....Frustrated

[Yellow Eye Tang]

Well,... i've had my 20gh going for about a month and a half. There are fish in it all doing well, but the tank just won't go clear. There has been a slight fog in it for about 3-4 weeks. The only things in the tank besides the rock and the live plants are two figures purchased from the fish store. It seems like it was clear a few weeks back then this started and it won't clear back up. I keep the top covered with the glass top. I just used the API master test kit and got these reading which made me a bit nervous.

Ammonia = 0
PH = 7.6
Nitrates = 10
NitrItes = 1.0 (very close between the 1.0 color and 5.0 color but I belive it is 1.0) Also if it was 5 my fish would be croaking and there doing fine. I have been doing 25 - 30% PWC every 2 - 3 days.

I DID test my tap water and all shows good on the readings and I don't think the cloudiness is comming from it either being as the tank was clear when I started it. I'm going to go in and do a water change right now 30%. Any suggestions would be great. Thanks

 

[Yellow Eye Tang]

I might add that a month ago i had an ich outbreak from a new fish. It spread quickly and i used jungle parasite tablets along with API super ich treatment. It's gone now but it seems like it went sour (foggy) then and stayed that way. There has been no treatment for about a month.

 

[HN1]

It sounds as if the tank may be in a mini-cycle. The cloudiness may be a bacterial bloom and will probably go away on it's own. Water changes to keep the NO2 below .25 will keep everyone healthy while it re-establishes.

 

[neilanh]

I tend to agree, once this nitrite clears, I suspect it'll go back to normal. I've had bacteria blooms last for 6-8 weeks before.

 

[fort384]

What kind of filter / filter media are you using?

 

[Yellow Eye Tang]

I have a 50g penguin filter with the biowheel and your typical carbon filter in it. On the right side of the tank I have a powerhead set to low volume to help circulate. Thats pretty much it, and the water changes seem to have no effect to the amount of cloudiness. Ugh! Is it possible that the ich treatments messed up the biowheel or something? It was in through the treatment process.

 

[beglely]

If by messed up the bio wheel you mean killed off your bacteria then yes possibly. Ive read some medications can kill of your bacteria. I would second theories at a bacterial bloom/minicycle as well from the treatment. The sure way to test it is to take a water sample and place it in a clear receptacle against a white background. If its green its algae (which i doubt it is) and if its white is bacteria, which seems more probable. Also I would do more pwc's to lower the nitrite level