Troubles with Aging

[Eddie]

Are you adding Prime to the aging containers? If you are, thats more than likely your issue. Don't add dechlor to the aging barrels. You want to add it to the tank after you've drained and then fill the tank with your aged water.

[Second Hand Pat]

Eddie, do you add the prime prior to starting the fill? and add enough for the volume of the entire tank right?

[Eddie]

Eddie, do you add the prime prior to starting the fill? and add enough for the volume of the entire tank right?

Yes

[Teshi]

Are you adding Prime to the aging containers? If you are, thats more than likely your issue. Don't add dechlor to the aging barrels. You want to add it to the tank after you've drained and then fill the tank with your aged water.

Eddie, I've tried it both ways and it didn't matter. Cloudy water.

[Eddie]

Eddie, I've tried it both ways and it didn't matter. Cloudy water.

Did you clean out the barrels and all the equipment and then start without adding dechlor to the barrels. Its the typical issue that many run into. If you started adding it before, clean EVERYTHING out and then start fresh without adding the dechlor.

[Teshi]

Do you agree with PPing the tank with heater and air stone in it to kill the bacteria or should I just bleach and rinse rinse rinse rinse? I used the PP via Kenny's suggestion. Hmm and No I haven't tried it without the Prime now that I've done that. I'll give it a try. Thank I sure hope it clears up the cloudy. My new fish are all huddled in a corner. Didn't even eat today.

[Eddie]

Do you agree with PPing the tank with heater and air stone in it to kill the bacteria or should I just bleach and rinse rinse rinse rinse? I used the PP via Kenny's suggestion. Hmm and No I haven't tried it without the Prime now that I've done that. I'll give it a try. Thank I sure hope it clears up the cloudy. My new fish are all huddled in a corner. Didn't even eat today.

I'd just scrub the hell out of everything. Using bleach can be a little risky because you should actually add dechlor to neutralize the bleach but we don't want to use any at this point. PP might be a good idea, but you'll still need to scrub everything when thats done and you can't neutralize the PP because you would need to add dechlor which again, we dont want to do.

[Orange Crush]

you can't neutralize the PP because you would need to add dechlor which again.

Cant you use H2O2 to neutralize the PP?

[Cameronv]

Hey Margaret I'm no expert but this is my personal experience with the same problem so maybe you can take some information from it that could help. I have a 55 gal barrel I store water in, its made out of high density polyethylene (made from petroleum). This is what people use to store water in long term who are prepping for a disaster.

I've also had your problem w/ cloudy water. Essentially what anyone is doing when aging water in a barrel is creating a large, very nice, favorable environment for any microorganism to bloom. This was my problem. The water was clear when I'd put it in, maybe a day later after heating and aerating I'd get some cloudiness going on. At first I was pretty frustrated too, I don't like to wipe it down because it's not easy. I tried not to add any product while in the barrel because that leads to that gross build up, like the stuff you get on air tubes and heaters in your tank etc etc (I hate that gross stuff). Even if you don't add anything you'll still get that gross slime coat on everything. There's no way to stop microbial growth in that container. It has everything it needs: air, water, heat, no predation, low build up/product of toxins from metabolism, no competition, this is whats called a biotic growth potential.

So knowing that this process will occur most definitely without you being able to stop it there's a few things you can do to slow it down or kill it when its in your tank.

Although I don't really see a problem with you putting that cloudy water in your tank if it starts to clear up after? You put it in and your beneficial bacteria does its job, from what I understand?

1. What I did is, I went out and bought a product called "Startsmart", its live beneficial bacteria (it works like a charm). I put the cloudy water in my tank, put a cup of this beneficial bacteria in there and an hour later its CRYSTAL clear. I don't want to put the startsmart in my aging barrel because I don't want to continuously wipe the inside down (its a large barrel with a small entry hole).

2. Try to cut down the time of aging the water. This will not give the bacteria as much time need to colonize and create that gross cloudy look. This will be hard because 24 hours is usually enough time for them to grow in a very favorable environment.

Hope this helps, you could be having some type of water hardness issue or something else like that. This is just my experience, maybe it'll help.

[Northwoods Discus]

I have had this happen in my tanks. It is cloudy at first and then clears while it is in the aquarium. I have well water so I do not use dechlorinator. My water is very hard. High carbonate hardness and Iron.
I don't think you have a bacteria problem. I think it is mineral precipitation with the change in Ph. Is there a white film on the bottom of the tank after the water clears (bare bottom tank) ? If so you may need to add some R/O water to decrease your water hardness.

[Eddie]

Cant you use H2O2 to neutralize the PP?

Definitely! Good idea! Totally forgot!

[Cameronv]

I have had this happen in my tanks. It is cloudy at first and then clears while it is in the aquarium. I have well water so I do not use dechlorinator. My water is very hard. High carbonate hardness and Iron.
I don't think you have a bacteria problem. I think it is mineral precipitation with the change in Ph. Is there a white film on the bottom of the tank after the water clears (bare bottom tank) ? If so you may need to add some R/O water to decrease your water hardness.

This could be a definite cause also, now that I think about it

[Teshi]

ok this is what I'm doing and I'll let ya all know how it turns out.
I tested my tank water again and have some high readings all around so I'm going to do another large H2O change on my tank. After I'm going to PP the heck out of my tanks, air stones, and heaters. Then wipe everything down, rinse, fill add H2O2, empty, rinse, then fill again. No Prime added. The water will probably not get to age 24hrs more like 12 before I'll need to do another change.

I sure hope this helps.

PS sorry it took so long to get back to you on this, my daughter took me to have mani & pedi's done. Don't ya just love mothers day? :-)

[Teshi]

Is there a white film on the bottom of the tank after the water clears (bare bottom tank) ?.

Nope, No white film after it clears.

[Eddie]

12 hours is sufficient depending on how much agitation you have going on.