what's with the water coloration?

[KARINA]

.... i do have cycled filter , 30% w/c in my 90 g tank every other day five discus in there at about 4 1/2" and just driftwood nothing else! so why i get this yellow water? is it possible that the driftwood makes the water looks yellowish? that doesn't look nice >:( i put so much effort into this and what do I get? ::)

[Carol_Roberts]

Yes, must be the driftwood. It should stop after awhile - or pull it out.

[KARINA]

i would put it out but then won't be any hiding places for them they do get stressed out while water changes they seek for something to hide behind what would you advice here instead Carol?

[Carol_Roberts]

The only thing inside my discus tanks are a heater and a filter. Lol, I always vote to remove plants, gravel and/or driftwood from discus tanks.

I have one tank with sand and rocks and wood. It is filled with African Cichlids . . .

[RAWesolowski]

Karina,

The coloration, a yellow tinge, may not be due to the driftwood. It may be due to high levels of iron in the water.

Take a tap water sample and a water sample from your aquarium to your local water treatment people such as Culligan. They can run a test to identify the content for you without a charge.

The yellow tint is something that I experience once or twice a year at a minimum due to water main flushing, addition of new houses on the water main, low water table levels, and on and on...

I have been able to minimize the staining of sinks, toilets, clothes by installing a whole house filter. Cost is nominal but filters the water after your water meter but prior to your use. Filter cartridges are inexpensice at $3 or less and I change them about once a month as I use the smallest micron filter that I can find.

[Steve_Warner]

Hi all,
Karina, there are some good ideas in this post to look into. I would also ask what the pH of your water in the tank is? I also have slightly yellow-tinted water in my tank, due to low pH + rootwood in the tank. Here is a link to a NYC W/Q site I found when searching for your city's water quality. You have some good water and it shows it is slightly corrosive(aggressive) according to the Saturation Index.

http://www.ci.nyc.ny.us/html/dep/pdf/wsstat02data.pdf

I would venture to guess that since you say you have a cycled filter(and I assume it is a healthy bio-cycle) plus your water is moderately soft(and aggressive), that the wood is breaking down, creating a brown, tanin-staining effect in the water column.


Steve