mfuchs
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
I have setup a few tanks before, but they have always been saltwater. My friend asked me to help her setup a freshwater tank, so I did. We setup a 39gal tank with a BioWheel, undergravel filter and a airstone for a 'wall of air' effect.
The tank was setup in mid January and everything seemed to be going fine. However, just the other day, my friend need to add water to replace evaporation. She had done this numerous times with no problems. The difference this time was that she need to add more. So she got it from the tap instead of her normal place, the refrigerator door (filtered). She added the appropriate amount of water conditioner and added the water to the tank. Later that day she noticed that the tank was cloudy white.
We took a water sample to the local fish store and they told us that the PH was too low, 6.2 and the ammonia was too high. They told us that the biological filter was dead.
They gave us PH increaser and a seed of bacteria to jump start the biological filter. My friend added the bacteria and started to slowly increase the ph.
To make matters worse, her son ended up dumping a whole can of fish food into the aquarium this morning. I had her siphon out the fish food from the gravel. In the process of doing this she had to replace almost have the tank water. This time she used bottled water (distilled).
Now the tank water is so cloudy white that you cannot see the fish inside of it.
The PH currently measures around 7.0 and we do not know where the ammonia stands.
Does anyone have any advise? What would of caused the biological filter to die? Is the water being added causing the cloudy condition? or is it the ammonia. I have never seen this in a saltwater aquarium and am lost.
Thanks for your help
The tank was setup in mid January and everything seemed to be going fine. However, just the other day, my friend need to add water to replace evaporation. She had done this numerous times with no problems. The difference this time was that she need to add more. So she got it from the tap instead of her normal place, the refrigerator door (filtered). She added the appropriate amount of water conditioner and added the water to the tank. Later that day she noticed that the tank was cloudy white.
We took a water sample to the local fish store and they told us that the PH was too low, 6.2 and the ammonia was too high. They told us that the biological filter was dead.
They gave us PH increaser and a seed of bacteria to jump start the biological filter. My friend added the bacteria and started to slowly increase the ph.
To make matters worse, her son ended up dumping a whole can of fish food into the aquarium this morning. I had her siphon out the fish food from the gravel. In the process of doing this she had to replace almost have the tank water. This time she used bottled water (distilled).
Now the tank water is so cloudy white that you cannot see the fish inside of it.
The PH currently measures around 7.0 and we do not know where the ammonia stands.
Does anyone have any advise? What would of caused the biological filter to die? Is the water being added causing the cloudy condition? or is it the ammonia. I have never seen this in a saltwater aquarium and am lost.
Thanks for your help