when do PWCs go too far?

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hc8719

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for the entire month of july my 55g tank has taken on this white cloudy water

every day i did 20g pwcs, and then a 30g every so often, and that was before i gad my python which made it a real B****

now that i got my python though, i did a 50g pwc, 30g pwc, 45 pwc, and a 15g pwc in the past 4 days

it all started when my mom overfed, and i mean really overfed my fish these cichlid ball things, to my horror the fish tank became excessivley cloudy, and i havent got it to go away yet, im not even bothering checking the parameters, considering close to 100% of the water is 4 days old now

i thought it may have been this "bacterial bloom" but its gone too far, when i get back from vacation in august (unless i snap before then) im planning on moving half my fish to their old tank.
(i'd do it now, but im going to pack up my BGK and gouramis in it and take them to a friends house while im gone)

ive also stopped using aquarium salt recently, does salt really prohibit bacterial growth that well?
 
Yep. You've got a classic bacterial bloom. First thing is don't panic!!!!!

This is the result of something killing off your good bacteria colony. Could it be the pwcs? Yes. That doesn't mean that pwcs are a bad thing. In fact, during a bacterial bloom they're advised.

What you need to do is monitor the change in pH. Very often it's the pH swing that kills the bacteria colony. If your tank water is much different than your tap water, then you need to do more frequent changes of less volume. I hope this makes sense.
 
PWCs aren't a bad thing....you can do them every day as long as you are gravel vac'ing everyday as well. The water doesn't hold much bacteria in it at all....so you're not hurting anything.
 
my water is again, white and cloudy again, and i just did the 15g pwc today... this is discouraging, im going to do a another 45g change, i'll check in again with you guys later on...
 
The water column holds no bacteria. That is in your filter, gravel. etc. I'm suggesting you take a pH reading of your tank and tap water. They should be close. Whether it's high or low make no difference but if they are more 1.0 apart, this is your problem.

Side bar. Have you added more fish since the cloudiness?
 
To me, sounds like a bacterial bloom as well. It will pass. They occur more often when the tank is new as well. PWC's will help too, and gravel vacs. Best thing is not to worry, just keep tabs on the water conditions, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and ph. If all is stable and where they should be, then it will pass in time. I found that when I had it in my 55G when it was new, the tank generally becomes more stable afterwards, and becomes more mature as time goes by.
 
PWCs aren't a bad thing....you can do them every day as long as you are gravel vac'ing everyday as well. The water doesn't hold much bacteria in it at all....so you're not hurting anything.

no offence, but that doesn't make sense at all
 
Does make sense to me. You can do PWC's as often as you like, won't hurt anything. And for gravel vac's, won't hurt anything either as long as it's a mature tank. For a cycling tank, or a newly cycled tank, you want to keep the gravel vacs minimal for the first few weeks til you get ample bacteria set in, then gravel vacs can be done as often as you like as well.
 
I think what DeFeKt is alluding to is this..........

There are no nitrifying bacteria in the water column itself. The colonies establish themselves on solid objects such as filter pads, and in the gravel bed. Because the nitrifying bacteria is so fragile and reproduce so slowly, it is possible to kill it off when disturbing the gravel. For that reason it is never suggested (even in established tanks), to gravel vac the entire tank at one time. The whitish cloudy water (or bacterial bloom), is caused by killing the bacterial colony and starting a mini cycle.

Doing a gravel vac on a tank that is cycling will slow the colony growth and should be avoided. Changing water however, should be done as this removes a percentage of ammonia and nitrites which we all know are harmful to fish.
 
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