Does Beneficial Bacteria have any color to it?

[PS3]

i was looking at the strapping media that i put in my skippy drum.
and i saw that on the strapping was a kinda like a cream color
can this be the Beneficial Bacteria growing and does it even have a color ??
sorry for teh dumb question

 

[linc2010]

No dumb questions here except from me! LOL. It looks like a slimy layer of stuff, it looks like your media is getting dirty. It can have different colors depending upon the type and what it is eating, algae, sun exposure, and other factors and chemicals in your water, or the media it is growing on, temperature, etc. They way you know it's working is your water quality is good( use the liquid test kits to test it and then monitor it periodically) Crystal, clear, water and good Ph is nice too, and most importantly healthy active fish and very little algae growth! :fingersx:

 

[DoDad]

My k1 media is a light tan. It's been that way for years but it's not slimy.

No dumb questions here except from me! LOL. It looks like a slimy layer of stuff. It can have different colors depending upon the type and what it is eating, or the media it is growing on, temperature, etc. They way you know it's working is your water quality is zeros across the board for Ammonia, Nitrate and Nitrite. Crystal clear water good Ph is nice too, and healthy active fish! :fingersx:

 

[linc2010]

Yes, it does not have to be slimy. Mine is a tan to greyish-tan color. But mine just started and I had silt in the water to start. It is clear now.

 

[koikeepr]

PS3, this is how mine looks, too. So don't worry. You can't actually see the bacteria unless you have a microscope. Since you have the white strapping, just like i do, what you are seeing is the same thin coat of algae that the pond walls will have. It's all perfectly normal.

I preferred the white strapping so I could clearly see if it was dirty with any debris or poo. It just makes it easier to look at it and recognize that it needs to be rinsed. Obviously if the strapping was black, it's a lot harder to tell.

 

[Squidhead]

PS3, this is how mine looks, too. So don't worry. You can't actually see the bacteria unless you have a microscope. Since you have the white strapping, just like i do, what you are seeing is the same thin coat of algae that the pond walls will have. It's all perfectly normal.

I preferred the white strapping so I could clearly see if it was dirty with any debris or poo. It just makes it easier to look at it and recognize that it needs to be rinsed. Obviously if the strapping was black, it's a lot harder to tell.

Tell that to my black truck and the brilliant idea of using black sand in aquarium at one time:lol:
Poop, mud and debris stand out quite well on black......unfortunately

 

[koikeepr]

LOL! It's true, on my black bacti-twist media I see it. I just wanted it to be blare at me. As my father likes to say, looks like a priest in a snow storm... LOL!

 

[PS3]

ok thanks all . the inside of my drum is pretty clean i keep a piece of
window screen over the top to keep out stuff from trees and stuff like that.
but iam sure stuff gets in there from the pump it self lol

 

[Squidhead]

Just a hunch, it may be "brown algae" AKA - Diatoms. Polypropylene has silica in it as does most other plastic and rubber products. As the silica leaches out the diatoms feed off of it, that is their food source, they really multiply. Over time less and less silica leaches, so less food, then in turn less diatoms.