CLOUDY TANK! Please Help? [Archive]

Kindredspirit

02-17-2007, 03:22 AM

Hey Guys ~ I just got home from work and I noticed my 55gal tank is cloudier than ever!! And I am so not happy!

The other day I noticed it so I cleaned the filters not all ....just some...got that in check~ this tank is always clear ...is is NOT the one I was whining about a few weeks ago.....this one has the biggest discus in it and No I have not checked the water param....I am too annoyed ~ I have a crapy Topfin as the filter and never had a prob before...I did wc changes all week and it was crystal and then a few hours AFTER the wc it would cloudy up ....But this is BAD right now!

The filter is working as always flowing strong....what the hell?? I despise cloudy water nor do I have the time in the next two days to deal with this at all ~ period.......

If left cloudy will it get worse? I can not do a thing til Monday ~ will this be bad for the Discus?...do I even wanna know the answer to that?

Why is it F* cloudy? I want to know why....:( Is it possible the filter is running but NOT working? ...obviously something is NOT working!

I am taking a pic ...brb ~

Kindredspirit

02-17-2007, 03:31 AM

Okay ~ these pics are horrible guys and I apologize ~ I didnt set the settings and I woke them up too boot! I do not know if you can tell it is hella cloudy!! Trust me ~ it is ~ They were sleeping...we all shld be sleeping:mad: .......my throat hurts my head hurts and I have 30 more hours to work ....

and my tank is cloudy and this just does not work for mehttp://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/4/4_9_8.gif I do not know when I can fix it ~ they are suppose to be happy when I am not home...

Are they going to be okay til Monday esp if it gets worse? I will test my water as soon as I stop feeling sorry for myself and get some sleep ~

Please Help?

Marie ~ :(

Ardan

02-17-2007, 07:09 AM

I would test the ammonia and nitrite. If 0 then not to worry too much. Just do regular wc's. Maybe the bacteria in the filter got upset a bit.
Do you use dechlor? for wc water
Do you wash the filter media in used aquarium water?

hth
Ardan

Kindredspirit

02-17-2007, 09:51 AM

Ardan ~ I just tested the waters and pH is 6.8 and 10 Nitrates and the rest are zero as well ~

I have always rinsed the sponges under tap water ~ always ~ I do not rinsed them to death....however ~ perhaps I did this time? But wld that not show up in the readings? I use Prime ~

Timbo

02-17-2007, 09:57 AM

hi marie!

your thread title sounded quite familiar :) i know i've answered you at least four times :)

"Yep! CLOUDY WATER"
http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?t=53742&highlight=marie+cloudy

"Switched Filters!! CLOUDY WATER!"
http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?t=53224&highlight=marie+cloudy

"I Want My Water More Clear"
http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?t=55766&highlight=marie+cloudy

"Finally Clear! Update!"
http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?t=50455&highlight=marie+cloudy

"Use to be crystal clear.....now cloudy??"
http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?t=47403&highlight=marie+cloudy

"Water is not as clear now!"
http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?t=45111&highlight=marie+cloudy

Kindredspirit

02-17-2007, 10:14 AM

I went thru all those before I posted this thread Tim:) Still does not answer my question tho does it? lol? I didnt rinse all the sponges at the same time nor did I do them too often ~ I didnt think I rinsed them that hard either:(

So you are saying it is a bacterial bloom? Would that not show up on the readings I just took?

traco

02-17-2007, 10:16 AM

Kindredspirit

02-17-2007, 10:16 AM

hi marie!

your thread title sounded quite familiar :) i know i've answered you at least four times :)

Many have posted same problems 100x Tim...and they were answered more than four times I am sure ~ hence the reason for a site like this ~

Kindredspirit

02-17-2007, 10:18 AM

I was rinsing under tap water but stopped doing that cuz my water would get cloudy. All you can do is give it a try. My water params were also fine when the water was cloudy. Never again shall I rinse under tap, others may have no problem but .... I was not so lucky.:)

Yeah? Well I always have ~ well maybe not always but certainly for the last year ~ I think Angela and Andrew and Tony taught me that:) ( among other things )

traco

02-17-2007, 10:29 AM

If it were me and this kept happening, I'd try the used tank water. It may just be a couple of little things that happen to cause this in your tank. I also had read about people using tap water but for me, it was a no go. And I rinsed lightly too. And no offence cuz I'm not saying what you do is wrong.

Talk to ya when I get home. Glad you are feeling a bit better.:)

tpl*co

02-17-2007, 10:35 AM

Do you still have a HOT magnum around? Use the micron filter for a day on it and see what happens!

