Help please!! Clear/ Cloudy tank

[Ant329]

I have a few tanks that are up and running but my smallest tank which is 30g seems to be clear but not crystal clear. My other tanks look like you can actually stick your hand in the tank through the glass.. However my 30g when you look through the side its appears to be a little foggy or cloudy.. I do 30% water changes weekly.. And it got to the point where i did a 60% water change and still looks the same.. I even tried using a chemical for the cloudiness but still no luck.. Im running 2 filters, on the left side i have a tetra whisper 40 with a bio bag and on the right side i have a aquaclear 30 or 40 gotta double check model number, sorry. I have these filters in all my other tanks obviously my bigger tanks have stronger ones.. I have 3 chiclids in it..
Any ideas? I was thinking of draining like 75% water and scrubbing inside of tank glass and glass top, maybe light hitting top of glass it makes it look cloudy if its not super clean..

 

[eco23]

I have a few tanks that are up and running but my smallest tank which is 30g seems to be clear but not crystal clear. My other tanks look like you can actually stick your hand in the tank through the glass.. However my 30g when you look through the side its appears to be a little foggy or cloudy.. I do 30% water changes weekly.. And it got to the point where i did a 60% water change and still looks the same.. I even tried using a chemical for the cloudiness but still no luck.. Im running 2 filters, on the left side i have a tetra whisper 40 with a bio bag and on the right side i have a aquaclear 30 or 40 gotta double check model number, sorry. I have these filters in all my other tanks obviously my bigger tanks have stronger ones.. I have 3 chiclids in it..
Any ideas? I was thinking of draining like 75% water and scrubbing inside of tank glass and glass top, maybe light hitting top of glass it makes it look cloudy if its not super clean..

How long has the tank been set up? Can you list your full water parameters for us (ammo, nitrIte, nitrAte)?

 

[Ant329]

About 1.5 months.. Ph- 7.6, Ammo- 0, nitrite still high at 4.0 and nitrate is 30.. I was over feeding but they actually eat from my hand so its not like food is just sitting in tank they take a few pellets and thats it.. I started feeding them every other day and been doing weekly water changes.

 

[eco23]

About 1.5 months.. Ph- 7.6, Ammo- 0, nitrite still high at 4.0 and nitrate is 30.. I was over feeding but they actually eat from my hand so its not like food is just sitting in tank they take a few pellets and thats it.. I started feeding them every other day and been doing weekly water changes.

You're tank is still cycling and it may be the bacterial bloom you are seeing while the tank establishes. Any no2 level above .25 is extremely damaging to your fish and you need to get it down ASAP. I would do an immediate 75% pwc, and daily water changes as needed to get the no2 below .25 and keep it there until the tank stabilizes. Once the tank is properly cycled , the cloudiness will go away on it's own. Here's a good guide to help you with the process-
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forum...-but-i-already-have-fish-what-now-116287.html

 

[Ant329]

Thanks for the advice and link.. What if i took a 5 gallon bucket filled it with tap water and hooked up a air stone in the bucket so it bubbles and leave it in the bucket overnight.. Would tha kill alot of the chlorine and chemicals in the bucket and when i do a daily 10% water change use that water in the bucket.. Would that help cycle the tank faster?

 

[eco23]

Thanks for the advice and link.. What if i took a 5 gallon bucket filled it with tap water and hooked up a air stone in the bucket so it bubbles and leave it in the bucket overnight.. Would tha kill alot of the chlorine and chemicals in the bucket and when i do a daily 10% water change use that water in the bucket.. Would that help cycle the tank faster?

It's likely your tap water has chloramines in it which will not evaporate out of water and you must use a conditioner to remove them. We all recommend Seachem Prime because it also temporarily detoxifies ammo and no2 for 24-36 hours. That's going to be your best bet for your fish to get through this.

Also, with 4ppm nitrIte...you're likely going to have to do a lot larger water changes than 10% daily to keep it down.

Work on getting it down below .25 for right now and use your API kit to dictate how often and how large of water changes you'll need to do to keep it within that range.

 

[jcolon]

Your simplest bet is to get a bottle of Seachem prime which is an AA recommended de-chlorinator. You can put the tap in a bucket and let the chlorine burn off naturally ... putting it in sunlight will increase the burnoff. However chloramines do not burn off as fast I believe. Seachem Prime will take care of of both of those chlorine forms.

 

[Ant329]

Thanks eco and jcolo

 

[eco23]

No problem . Keep us posted on how it's going. The good news is that you're near the end of your cycle, and the tank should stabilize soon. You're fish are just gonna need your help to get them the rest of the way through.

Make sure you also read up on the proper way to clean and change filters once the tank is cycled. The link in my signature is about fishless cycling, but in the FAQ section there's a piece about how to clean and change filters without destabilizing your tank.

 

[Ant329]

Ok so the cloudiness is cuz of bacteria bloom? Or cuz of nitrite being high? Or both?

 

[eco23]

Ok so the cloudiness is cuz of bacteria bloom? Or cuz of nitrite being high? Or both?

They basically go hand in hand. Bacterial blooms are most common at the beginning of a cycle when the bacteria is basically trying to find a place to settle down...but I've seen people experience it at different times.

Once the tank is fully cycled (0 ammo, 0 nitrIte, some level of nitrAtes) if it's still cloudy, we can look at alternate possibilities then. I assume it's a milky looking haze? If so, that's a bacterial bloom.

 

[Ant329]

Ok ill post a pic when i get home around 4pm est time.. Check back and let me know what you think i know its hard to tell by a pic but i will do the best i can to show you

 

[Ant329]

Its clear but not crystal clear

 

[eco23]

Its clear but not crystal clear

I'd just get the tank cycled, and concern myself with the cloudiness if it persists after the tank has stabilized. It actually doesn't look cloudy at all in the pic, but it's hard to really see if you're not there.

 

[Ant329]

Just did a 25% water change, should i add any water conditioner?

 

[eco23]

Just did a 25% water change, should i add any water conditioner?

Have you not been using water conditioner? Are you on city water or well water? If city, they are absolutely mandatory to deal with the chlorine / chloramines in there. Even on well water a conditioner should be used to neutralize heavy metals. As we said, Seachem Prime is the best one out there if you can find it. It will also temporarily detoxify the ammonia and nitrIte for 24-36 hours to help your fish.

Have you done other water changes today? A 25% pwc isn't going to cut it. That would have only reduced the no2 by a quarter down to 3ppm...you need it below .25 ASAP.