cant clear my cloudy water!!

[DrRockzo]

hey there everyone

i have had my tank up and running for about 2 months now and the water has been cloudy for the last 3 weeks. i have changed %30 0f the water twice a week the last 2 weeks, there is no ammonia PH is 7.0 and no nitrites or nitrates... i and running a marineland empire 400 and an aquaclear 110 for filters in a 80 gallon tank


please help!!

for lighting i hace one T5 Power glow.... is the light to stong?

 

[eco23]

hey there everyone

i have had my tank up and running for about 2 months now and the water has been cloudy for the last 3 weeks. i have changed %30 0f the water twice a week the last 2 weeks, there is no ammonia PH is 7.0 and no nitrites or nitrates... i and running a marineland empire 400 and an aquaclear 110 for filters in a 80 gallon tank

please help!!

for lighting i hace one T5 Power glow.... is the light to stong?

Welcome to the site . Is the water milky in appearance? If so it is most likely a bacterial bloom. The absence of nitrAtes would seem to show the tank isn't cycled...are you familiar with that process? Do you currently have fish in the tank? And last question...what type of test kit are you using? Liquid or strips?

 

[dskidmore]

0 ammonia, nitrites and nitrates either means this tank is empty or your test kit is broken. If you don't have fish and are waiting for a cycle to complete, add a little fish food. You should see one of those three numbers go up after adding fish food.

 

[DrRockzo]

yes the water is milky white, i have one baby arowana, and the test kit i am using is a strip test

 

[eco23]

yes the water is milky white, i have one baby arowana, and the test kit i am using is a strip test

If you can, try to pick up an API Freshwater Master Test Kit. It's a liquid kit we all recommend here. The strips are notoriously inaccurate. Something is definitely off with your numbers and we've got to find out what. The levels you are showing would basically have to mean the tank was empty. I guarantee you're showing either ammonia or nitrAtes.

At the very least, bring a sample to your lfs and have them test it for you. Make sure they tell you the actual numbers...don't just let them tell you it's okay...okay means something different to most of them than it does to us here.

 

[Copachick]

Im having the same issues with my 29 gallon tank that I have had for over 3 months. Its been cloudy for 2 weeks. I have a master test kit and just did a water test, and everything is where it needs to be. We vaccumed the tank and just did a 25% water change two days ago but the cloudyness still will not go away. Its a white milky haze, just like yours. Any insite from anyone?? The fish are doing great and there are no other issues, just the water.

 

[eco23]

A milky white hazy is a bacterial bloom in virtually all cases. Have you made any changes in the tank recently like changing filters, adding new fish or removing decorations? If you can, always try and post your actual numbers, such as ammo-0, no2-0, no3-15. It will help us get a better idea of the situation.

 

[DrRockzo]

ok i will go get that kit today.... based on when it tells me how do you correct the numers in the end?

 

[eco23]

ok i will go get that kit today.... based on when it tells me how do you correct the numers in the end?

First off, post your results here and we can guide you through. If when you test ammonia or nitrItes are over .25, you will need to do immediate water change(s) to keep them below that level at all times.

If it is indeed a cycling tank or mini-cycle...this guide will give you some good info on how to deal with the ammo or no2 until the tank stabilizes.
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forum...-but-i-already-have-fish-what-now-116287.html

 

[DrRockzo]

ok so i got the API freshwater master test kit
it showed

PH = 7.5
High Range PH= 7.4
ammonia = 0.50
nitrite = 0ppm
nitrate = 0ppm

i know i need to get rid of the ammonia soo where do i go from here?

 

[eco23]

ok so i got the API freshwater master test kit
it showed

PH = 7.5
High Range PH= 7.4
ammonia = 0.50
nitrite = 0ppm
nitrate = 0ppm

i know i need to get rid of the ammonia soo where do i go from here?

First and most importantly, you need to do an immediate 50% minimum pwc (partial water change) to get your ammonia below below .25. It's very important you do enough water changes that it stays below this level at all times , otherwise the ammonia starts burning and scarring the gills of your fish. Make sure you have a good dechlorinator like Seachem Prime to use for water changes. Prime also temporarily neutralizes the ammonia and no2 to protect your fish for a time.

