White stuff all over fish tank

[clownfishluvr123]

So yesterday I noticed my clownfish acting lethargic and last night they were laying down on the sand and breathing fast as if they’re suffocating. I moved them to a temporary tub with new water and they seem to be a lot better now. This morning I noticed my whole fish tank was covered in white from the glass to the mechanical filter and there was even some on the rocks and decorations. Anyone have any idea what this is and what to do?

 

[Solo McReefer]

100% water change?

 

[littlefoxx]

@vetteguy53081 @Jay Hemdal might know. Or @ISpeakForTheSeas . I wouldnt do anything super drastic until one of them weigh in, never seen that before

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

How old is the tank? Can we see a full tank pic? What is the ammonia and nitrate level? What size tank and how many fish?

 

[vetteguy53081]

So yesterday I noticed my clownfish acting lethargic and last night they were laying down on the sand and breathing fast as if they’re suffocating. I moved them to a temporary tub with new water and they seem to be a lot better now. This morning I noticed my whole fish tank was covered in white from the glass to the mechanical filter and there was even some on the rocks and decorations. Anyone have any idea what this is and what to do?

Issue here may be lack of water movement as you have a basic mechanical filter which is limited to entrapping particles but you also lack chemical and biological filtration. Add an air stone for starters but you will want to consider a hang on skimmer such as ice cap K1-50 and even a hang on refugium in lieu of the power filter you’re now utilizing
Lack of dissolved oxygen may be affecting fish and I would suggest a water change now and 2-3 gallon water changes daily until you remedy the filtration issue
Please post a video of overall tank under bright white lighting

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

So yesterday I noticed my clownfish acting lethargic and last night they were laying down on the sand and breathing fast as if they’re suffocating. I moved them to a temporary tub with new water and they seem to be a lot better now. This morning I noticed my whole fish tank was covered in white from the glass to the mechanical filter and there was even some on the rocks and decorations. Anyone have any idea what this is and what to do?

Is that a newly set up aquarium?
Have you recently been adding NoPox or nitrate reducing material?

I can't tell for certain, but this could be a bacteria bloom, where bacteria grows to consume some unexpected carbon source. These can form either cloudy water, or visible white slime on the tank surfaces. The bacteria takes in a lot of oxygen as it grows. This can cause the fish to gasp, and even die.

It is sometimes possible to see this in tanks that have been severely overfed, but that is pretty rare.

Be careful though - the fish in the tub won't be stable for long. They need good aeration and temperature control, but then, ammonia will start to build in the tub within a day or so.

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

My first thought would be a bacterial bloom as well, but more info on the tank would be helpful.

How old is the tank, how long have you had the fish, what do you have for flow/aeration, are you dosing anything, etc. - these would all be useful data points for troubleshooting here.

 

[exnisstech]

This is the OPs second post for this concern. People trying to assist asked for info that the OP failed to provide. It appears they are still failing / refusing to provide basic information such as parameters and tank age etc.

EMERGENCY - Clownfish breathing fast and laying down

So I have 2 clownfish whom I had for some time now. One is much bigger than the other. I did a water change yesterday and they seemed completely normal up until when I got home earlier today. This morning they were completely fine, but later in the afternoon I noticed that they were staying in...

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