# White mould(?) brand new (empty) aquarium



## MrsM2014 (Jun 18, 2020)

Hi, really hoping someone can help.

We bought a Juwel Rio 125 and got it out ready to be set up on Tuesday night. This morning (Thursday), I’ve noticed the inside of the aquarium glass has white spots all over it on the inside. Looks kinda like mould, but they are really hard. Will need to be scrubbed off.

But does anyone know what this even is? Is this normal?
We are brand new to aquariums, so don’t have the first clue really.

From googling, I’ve heard sunlight can be bad for tanks and it’s in a room (dining room) that gets quite a bit of light in the mornings (nowhere else to put it) though, it’s not directly in the line of the patio doors (where the light is coming from). I assumed this would be ok and certainly not an issue for a completely empty tank.

Thanks in advance


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## magpie (Jan 3, 2009)

Do you have any pictures? I can't say I've ever seen anything like that on any of my tanks, especially a brand new one.


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## MrsM2014 (Jun 18, 2020)

Thanks Magpie. It's really hard to capture Properly on camera. Second pic I have taken with something black behind the glass, so it shows a bit clearer


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## LinznMilly (Jun 24, 2011)

MrsM2014 said:


> Thanks Magpie. It's really hard to capture Properly on camera. Second pic I have taken with something black behind the glass, so it shows a bit clearer
> View attachment 442592
> View attachment 442593


Hi. Welcome to the forum.

Has the tank been filled with water at all? Because it almost looks like water marks. 

Use vinegar and water to clean the inside of the tank? 

The reason why it's ill-advised to place a tank in direct sunlight is because it'll promote the growth of algae - not mould. 

Congratulations on a decent tank. Juwel filters are, IME, pretty rubbish, compared to some of the others on the market. You'll need to be careful with stocking, unless you add/replace the filter.

As you're new to the hobby, you may find these links helpful:

The Nitrogen Cycle
Fishkeeping Basics

Any questions, just ask.


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## MrsM2014 (Jun 18, 2020)

thank you @LinznMilly.

As for as I know, it's never had water in it. Looked brand new as I took it out of the box. And those marks were not on it. They look like water marks in the picture, but they are 3dimensional. Not big at all, but each one feels like a piece of grit/sand.

Will clean with vinegar, as you suggest.

I thought algae was basically another word for mould - no idea what algae actually looks like. So I guess I'm glad it's not that, but just still really puzzled. And really hope it won't come back.

Thank you for the links - the plan had been to start off the fishless cycling process today, were it not for the weird spores.

I did have a few questions, if you didn't mind:

- what is filter media? And is it something I need to buy in addition to the filter I have? I saw a video online that i think was implying this filter is missing essential items that juwel has ultimately deemed as optional.

- what would be a better filter to get?

- when you say be careful with stocking, does that mean be careful with how many fish go in the tank? How does the filter affect this?

We haven't actually even chosen any fish yet. My husband just wants them to be colourful. Have no idea how many fish are actually able to go in a tank of this size.

Thanks again


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## LinznMilly (Jun 24, 2011)

MrsM2014 said:


> View attachment 442649
> View attachment 442650
> thank you @LinznMilly.
> 
> ...


You're welcome.

There are different types of algae. Most would be harmless to fish and all occur naturally in the wild. They're types of plants and require the same nutrients and conditions as plants.

As for your questions;

Filter media is the collective name for anything you put in the filter - sponges, bioballs, ceramic rings, etc. Most filters come with media supplied- yours does. They're certainly not optional - That's where the essential bacteria form and live Without the media, the filter is simply an empty box. And about as useful.

Take out the black carbon sponge and replace it with another. You only need carbon in the filter when removing impurities such as meds. Keep the black sponge to one side.

There are simply too many good filters to name. Eheim and Fluval used to be good, not sure how their newer models compare. All Pond Solutions and Hidom are up-and-coming. Basically, you want to go for a filter designed fortanks slightly larger than yours - so go for filters rated for say . . .150ltrs.

Stocking refers to the fish and inverts you choose for the tank. We can help you with that once you get an idea of what you would like.

The filter dictates pretty much everything that goes on in the tank. Filters offer the perfect conditions for the bacteria, as said before, but they only have so much room for the bacteria to grow. Filters dictate how many fish you can have in the tank because they can only handle so much ammonia (and, by extension nitrite) that the fish produce. It's possible for a tank to be overstocked and still look empty. Markers would be a supposedly cycled tank still reading positive for ammonia or nitrite, and/or for nitrate to be through the roof.

For 125ltr tank, with a filter designed for 150ltrs, you could have a shoal of 15 to 18 small shoaling fish such as the smaller tetras, rasboras, and barbs, plus perhaps a "centrepiece fish. Theoretically. Best thing to do is go to the LFS (Local Fish Store) and make a note of all the fish that you like the look of, then come back here and we can sort out a stocking list based on what you like.

Before you do, go on your water company website and see if you can find out what your GH (General Hardness) is.


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## MrsM2014 (Jun 18, 2020)

Thank you - I’ve now educated myself a bit on the filter media. I see now whilst I have the sponges/foams, I don’t have any biological filter media. A guy on YouTube (does Pimp My Filter videos) was recommending putting in bio gravel (1.5kg worth), rather than buying the Juwel own brand bio filter media (I guess the gravel would replace the Juwel Cirax).

Will use the filter we have for now, but will also look into getting something better for the longer term.

