Still trying

[dingogirl66]

I came home about a week and a half ago after being gone for 6 weeks to find my 100gal tank dirty,sludgy etc...I did a large water change and cleaned the substrate...when I did I think I did to much....

Within a day or so my tank got really milky white cloudy and my ammonia has spiked...my ph is 6.2 my nitrite is 0 and nitrate 0-5...I have been adding Stability to my tank for 7 days now, I have been doing 10-15 % WC's daily, I have cut down on feeding, I also add Stress Zyme during wc's....What else can I do? My water is still cloudy, my fish look ok, I did Ammo Lock a couple of days ago but have not proceeded in this action....

I am at a loss of not knowing what to do...........

 

[joannde]

The cloudiness is probably a bacteria bloom (of good bacteria) and will go away on its own once the bacteria settle back into your filter and substrate.
Just keep doing water changes to keep the ammonia and nitrites down.
Are you adding a water conditioner during your PWCs ? Prime will detoxify the ammonia but leave it available to your biofilter, so that's probably a good idea also.Sounds like you're doing everything right - just be patient and keep up with the water changes and you'll be good again in now time.

 

[dingogirl66]

Yes, I am using a water conditioner...Stress Coat not Stress Zyme....The only products I really use is Stress Coat,Stability,Prime.....Actually I bought the prime this Am it seems like a good product. So should I keep doing WC's daily? or at least until my ammonia is down.
I have had many fish tanks in my life and this is the first time that I have been having this kind of problem...I was reading this morning that the cloudiness is probably from good bacteria..

So you think my tank will go clear again?

 

[joannde]

yes, just keep up with the water changes. you want to keep the ammonia as low as possible (0.25 - 0.5 ppm) while your biofilter rebuilds.
Prime is a great product - a little goes a long way.
See if your filter material has gotten extremely gunky - if it has don't throw it out, just rinse it in some of the tank discard water from your water change.
Yes, it will clear up - just give it time.

 

[rich311k]

Keep your ammonia and nitrite levels under .5 ppm by changing water. You don't have to do it everyday. The cloudiness is a bacteria cloud and will go away when your colonies are reestablished. This should not take nearly as long as an intial cycle.

Good luck.

 

[dingogirl66]

Joannde,
what do you mean by rinse some of the gunky stuff that I know it probably has, rinse into the tank. Do you mean take it out and let some of the gunk into the tank? Sorry that is such a stupid question but I have to make sure....Is the a way to release good bacteria into the tank? Once again sorry for stupid questions.

 

[Guest]

she meant to rinse it out in some of the water you remove from the tank when you do a water change.

 

[joannde]

thanks catfishface, that's exactly what I meant

 

[dingogirl66]

Cool....I just misread what you had said...Thanks So Much Guys!!!! I got up this morning and i can actually see a difference in the tank...I can see rocks that I could not see yesterday..so slowly but surely.