jaymejojos
In the Brooder
Have any of you had problems with bacteria growth in your heated waterers? We have two 5 gallon buckets with 4 nipples each. We cleaned the buckets with bleach and then filled them and added Apple Cider Vinegar. And since it is winter we have a fish tank heater in each (the kind that you buy for 5 gallon fish bowls). We usually have to refil every two weeks or so and we went to fill them up the other day. The hose that goes into the bucket had frozen so we we pried the lids off (they are sealed to keep dirt out) and we found something awful....
Jellyfish. Oh rather what looked like jelly fish floating in the water. Bacteria had bloomed up around the heater... One also looked like the mother in the unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar.
My question is what did we do wrong?
Are those heater too warm for the 5 gallon buckets? How warm should the water be? Just above freezing or warmer?
Jellyfish. Oh rather what looked like jelly fish floating in the water. Bacteria had bloomed up around the heater... One also looked like the mother in the unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar.
My question is what did we do wrong?
Are those heater too warm for the 5 gallon buckets? How warm should the water be? Just above freezing or warmer?
Last edited:
