White build up on filter.

Question
  Chris I have a 55 gallon freshwater tank that has been set up for about a month. When I first set up the tank I jumped into it too fast and put too many fish in too fast. My tank got ick and killed some of the fish. I cleared up the ick and and now I have: 2 mixed fruit tetras, 2 austrailian rainbow fish, 1 plecostomus, 1 betta, 1 silver tipped shark,and 1 silver lyretail mollie left.  MY filtration system is an undergravel filter with ammonia inserts and air stones in three tubes and a power head in the fourth tube. I also have an external power filter that is for up to 60 gallons.  My water chemistry is pretty good. My ph is a little high but the tap ph is already around 8.6. My nitrates are at o ppm and my ammonia is around .5 - 1 ppm. Any way heres my question.  I noticed that there is a milky white build up in the tube to the filter as well as on the plastic where the filtered water reenters the tank. I thought that it might be either a calcium build up or maybe some kind of salt build up from the aquarium salt in the water. I wiped out the tube when I noticed it because I thought it was just dirty but then I noticed that it was also where the water reenters the tank. I was wondering what it was and if I should clean it off or just leave it alone. If you could email me back at you earliest convience that would be great.

  On a side note I ordered a emporer 400 filtration system to replace the other. I think that my original filter is having a hard time keeping the tank clean. My tank was clear then cloudy for the bacteria to settle then it got cloudy again about 3 days later and it is still cloudy. I just changed my filter cartridges because they were completly clogged with junk. I think it is helping a little but I'm not sure. It has been three days since I changed my filters and the tank hasnt cleared up quite yet. It could be my bacteria flaring up again and just hasn't settled yet but I'm not sure.

  Any way I was just wondering what the white stuff was on my filter and any other input would be great. Thanks so much for your help!

              Sincerely,
                 Kurt Kramer  

Answer
Hi Kurt;

The white stuff is just minerals from your water. Wipe it off as you see it. Any place where water meets air will have this mineral build-up. It's natural and harmless.

Your tank is still in the break-in period. It will be another 2 to 4 weeks before it clears up for good.

Here is my article on new tanks (I think you know about most of it already, but it may help a little);

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New Tank Syndrome or Break-in Period

So you have a new tank and you filled it up, put the filter together, mounted the heater into place and turned on the lights. You have all the plants and decorations where you want them....
You are ready for fish.

But, your filter is not ready for a full tank of fish yet.
The filter is running and moving the water and cleaning out crud, right? Of course!
But a very important part of your filter is the part you can't see. An aquarium filter removes the larger visible stuff, but it also must remove the dissolved fish waste that turns into ammonia in the water. To do this, special bacteria must grow in the filter system and on the particles of gravel in the bottom of your tank. This process occurs even on a limited scale in little fish bowls that have no filter in them.

This is "New-Tank Syndrome" or the "Break-in Period". The entire process takes 6 to 8 weeks to complete because these "nitrifying" bacteria grow quite slowly.

Start off with only two hardy fish for every ten gallons of water and don't add more until the 6 to 8 weeks has gone by. Hard to be patient, but it is worth it to keep your fish alive and healthy. As a matter of fact, the bacteria cannot develop without fish in the tank. You can let that tank sit forever without fish in it, but as soon as the first fish goes in the process begins. Avoid changing the filter pads during break-in. This removes the bacterial colonies that are essential to a balanced aquarium. You can rinse the filter pad out in a container of aquarium water. This will preserve most of the bacteria colonies while still allowing your filter to flow freely. Even using bacteria additives and water conditioners when you first set up the tank will not make a tank cycle by itself. If there are no fish to provide food (fish waste) for the bacteria, the beneficial bacteria cultures will die and you will have to start the colonies all over again once fish are added to the tank.

Feed your new fish VERY lightly. Any excess food will cause additional waste your system cannot afford to have right now. If you see food floating around or lying on the plants and gravel after five minutes, too much food is going into the tank. Cut back a little each time you feed until it is ALL gone 5 minutes after you feed them.

During this "break-in period" your tank will become cloudy and milky looking. You may have to tolerate this for the entire break-in period but it is only temporary. Changing 25% of the water three times a week until the break-in period is over helps a great deal. Changing water reduces the ammonia and nitrites that rise while the bacteria continues to multiply. If ammonia and/or nitrites become too high, your fish will become stressed and possibly die. Use a good water conditioner when you replace the water and make sure it is the right temperature to avoid shocking your fish.

When the break-in period is over, do regular water changes and vacuum the gravel at the same time. A change of 25% every one to two weeks is a good rule of thumb. It simply needs to be done for healthy fish.

Following these guidelines will help you get your new tank on the right track.
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Followups welcome.

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins