Lakebum
Aquarium Advice Newbie
Good afternoon,
This is my first post here, but I have gained a lot of insight over the years from this forum, and I appreciate all of the information I have gotten from here.
I have been keeping fish for around four years now, starting with a 10 gallon beta tank, graduating to a 29 gallon, and last summer moving to a 60 gallon Marineland tank purchased from Petsmart. Over the course of my fish keeping time, I have run into countless issues, but nothing I wasn't able to correct with patience and furthering learning.
However, I have run into a water clarity issue that I have been unable to solve, and sense I have gleaned so much information from this forum in the past, I wanted to see if anyone could assist me.
Basics:
Tank is a Marineland 60 gallon from petsmart. Testing with API Master kit
Ph is at 6.0, but remains stable and the fish are acclimated
Ammonia is reading zero
Nitrites are at zero
Nitrates are reading between zero and 5.0 ppm, presumably low because of frequent water changes necessary to maintain water clarity.
The tank is stocked with 2 adult angelfish, and I believe them both to be male. They have been together from the get go and have very little territorial issues. I also have 2 albino cory's as well as 3 emerald cory's, all over one year old. The final fish is an adolescent bristlenose pleco, who I acquired in January. No health issues with any fish. The tank is fully cycled and has been for at least 5 months.
My problem began when I realized the Pengiun 350 bio wheel filter I was relying on was not circulating water up to par. I then purchased a Hydor 350 canister filter as a replacement, and ran them both for one month to avoid a mini cycle. Per my research the Hydor 350 should be more than adequate with my stock level(no plans to add fish), only the water clarity has recently(as in past 3 weeks) become an issue. The intake is located in the right, back corner of the tank, and the outlet is on the opposite side, perpendicular to the viewing glass of the tank.
For a couple of weeks, I had no issues. Then I noticed some brown algae build up on decorations, but even after removing that,I still have clarity problems. I'm having to change at least 50% of the water per week to keep it modestly clear, and I have tried multiple changes throughout the week without any progress. I am using stock filter media that came with the hydor filter, and have vacuumed the gravel fairly thoroughly. I think I've reached the boundary of my knowledge here, and any help would be appreciated!
I have attached a photo of my tank with cloudy water as a reference.
This is my first post here, but I have gained a lot of insight over the years from this forum, and I appreciate all of the information I have gotten from here.
I have been keeping fish for around four years now, starting with a 10 gallon beta tank, graduating to a 29 gallon, and last summer moving to a 60 gallon Marineland tank purchased from Petsmart. Over the course of my fish keeping time, I have run into countless issues, but nothing I wasn't able to correct with patience and furthering learning.
However, I have run into a water clarity issue that I have been unable to solve, and sense I have gleaned so much information from this forum in the past, I wanted to see if anyone could assist me.
Basics:
Tank is a Marineland 60 gallon from petsmart. Testing with API Master kit
Ph is at 6.0, but remains stable and the fish are acclimated
Ammonia is reading zero
Nitrites are at zero
Nitrates are reading between zero and 5.0 ppm, presumably low because of frequent water changes necessary to maintain water clarity.
The tank is stocked with 2 adult angelfish, and I believe them both to be male. They have been together from the get go and have very little territorial issues. I also have 2 albino cory's as well as 3 emerald cory's, all over one year old. The final fish is an adolescent bristlenose pleco, who I acquired in January. No health issues with any fish. The tank is fully cycled and has been for at least 5 months.
My problem began when I realized the Pengiun 350 bio wheel filter I was relying on was not circulating water up to par. I then purchased a Hydor 350 canister filter as a replacement, and ran them both for one month to avoid a mini cycle. Per my research the Hydor 350 should be more than adequate with my stock level(no plans to add fish), only the water clarity has recently(as in past 3 weeks) become an issue. The intake is located in the right, back corner of the tank, and the outlet is on the opposite side, perpendicular to the viewing glass of the tank.
For a couple of weeks, I had no issues. Then I noticed some brown algae build up on decorations, but even after removing that,I still have clarity problems. I'm having to change at least 50% of the water per week to keep it modestly clear, and I have tried multiple changes throughout the week without any progress. I am using stock filter media that came with the hydor filter, and have vacuumed the gravel fairly thoroughly. I think I've reached the boundary of my knowledge here, and any help would be appreciated!
I have attached a photo of my tank with cloudy water as a reference.