Don't know what to do about cloudy tank HELP!

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new2guppy

Aquarium Advice Newbie
Joined
May 31, 2011
Messages
9
Location
Ohio
In April, got a new 20gal L. Filled with untreated good well water some flat marbles. Was given a well seeded sponge filter, use with 200 Fusion pump. Waited 3 wks. Tool water to LFS. Owner did PH & Amon. Said good to go. Got 6 fancy guppies & Hornwort. I have hood with 17 watt Fl. (not good for plant, it died what a mess!). Water at 78. After 4 weeks took out plant. Cleaned, took off 5 gal. rinsed sponge in old water. Added new water with same API salt and Stres Coat I started it with. 5th week got 2 Corry's but water already getting cloudy. PH constant 8-8.2 Am. not quite .25. Week 6 took off 3 gal. No sponge rinse. Only feed 2 x's a day what they eat in 2-3 mins. Real cloudy! Did not feed for 2 days. Will get nitrates tests tomorrow. (was sick today). Fish very active! Told I had bacteria bloom. Some say leave it alone, some say change daily, some say once a week. SO confused! :nono: Should I get another seeded sponge filter? Oh added all plastic aquatic plants, well rinsed. Thanks to any that respond! new2guppy :fish1:
 
Yeah, your lighting is definitely insufficient for a 20 gallon tank and hornwort gets really messy when it dies (trust me, it took me a long time to net out the little needles...)

- Your pH is very high...it's considered fairly alkaline and cory catfish don't like that. Also, cory catfish should be kept in at least groups of 4-6.

- You should make 15-20% water changes weekly in my opinion. If the cloudy water is indeed caused by a bacteria bloom, it should go away on its own.

-As long as your fish are fine, I wouldn't be concerned. However, if the water is so cloudy you can't even see fish, it might be caused by something else. I'm not sure but I believe that if the water is TOO saturated with bacteria, it will deprive your fish of oxygen and suffocate them. Watch out for labored breathing.

-I haven't heard of a Fusion 200 pump but maybe it's not powerful enough or you don't have enough filter media?
 
Do water changes everyday, or every other. I had the same exact problem. I was told to just ride the storm, do NOT add chemicals, just continue to do water changes, and do not overfeed.
 
A couple more thoughts for you--

if you have cory cats, don't add salt. They're extremely sensitive and can be burned by even small amounts of salt in the water. And as for feeding, only once a day is really necessary. Some people do once every other day. Personally, I do 6 days on, then fast a day each week.
 
Also, I think you said somewhere in another post that you don't have substrate (rocks, gravel, sand or whatever at the bottom). You don't necessarily have to have substrate, but if you're having issues with your good bacteria levels (as indicated with ammonia present) I would suggest getting a substrate. Bacteria like to cling to the gravel and the filter media, and having one is good but both is better :)

So, for now what I would do is do 20% water changes each day until you see the ammonia and nitrites drop. This will take a good amount of watching so test every day. I would also get some kind of substrate, but that's just my opinion.
 
I personally feed mine a couple of times a day, because I keep my tank at around 80 and that gives the fish a higher metabolism.
 
Thank you to all who replied

I will do H2O changes. As to PH, I know guppies are ok in it and from reading here, better a constant then wide swings. Amon. still hardly at .25. And I AM weary of waiting it out. I understand that I should not rinse my filter sponge same day as I did my first change/cleaning. I did it in the water taken off, but I really cleaned it! Yes the Hornwort...yuck! I just found some of the needles under the sponge!

Hmm, I really did not want to go to gravel but guess I better. I do have the flat marbles. No salt then & so far Corry's after 3 weeks are so active & look good. Last H2O change did not add any salt & mixed one gal distilled H2O. Babies born Sat. are doing good. Ok off to get my nitrates kits. Store will test but need my own. And so agree on no added bacterial stuff from store! ;) new2guppy
 
Bacteria bloom, get ready ummm????

I did more research, found corries you have to be careful about the gravel. It should be small & some set up a 'sandbox'. Going to do that. (will get 2 more corries later). One guy said he had salt in tank & son corries lived 9 10 years! Will rinse the lime free gravel & sand very well. So a 25% ? since the water is cloudy but can still see fish even in back careful about wide PH swing. Will take out the marbles, stuff is yucky under them even though I moved them when did 2 water changes. Take out plastic plants and rinse in old H2O or clean? LEAVE SPONGE ALONE! (Learned that one!). To put in gravel and sand box, I move all my fish out into my gal 'fish H20 bucket with some of the water I take off until I get all the gravel and plants in right? And special little bowl for babies until I am done. Next water changes, how much off? Some say 10% some say 25% or let my water parimeters dictate? I know wide swings in PH can kill. My amon. is still barely .25. Will know when I get back what nitrates are. Ok off to store to get stuff will look for answers when I return. new2guppy
 
Got gravel and did 50% water change

Well, just finished the very long process of chaning 50% of my water out. Today, like hourly it started to change to green and couldn't see back ground. Before change, Amon. barely .25, PH 8.2, Nitrite 0. Umm the only Nitrate anyone had was by RED Sea. Very strange for my very first time to use. 5cc..5 gtts (drops) of A, shake, 5 gtts B then 8 gtts C. Shake gentle for 1 min. Wait 5 mins. Shake again. Read. It was 50, so then if this shows that, fill with 1cc & add distilled or RO H2O to make 5ml. Proceed with test?? I don't have distilled or Ro! So frustrating. When I went to the LFS they said bring water in we test. But they only did PH and Amon. In mean time after I had placed an order at PetMountian, so to get the Master API, while the Master is $17.90! Since the LSF said they would do all the testing, I got sep. API Amon, PH, and hardness. Now I need I think a better Nitrate.

Back to change. Took my fish out in bowl of old H2O and babies in another. Took out all the plastic plants and ornaments but did not rinse, nor rinse sponge. It is run by a 200 Fushion 200 good for up to 30 gal.

Took all 1 3/4 cup of marbles. Wow! Slimmy uyuck under them. Went over glass as it had spots of brown & green algaie. Let this settle. Took of 1/2, added pure well water with stress coat. Add water, put in Estes gravel, a 'sandbox' (rinsed) bowl for Corries. Added H2O with Stress Coat. Added water, gravel, plants. I acclimated fish just like I do when they are new. Oh, Amon 0; PH 8; Nitire 0. Nitrates 0. Got water to 78. Slowly introduce fish as I do for new fish. I did have to feed the 1 wk old babies. According to two on here (very knowledge!!) (met in chat room) Does anyone 50% Sat? Got to get more API stress coat for all these H2O changes. Now I can't remember if it 50% every day until clear? Then once or twice a month? This weary guppy is going to bed!

And thank you to all! What a wonderful site indeed! new2guppy
 
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