ceagle

 well I certainly did jag the right conditions for the nasty little organisms they have certainly thrived

interestingly the water doesn't appear to be getting any greener or smellier.

the sludge was only between tanks for about 25 minutes so some of it should have survived.

the tap I filled the tank from is also used constantly so not a case of water sitting in pipes or a hose etc. so how the nasties got in there is a mystery.

I will start from scratch again tomorrow but for some reason I am reluctant to fill my water bottle from that tap now

I will also replace all filter mediums again

thanks for reply

a weak solution of hydrogen peroxide to help kill any existing algae.

Before some of you freak out about the peroxide, I have been using this semi regularly for the past 3 years with no ill effects in my ponds to control string algae.

a new scouring pad and rinsed with plenty of water and dried with paper towels.

I always clean tanks this way and have never had a problem before, but I am open to trying something different if anyone sees a problem.

Hi thanks for the quick replies

Just checked out potential electrical problem by removing pump and testing on hand again.

Thanks guys you are right. No pump no stinging.

I didn't even think of electricity as it only appeared to happen on scratch/small cut on my hand. maybe it is such a small amount as only to be detectable on broken skin at this stage.

But I will definitely be replacing the pump now before I or anyone else gets zapped.

Thanks HEAPS for your replies you potentially saved me from a serious accident.