White swirl

**baranne** · 16th May 2015, 11:02

Hey guys,

Anyone knows what's the white swirl in the CO2 checker?

**Urban Aquaria** · 16th May 2015, 11:53

Should be just fungus of mold growth... organic compounds or "food" probably collected in there and as the water is still inside it, the fungus/mold could feed and grow.

You can manually remove it and clean the drop checker, it should not re-appear after a while.

**baranne** · 16th May 2015, 11:59

So I should take the checker out clean it and put it back again? I only had it inside for a couple of days. Should I have the trapped air bubble all the way to the bottom to prevent this again?

**baranne** · 16th May 2015, 12:01

Could this just be condensation as I run chiller in the tank?

**Urban Aquaria** · 16th May 2015, 12:06

Well, the bubble gap level that forms in the drop checker and will slowly fill up higher over time anyways... doesn't look likle condensation as the cloudy layer seems to be under water (not in the empty air gap).

Best is to just take it out to clean then install it back.

Btw, do you happen to be using DIY Co2 systems that use yeast mix?

**baranne** · 16th May 2015, 13:41

Good point UA. You're right, I'm using DIY CO2! So this is due to that? Means my yeast got into the tank somehow?

**Urban Aquaria** · 16th May 2015, 14:04

Originally Posted by baranne

Good point UA. You're right, I'm using DIY CO2! So this is due to that? Means my yeast got into the tank somehow?

Yeah, yeast is a type of fungus, and it usually tends to get into aquariums when DIY yeast-based Co2 systems are used... so they naturally attach themselves to areas with accumulated "food" (ie. organic compounds, sugars etc) and grow there.

**baranne** · 16th May 2015, 14:16

Ok sounds like I'll have to clean the checker more often then. Any idea if the fungus should contribute to any algae issue?

**Urban Aquaria** · 16th May 2015, 16:44

Originally Posted by baranne

Ok sounds like I'll have to clean the checker more often then. Any idea if the fungus should contribute to any algae issue?

Fungus just looks unsightly, but they don't contribute directly to algae issues... though they do consume food and oxygen, so in some ways they do add to the bio-load too.

When the fungus run out of food and die, they also decompose and release organic waste back into the water column... so its usually better to just manually remove as much of them as possible.

**baranne** · 16th May 2015, 16:46

Thanks a lot for your help, UA.

**baranne** · 27th May 2015, 21:29

Just an update - interestingly, it suddenly cleared away one day (i did clean it a couple of times before that) and I don't see the fungus anymore. Didn't make any changes to setup.

**Urban Aquaria** · 27th May 2015, 21:34

Yeah, fungus usually clear up on their own eventually... they probably finish consuming whatever sugars and organic compounds in the area, then just gradually wilt away.