CLOUDY WATER

[jim_shedden]

I have set up a tank at a freinds store about a month and a half ago. For a week it was crystal clear. Now it is real cloudy. I have been doing 50% w/c's with no effect. It is a 65 gallon tank with 2 sponge filters and a Fluval 404. The water peramiters are right on.Any ideas?

Jim

Clean the sponge filters & Fluval media. Then give it a day.

Dave

[Wolf]

It could be an algae bloom also. I'm not sure what the best treatment is for that . I had the same problem and I turned off the lights for a few days continuing with my water changes and it cleared up.

[jim_shedden]

This is really bizare. I clean the sponges every 3 days and the Fluval once aweek but it is still there. It is a whiteish color which makes me think that it is not an algae bloom. The store is beside a bakery and I am wondering if it is somehow pulling in flour. Can't figure it out. The fish are happy. They look great are are eating very well.

Jim

[dm]

I had that happen on one of my tanks after about a month. I couldnt figure it out but after about another month it cleared up and ever since it has been crystal clear.

Jim,

What type of media are you using in the fluval?. Just curious.....

[jim_shedden]

Hi Julz : I am using cellpore beads .

[Ivan]

imo Just a bacteria bloom, it will go as quick as it turned up. Don't go crazy cleaning the filter sponges. ime sqeeze the sponges every two weeks all will be well.

[jim_shedden]

Thanks : Jim

[Don_Lee]

I am with Ivan on this one, you may have been cleaning too much and destroying your biofilter. Leave the Fluval be for at least a month, cleaning the sponges every couple weeks or alternating weeks should get things cleared up IMO.

Don ;D

[gary1218]

That makes three of us Jim ;D

I don't know how you guys squeeze out your sponges as often as you do and DON'T have any problems. Even when I'm gentle squeezing out my sponges I still end up killing off too much bacteria and end up with a nitrIte spike. That's why I switched a lot of my tanks to central trickle filters. I HATE squeezing out those sponges almost as much as I HATE wiping down the sides.

I'd be curious what readings you would get if you tested your ammonia and nitrIte levels.

GARY

[jim_shedden]

I will post the results at about 7:00pm

[RAWesolowski]

Jim,

It does a little like new tank syndrome. Out of curiosity, have you wiped down the insides of the tank with a sponge? I have found that the inside glass gets a little "dusty" with new tanks, even bare bottom tanks.

[Discusgeo]

Jim here is my 2 cents. How is the water treated before entering the tank. The water in my storage tanks go thru 2-5micron sediment filters and the then carbon filter. I use that water 24 hours later. I hope your not just filling the tank from a hose straight out of the tap and then adding De-Clor tothe tank. I think you know better than that Jim. Anyway check the filters that clean the water for the storage tank, maybe the filters are dirty and need changing.
George

[jim_shedden]

Hi There : My holding tank airates for 24 hours before being used. I have not been using any filter on it at all until 2 days ago. I am trying anything. I feel that it is new tank syndrom as well. I will be doing the water tests shortly.

Jim

[paul_burney]

Hi George
I use my water straight from the tap here and add my declor to the tank i have always done it this way for the last 18 months ( i have no room for 150gals of change water) what do you think is wrong with this. I keep fish in the past and have used this method before works for me. Dont want to sound mean but can you explain i just keep as a hobby right now not set up for breeding. Just wondering ??? ??? ??? ???
Paul Burney

[jim_shedden]

Well , I did the water test and it is as follows :
Ammonia : 0, Nitrites : 0, Ph 6.5, Gh 6, Kh 6. I am wondering if it is some sort of dust getting in.

[samcatj]

I have a 125g with two emperor 400's and an eheim 2028
that had a problem with water cloudiness. The only way I was able to finally get it clear was normal water changes and just plain old time. It took about 2 months to clear it all up.
Good luck!!

Samcatj

[jim_shedden]

Guess what? I went over to take a look at the tanks yesterday and it was crystal clear. The only thing I did different was : I had a pond pump cirulating water in the holding tank which I removed and put in an airstone and a small fluval sponge filter. I don't know if that had anything to do with it or not but the tank is spotless now. For a month it looked like the clouds. It was so bad I could not see the heaters on the back of the tank. I don't know.
Thanks for the input folks.........I appreciate it very much.

Jim

[Tad]

Jim,
I am experiencing the same problems like you. May I inquire on how you cycled the aquarium? I used fishless cycle and during the cycle a particulate or white granular substance appeared on the bottom of the aquarium, This particular event has happened twice in my last two fishless cycles....I was thinking it may have been nitrate in a solid form, but testing did not show unusual amounts of nitrate...I am wondering if this problem of cloudy water can be attributed to fishless cycling...My tanks usually clear up after doing numerous water changes in a couple of weeks.....the cloudiness has never hurt my discus in any manner....more of a asthetic hassle.

Tad

[jim_shedden]

Tad : In this "new" tank I brought over an Aquaclear 300 with "seeded" sponges. I also brought over 2 "seeded" sponge filters. In doing so I thought that I could add the water and then after a couple of days add the fish. Maybe I jumped the gun a bit. In trying to solve the problem I brought over a Fluval 404 because I was concerned that I was underfiltered. I don't think it made any difference though.

Jim

Well I'm glad the problem cleared up. What i did when my planted tank went really cloudy was finally go out and by some of that cheap chemical stuff that clears up couldy water. It says that it's formulated so that the particles clump together and the filter stops them. It worked great for me, but would not prevent any greater cause you have going on.

[DavidAJ]

Jim ,

I'm also glad that the tank cleared out. What you originally described seemed to me IMO was an algae bloom ....but it really wasn't . I am new to Discus but have had experience in many community tanks. I also went through what you have described and it would make me nuts. What is happening is a Bacteria bloom even though you had used "seeded sponges".
This is what I call the dreaded "Whisper syndrome"(As opposed to Hagens). I use them and have great success with them but it takes a looooooong to get them to really take hold. I'm still waiting for my Fluval to "take hold" and for some reason this filter takes a very long time.

Just be patient, geez sometimes my Fluvals take a good 6 mos. to really get a killer colony going.

Hope this helps,

David