Tina

Kindredspirit

02-17-2007, 10:40 AM

I thought of that Tina but I do not have the time to find it and what box it is in!

I got some really good tips and help at Paul's site:) too....... I love my FISH!!

M ~

dandestroy

02-17-2007, 11:29 AM

personally I would do a massive water change just to get rid of all the nasty stuff, and give a break to your filter to get recycled. Clearly you have upseted the balance of bioload in your tank, and you are going to a mini cycle.

So once you changed all the water (just in case its something else), if its a myni cycle it will be cloudy again, then do nothing for a while, I mean no WC until its clear (might take 3 weeks), or at worst 25% WC when you see that your discus are not liking it or if there is ammonia.

Had some salt if you can to reduce stress form cycling on your discus.

geekgeek

02-17-2007, 01:00 PM

I had that happened to me all of a sudden. The water became so cloudy on a cycled tank after I clean the canister filter.

I was worry. It took mine close to 2 weeks to clear up. I tried huge amount of water change, it didn't help. I thought I was feeding too much so I reduced it, it didn't help.

I read about it and I believed it was bacteria bloom like others have pointed out. It was harmless at least in my tank.

In about 1 week, it started to slowly cleared up. The fish didn't seem to be disturbed by the cloudy water.

Now I am more careful when I clean my filter. I will just rinse it in tank water or aged water, no more tap water for me.

It will be okay...since takes time.

Kindredspirit

02-18-2007, 09:58 AM

Thanks guys! I tested all the water param yesterday morning and they are all perfect ~

Last night the tank was so cloudy it looked like San Francisco or Daly City in there! I just did a 90% wc and they are still sleeping!

Marie ~ :coffee:

GrillMaster

03-01-2007, 12:23 AM

Take the bamboo outta yer tank, it shouldn't be in there anyways!! Get a 18W turbo twist, then get a small power head to run it. Once the water is crystal clear remove the UV an use it when ya need it.

If water starts gettin cloudy, it is usually a sign of an algae bloom. The water doesn't turn green cause we do to many WC's to allow it. If you were to leave it, it would turn green in a few days.

I know how much ya hate cloudy water! This is the answer!!! If the water starts gettin cloudy on any tank, break out the UV. ;)

TC
Mark

Kindredspirit

03-01-2007, 01:17 AM

The bamboo is not real Mark:) I can not buy anything additional for this tank at the moment...but I have heard about UV's....

Deepak

03-01-2007, 07:22 AM

Hi,
If water prams are alright & the fish aren't acting funny everything should be fine. Just keep on doing 50% wc daily & reduce the feeding. Probably the chlorine in the tap water has killed the bacteria.

Did you try a new food or did something different before the water got cloudy ? :confused:

Kindredspirit

03-01-2007, 10:12 AM

Hey Deep ~ no I had not tried a new food ~ it is getting better a little. Check your pm ~

Marie ~ :balloon:

Madondiscus

03-01-2007, 11:08 AM

Hi Marie.

Sorry to hear your still having problems with your water clouding.I use a product called cycle not sure if you can get it over there but im sure there will be something off the shelf the same.You just dose your tank with it and it helps rebuild your good bacteria in your filter quicker it does not cost much either.

M

Kindredspirit

03-01-2007, 11:22 AM

Hey I know you! Thank you.........:)

Madondiscus

03-01-2007, 03:18 PM

Well I do like to make international guest appearances from time to time!!

M

http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/1/1_4_137.gif

Kindredspirit

03-10-2007, 10:10 AM

Update on my tank:

I got home last night from work and this tank is cloudy! I thought this last thing we tried wld work...nope! Frank suggested to me that it was the sand since the layer is sooooooo thin ( in this tank ) and too much crap in it and yada yada yada....Made sense to me:p Since we have tried everything else.......why the hell not?

I put a large AC filter on it * took everything out of this tank save the 1/8th layer of sand, a Hydro Sponge and two clay pots * left light off for a while * no wc * sporadic wc * 100% wc * 50% wc * slacked off on feedings ( never over fed anyway but hey.....) and I am sure that there are other things I have done.....

~ and the last thing I did was not yesterday but the day before, I vacuumed the sand very well like Frank and I talked about.... and that night the water was pretty clear so I thought we finally got it .....

HELL No........!