Second, double check your nitrAte test. It is notoriously easy to do wrong. Make sure you are shaking the #2 solution for a full 30 seconds, shake the entire test tube for a solid 1 minute, and record your results at the 5 minute mark.

Regardless, you are in the middle of a cycle which is very dangerous for your fish, it also explains the cloudy water as a bacteria bloom as it tries to establish.

Follow this guide VERY closely and you and your fishy friends can get through it
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forum...-but-i-already-have-fish-what-now-116287.html

 

[DrRockzo]

Ok so I have changed %60 of the water,, when do I change the other %40?

 

[eco23]

Ok so I have changed %60 of the water,, when do I change the other %40?

You'll need to test the water every day and do water changes based on your readings. Seachem Prime will temporarily neutralize ammonia and no2 for I believe 24-36 hours, but you'll need to stay on top of your water parameters and keep the ammo and nitrItes below .25 as best you can (water changes every day are often necessary) until the tank stabilizes. You'll see ammonia steadily climb faster and faster (but kept below .25 with your help), nitrItes will begin to appear and also try to spike (again, kept below .25 with pwc's) and finally nitrAtes will appear. A while after nitrAtes start showing up, the tank should begin to stabilize where the ammo and no2 aren't climbing as quickly...and eventually they will stay at 0 and your tank is cycled.

One cycled, do weekly pwc's to keep nitrAtes under 20, and never replace filters unless they are falling apart. The link in my signature is about fishless cycling (which doesn't apply here), but in the FAQ section it talks about how to clean and maintain filters and how to change them.

Keep us updated and feel free to throw out any questions. The guide I linked previously will be a great help.

 

[DrRockzo]

ok thanks for all your help!!! but just to clarify, if my buddy has a healthy fully cycled tank to speed up the process i can squeeze his filter sponge into my tank to get all the good bacteria?

 

[eco23]

ok thanks for all your help!!! but just to clarify, if my buddy has a healthy fully cycled tank to speed up the process i can squeeze his filter sponge into my tank to get all the good bacteria?

Simply squeezing the filter into the tank will have very little (if any at all) impact. However, if you can convince him to donate a beautiful, dirty, bacteria filled piece of filter media...that would be a HUGE help. The vast majority of the beneficial bacteria lives in the filters. Just make sure he doesn't donate so much that it destabilizes his tank.

 

[DrRockzo]

And I take it the bacteria that you can buy from the fish store in bottles are garbage?..... Sorry to keep asking so many questions,,,,

 

[eco23]

And I take it the bacteria that you can buy from the fish store in bottles are garbage?..... Sorry to keep asking so many questions,,,,

No such thing as too many questions . Personally I HIGHLY recommend against bottled bacteria. Some people will tell you they've had success with a couple brands...but if you stick around the website long enough you'll hear story after story about "instant cycling" products that cause a very unstable bio-filter and have experienced complete crashes and dead fish.

There is a site that sells filter sponges that they claim contain natural beneficial bacteria as opposed to bottled stuff, I've heard a couple positive results on them. It won't necessarily be an instant fix, but they can't do anything but help. I believe one of the companies is called AnglesPlus. They make "active" sponges. Worth a shot if you've got a few extra $'s.

 

[DrRockzo]

That's ok I'll just do it the natural way,,, thanks again for all your help

 

[eco23]

That's ok I'll just do it the natural way,,, thanks again for all your help

Happy to help . Let us know how things are going.

 

[BeavisMom62]

Just throwing this out there. I had a tank that was set up for NINE months, fully cycled, all levels were good, did weekly 50% w/c's. And the water was cloudy (milky) for the entire time! It was so frustrating. I know that the "clumping" kind of water clear products are crap, but I found something called Bio-Clear (I can't remember who makes it), but I used it once and the tank was crystal clear after that. I have no idea what was causing the cloudiness, but that stuff really worked.