved organics, not because the ammonia increases and is driving bacterial growth.

At least in marine systems, the bacteria of the ammonia cycle are primarily attached to surfaces, and removing them or adding ammonia causes ammonia oxidation to slow rather than to bloom large numbers of bacteria in the water column.

So, for example, people removing things like bio balls do not usually see a bacterial bloom when doing so because the sudden growth of more bacteria to replace them happens on surfaces, not in the bulk water column, at least not enough to see what one would call a bloom.

 

[Diesel]

Yes, fresh water has the same simptons as far as bacterial blooms.

 

[kpiotrowski]

Well.....it's been so long since had few I guess it kind of doesn't matter to me. Just always thought it was a bloom of bacteria in the water column. Learn something everyday!

So how about pollen being a significant source of nutrients that can get into your tank? I've always been on the fence on that one leaning towards not significant.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Well.....it's been so long since had few I guess it kind of doesn't matter to me. Just always thought it was a bloom of bacteria in the water column. Learn something everyday!

So how about pollen being a significant source of nutrients that can get into your tank? I've always been on the fence on that one leaning towards not significant.

I think it may be in some places, especially if outside air is sucked into a skimmer.

 

[kpiotrowski]

Hmmm, one example of and oversized skimmer not being a good thing.

 

[Topside Reef]

This happens to me a lot when starting a new tank. I use dry rock and sometimes live sand with no fish. I keep a few uv sterilizers around just for this purpose. It normally takes 24-48 hours to clear a tank. Don't seem to have a problem after that.

 

[Reefchris28]

Good range of info being shared on this topic, thanks everyone for chiming in. How cloudy do the tanks actually get? Are they so
Cloudy that you can't see front to back?

 

[saltyhog]

Not very cloudy at all. Mine gets white stringy "snot" in the overflow, a white film on the glass and small amount of the stringy white stuff on the rock.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Good range of info being shared on this topic, thanks everyone for chiming in. How cloudy do the tanks actually get? Are they so
Cloudy that you can't see front to back?

It varies a lot, but not usually so you cannot see the back. More like degrees of hazy when it is a water column bloom. I got that when I dosed VERY high levels of vinegar to my tank.

As noted above, blooms can also be stringy white globs attached to the glass and rocks.

 

[djbetterly]

@Randy Holmes-Farley how did you recover when you over dosed on the vinegar? Do you just let it play out or do you use UV to kill off the bacteria?