This tank is practically torn down and looking like crap and it is my fav with the best light:( ****?? Water params are fine ~ aways have been ~

I think I am taking my ball and mitt and going homehttp://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/4/4_9_8.gif

t_j

03-10-2007, 10:23 AM

LOL!!! Hang in there you'll find out the problem. Do you feed BH and if so when and how much?? My tank gets cloudy same as yours when I feed BH. Just a thought here.

Kindredspirit

03-10-2007, 10:38 AM

Tiff I do feed beefheart ~ always have ~ same recipe and whatever......lol! It has never clouded my tank...or tanks...and still does not...............!! They eat every crumb and no left overs ~ that I see:o

However......what else is left? Def something to consider as what the hell else is there? lol!

But wait Tiff......I just thought of something ~ I only feed bh to this tank once a day ~ ONCE, Tiffers! lol....( my best friend here is Tiffany:) ) But we feed it to the babies 5-6x a day!! I slam them with it and that tank is spotless ~ BB, granted, but crystal clear...

t_j

03-10-2007, 01:14 PM

LOL!! I feed mine once a day also right before a water change because it makes it cloudy and I have a wet/dry system and even with that it doesn't help.

traco

03-10-2007, 04:53 PM

[B][U]
This tank is practically torn down and looking like crap and it is my fav with the best light:( ****?? Water params are fine ~ aways have been ~

You say it is your best light? Is that light new for that tank? Old bulb? New bulb? Proper bulb?

Kindredspirit

03-12-2007, 01:34 AM

No the light is not new Barb ~ I just got home and it is worse than ever:(

traco

03-12-2007, 09:26 AM

Well, then, how old is the bulb? This is only happening on one tank since you moved? Other than lighting, could it be tank location? Close to outside lighting, brighter?

FishLover888

03-12-2007, 09:41 AM

Tropical Haven

03-12-2007, 09:48 AM

All you have is a bloom in your tank, I know this annoys you and it does me too but trust me as long as your readings are normal it will go back to normal. Believe it or not cleaning your filters and sponges under tap water is your culprit eventhough this is the first time that is has happened. You probably rinsed away too much of your beneficial bacteria and your filter are going through the cycling stage again. There is enough in there to keep your levels normal but not enough to keep the tank crystal clear. If I can make a suggestion on cleaning your filters this is what I have been doing for 20 years and I haven't had that problem. Take a clean bucket and siphon your tank water into it before you clean your tank just enough to cover your filters. Take your sponge filters and swish them around in the bucket and lightly squeeze them out. What this does is clean them as well as keeping the bacteria in the sponges. With all the bacteria in that bucket after cleaning sponges it will get soaked back into it when your ready to put them back into your tank. After I am done cleaning sponges in the bucket I will even start new sponges with that water and this cuts the time of cycling by more than 75%. Just stick a new sponge into the bucket squeeze it a couple of times to suck up the bacteria and hook it to your airline and your ready to go. Just a suggestion because this has worked flawlessly for me.

Kindredspirit

03-12-2007, 10:20 AM

I had a tank that was always cloudy in the past. It was due to under filteration. I tried everything to git rid of the cloudy water and nothing worked until I added in another Fluval 404. It cleared the water in a week or so.

You may want to look at your filters. Is it possible there is a blockage or bypass that reduced your filter capacity?

Just my two cents.

And I thank you for your two cents!:) But I changed the filter already and put the one on that was on this tank on another 55gal ....a week ago and that tank is crystal clear....:( The filter I put on this cloudy tank is much bigger and an AC....not the crappy Topfin that is working great on the other 55gal!

go figure~

Kindredspirit

03-12-2007, 10:25 AM

Just a suggestion because this has worked flawlessly for me.

I totally appreciate it I do ~ at first this is what the concensus was...but......I have not cleaned the filter or the sponges in weeks..plus I moved or switched filters....this one is bigger and better....I thought it was the filter but the other tank is clear...so it was not ~

If I killed my good bacteria under tap water ( a month ago! ) ...that filter with those sponges are in the filter I moved to the other 55gal and it is cystal clear....

Am I missing something??

The funny thing is that I will do a wc and it is clear for a day or two then BAM!

Tropical Haven

03-12-2007, 10:31 AM

Boy, that is really strange. If your filtration is sufficient enough you shouldn't have cloudy water especially if everything is cycled. I wish I had other suggestions for you but I can't think of anything as of right now. If you get this figured out, please let us know so we can learn something new about this.

FishLover888

03-12-2007, 12:09 PM

Hmm...

