Cloudy at every water change?

[IceForever]

That's a lot of work for water. A lot of work to change it really. I think I'd get an RO system hooked up to your sink and mix 50/50 with your tap. Hell of a lot easier than traveling an hour and setting water out for a week at a time. Lol

Eh, it’s not that bad. I’m usually going to my LFS every few weeks anyway just to see what they got in and just to chat with them. So while I’m there I just stock up on water and leave it sitting until I need it.

If I go RO then I have to worry about supplementing the water, etc, which seems like more work to me than what I’m already doing lol

 

[King Fisher]

You mix 50/50 RO and tap water and you don't have to supplement. Might be worth it in your situation.

 

[IceForever]

Could be minerals interacting in the water, tap water contains lots of CO2, which drops pH, so as the CO2 off gasses pH rises slightly, and could cause minerals to lose solubility / precipitate out of solution and make the water seem cloudy.

Just a hunch.

Alright so I brain farted and tested the ammonia instead of the ph on the jug that I left the lid off of, and then did my water change so I’d empty another jug before I went to my LFS, LOL...but I did test ph on my tank, as well as the other jug that I left the lid ON (but it’s been sitting for two weeks). ph was identical color. Looks to be between 7.2-7.6

I took the cap off of another jug today and will test the ph in a few days, but I can’t imagine it being any different if the stuff I just picked up today is the same ph as well?

Also, sure enough, after my water change of only 5 gallons, the tank is doing its usual thing...it doesn’t look too cloudy right now, but I can tell because the algae/biofilm on my glass and sponge filter is turning white...

 

[IceForever]

 

[IceForever]

 

[IceForever]

 

[IceForever]

Can you see the white stuff on the glass and filter components that I’m talking about? And the sponge filter is started to turn whiteish as well.

 

[IceForever]

So I did an extra 5g water change after it started getting cloudy, and while the cloudiness still occurred, it did seem to go away a little faster than it normally does...?

*shrug*

 

[Leopardshark20]

Slightly cloudy water after a change is completely normal if you gravel vac. You just are stirring up any fish waste and other matter in the gravel. Then, the matter sinks back down into the gravel. If you aren’t gravel vacuuming during you water changes, then I don’t know what is happening. Good Luck!

 

[goatnad]

Maybe its high levels of calcium in your tap water?

 

[IceForever]

Slightly cloudy water after a change is completely normal if you gravel vac. You just are stirring up any fish waste and other matter in the gravel. Then, the matter sinks back down into the gravel. If you aren’t gravel vacuuming during you water changes, then I don’t know what is happening. Good Luck!

I’m pretty well planted so I don’t gravel vac at all, unfortunately...or fortunately, depending on how you look at it

Maybe its high levels of calcium in your tap water?

That would cause cloudiness?

 

[goatnad]

If high enough yes and it will also leave deposits similar to what you are seeing on your filter.

 

[IceForever]

If high enough yes and it will also leave deposits similar to what you are seeing on your filter.

Those deposits are only white while this is happening. Afterward and before it is brown, like algae, but only on the filter/heater. Everywhere on the glass it’s invisible...like can’t see anything at all except crystal clear glass until this occurs, and then I can see snail trails through the white stuff allll over my glass lol. Would your theory still make sense under those circumstances?

 

[IceForever]

So I guess it’s not really the water that is cloudy, but the glass?

I was thinking...do you think that it could be calcium coming out of the water column and attaching to my surfaces because of temperature fluctuations? My tank goes from about 76 degrees overnights when my girl keeps it at 70, to about 78 during the day (when we’re not here we don’t need to run the AC as it only fluctuates a few degrees)

I’ve tried to find other patterns, but it happens seemingly randomly...sometimes it’ll happen when I dose ferts, sometimes it doesn’t. Last night I was crystal clear...woke up this morning and it was doing it again.

I have included a pic of my plants and how it ‘settles’ on the leaves almost like a dust...?

 

[IceForever]

Idk why it double posted but I can’t figure out how to delete this one? LOL