I have checked and we are in a hard water area. 294ppm. But couldn’t locate a figure for “general hardness” specifically.

sorry - I do have one last question: when doing the initial fishless cycle, is there any need to keep the heater, filter or lighting on?

thanks


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## magpie (Jan 3, 2009)

MrsM2014 said:


> sorry - I do have one last question: when doing the initial fishless cycle, is there any need to keep the heater, filter or lighting on?
> 
> thanks


I believe the cycle will go faster in warmer water, so its probably worth keeping the heater on. Doesn't matter about the lights, but the filter absolutely must be running (and not turned off) else the tank won't cycle at all. The bacteria you are trying to grow during the cycle mostly live in the filter (in the biological media), so the filter needs water running through it.


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## LinznMilly (Jun 24, 2011)

MrsM2014 said:


> Thank you - I've now educated myself a bit on the filter media. I see now whilst I have the sponges/foams, I don't have any biological filter media. A guy on YouTube (does Pimp My Filter videos) was recommending putting in bio gravel (1.5kg worth), rather than buying the Juwel own brand bio filter media (I guess the gravel would replace the Juwel Cirax).
> 
> Will use the filter we have for now, but will also look into getting something better for the longer term.
> 
> ...


Sponges do allow for biological filtration, so that biological gravel recommendation sounds like a marketing ploy. Bacteria aren't fussy and colonise whatever media is in the filter. They'll also colonise the substrate (gravel/sand, whatever) and decor, but to a much lesser extent. You couldn't depend on the bacteria levels in the tank to deal with the toxin levels, for example.

Yes, keep the heater on. Whack the temp up to 30°C. It'll speed up the cycling process.

As for the lights - that depends on whether or not you have live plants.

294ppm is the general hardness level. .


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## MrsM2014 (Jun 18, 2020)

Ahhh, ok.thanks both - still so much to learn. But I really appreciate all your help. So filter and heater will be on - got it

The only plants we have for now are fake, so won't worry about the lights.

@LinznMilly - I think you are right re the marketing ploy. I thought biogravel was a general thing, but looking into it more now You said that and I see now it's a specific product made by BioHome - a product that he sells.

But do you think there is anything in what he says about make the filter better/more efficient by adding something more than just the sponges that came with the filter? So even if not the biogravel, but something like those porous ceramic rings or balls?


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## magpie (Jan 3, 2009)

While I do agree that Pondguru has a vested interest in promoting the product that he sells, biohome is actually a very good media. It's extremely porous and so has a massive surface area for growing the good bacteria. And the method of setting up the filter in the way he recommends has a specific purpose. The sponges (coarse, medium & fine) go first to remove any solid dirt & debris from the water column so that the dirt doesn't clog up the porous bio media. But if you're not using that porous media then it doesn't matter as much how you set the filter up and you can absolutely just use sponges if you want to.

As an example, I keep goldfish (very messy fish!) and I have a small pre-filter full of sponges in front of my external filters. I clean the sponges every week because they get very dirty, and I do really scrub them which is usually not recommended because of the danger of killing off the good bacteria. But that doesn't matter for me because the majority of my good bacteria is in my external filter, which I barely need to touch as it doesn't get dirty because the pre-filter sponges are doing their job and removing all the solid dirt. If you're keeping smaller fish that aren't going to produce masses of waste then I wouldn't agonise too much about the filter media.


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## MrsM2014 (Jun 18, 2020)

Ok, that is good to know about Biohome - thanks @magpie. I think the plan is to get smaller fish, as the tank we have isn't that big. But just don't know which fish yet.

We don't quite know what fish to get yet - everytime I read up on one, I seem to find reasons why it wouldn't be good for us.

My husband (I bought the tank for him as a birthday gift) wants colourful pretty fish and wants 3 different types in the tank, but I've now watched videos / read articles saying neon tetras are not very hardy/aren't very good at environment changes and do not do well if any kind of mistake is made with the tank, so not good for beginners. Platies apparently breed like crazy And we only have one 125l tank, so wouldn't be able to house lots of extra fish (assuming they're haven't been eaten by their parents ), rainbow fish are apparently suited to much bigger tanks, because of the size they grow to.

Still researching fish species at the moment -is only looked at these so far - (planning to buy from The Trop Co (as they seem to have decent reviews online), but grateful for any tips on what would be good fish for a beginner, that won't breed or grow to the point there is no room for them, don't produce great amounts of waste and are also colourful. Hoping that's not an impossible ask


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## magpie (Jan 3, 2009)

Cardinal tetras have a very similar look to neons and are supposed to be hardier, though both are soft water fish and it sounds like your water is quite hard. Though many people do have success keeping soft water fish in hard water and vice versa, it is always best to try and match the fish to your water if you can.

Some types of barbs might be suitable for your tank, such as cherry barbs or golden barbs.
Emerald dwarf rasboras and red dwarf rasboras are lovely, colourful fish, though they are tiny so shouldn't be kept with anything much larger than themselves. They would look amazing in a large group though!
Danios and white cloud mountain minnnows are both very easy beginner fish and would do fine in room temperature.
I think of the rainbow fish, celebes stay fairly small? I can't speak for how easy they are to keep, I just did a quick bit of googling!


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## LinznMilly (Jun 24, 2011)

MrsM2014 said:


> Ok, that is good to know about Biohome - thanks @magpie. I think the plan is to get smaller fish, as the tank we have isn't that big. But just don't know which fish yet.
> 
> We don't quite know what fish to get yet - everytime I read up on one, I seem to find reasons why it wouldn't be good for us.
> 
> ...


What about dwarf neon rainbows? Max out at about 2-3". A small group would be fine in a 125ltr.


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## MrsM2014 (Jun 18, 2020)

Thanks again both - will look up all the fish you have suggested. Can’t wait to get to the point of actually getting fish in. My husband just seems to be obsessed with buying ornaments to pass the time


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