I would look into the bio load and the filter capacity if you have not done that already. If I have a filter rated for 100g, I would only use for a tank up to 70G. I alwasy leave at least 30% room for filter capacity. Over filtration is a sure way to reduce the chance of cloudy water if the problem is due to bio load.

Another option is to add some good bacteria into the tank, like the product Cycle or somehting like that. It will take awhile to work (about a week or two).

Kindredspirit

03-13-2007, 05:34 PM

Well I am not sure it is figured out but the water is pretty clear now! Here are some pics I took last night a while after the sand was removed and sponge over intake taken off, light changed and 100% wc ~

I just got home and it is still pretty clear ~ Perhaps it was the light ~ why.......after almost two years ~ same everything ~ is beyond me:confused:

We did move a few months back and this tank is in a dif room ~ but there is no light of any kind on this tank ~ there was more in the other house ~

Anyways ~ here are some pics! Lets hope it stays this way ~ Looks ugly and BB but hey ~ the residents really do not give a S*! You can actually see the fish now:)

Marie ~ :balloon:

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f389/MidnightKiss4u/IMG_9165Small.jpg

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f389/MidnightKiss4u/IMG_9224Small.jpg

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f389/MidnightKiss4u/IMG_9228Small.jpg

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f389/MidnightKiss4u/IMG_9231Small.jpg

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f389/MidnightKiss4u/IMG_9267Small.jpg

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f389/MidnightKiss4u/IMG_9315Small.jpg

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f389/MidnightKiss4u/IMG_9316Small.jpg

t_j

03-13-2007, 05:52 PM

Hopefully you did figure it out 'cause I know its got to be a pain in the butt when its like that.

FishLover888

03-13-2007, 10:03 PM

nice discus

traco

03-13-2007, 10:56 PM

They say to replace lights after a year for plant growth so don't know if that goes for unplanted tanks? Let's hope this is it and now on the road to clear.:)

Kindredspirit

03-14-2007, 03:06 AM

Hopefully you did figure it out 'cause I know its got to be a pain in the butt when its like that.

Ya think, Tiff? lol!

nice discus

Well thanks!:)

They say to replace lights after a year for plant growth so don't know if that goes for unplanted tanks? Let's hope this is it and now on the road to clear.:)

Well ~ now that bright heavy *** expensive as hell light is on my juvie tank, Barb!! My pics suck of them now:( Talk about ORANGE!

But that tank is clear still.............

traco

03-14-2007, 11:20 AM

Camden

03-14-2007, 11:59 AM

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f389/MidnightKiss4u/IMG_9316Small.jpg

This guy is a photo hog :P What type of fish is he? I like the yellow fins.

Kindredspirit

03-14-2007, 07:44 PM

But your juvie tank is still fairly new, not even a year old yet so bulb should be okay. Be interesting to see if replacing the bulb with a new one on the "cloudy" tank does work. If so, you could add the sand back in a while.

hmm.....are we on the same page woman? lol! I took the brightest light that was on the cloudy 55gal and put it on the juvie tank...and that light on the cloudy tank...I never replaced any bulbs....:)

Oh I am adding back sand make no mistake about that, Barb! I just got home and that tank is still clear!! Could be more so ...but at least it is not cloudy anymore!

So I guess it was the light and a too thin layer of sand and I cleaned too well? Who knows:o

Kindredspirit

03-14-2007, 07:55 PM

This guy is a photo hog :P What type of fish is he? I like the yellow fins.

Yes he is!! I love him! His name is PS...for: Purple Spotted Goby:) Frank, a Mod here and a dear friend, sent him to me:) He has gotten huge! I used to have him in a tank by himself with other Gobies, but when we moved here, he ended up in this tank for some reason, I forget actually, but it was supposed to be for a little while ~ then he ...just never got moved:p

He likes to rest on the tops of the discus! It is hilarious! They are totally indifferent to him ~

Look at this pic:

Deepak

03-15-2007, 01:13 AM

Nice fish Marie :)

Kindredspirit

03-15-2007, 08:32 AM

....are you following me again, Deep? lol! ( actually I am following you! ) Thank you babe:)

( see ya! ....you know where....)

Marie ~ http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/36/36_7_2.gif

GrillMaster

03-15-2007, 11:05 PM

Glad you got the water all cleared up! If you have any more problems, let me know. I will ship ya the UV. It will be yours to keep. You will have to get a Rio 60 an a few feet of 1/2" hose to run it, but that dont cost anything. Less than $20.

Tank is lookin good! Discus look great! The tank is happy...:)

gl
Mark