Why is my water still murky?!?!?!?!?!?!?

[Speakerman]

I've got a 150 with 3 Oscars 2 pleco, 2 parrots, and a pacu.

There is no ammonia, no nitrites and a nitrate level of about 10-20 ppm.

After a heaft water change, the water gets steadily more murky. And discolored...There is not smell though.

What is the deal?

Also, I only feed a little bit in the morning each day.

 

[Devilishturtles]

What kind of filtration? Are you vaccuming the gravel during your water change? Is it brown murky, or green murky?

 

[Speakerman]

I've got an UGF with 2 450 gph power heads, an xP3, emperor 400, and whisper 30-60.

When I do water changes I also vaccum the gravel, but do so trying to minimize the amount of poo I stir up.

Also if I change ALL the water in the tank, the water stays really clear for about a week and then starts getting murky again.

 

[justrelax]

has it always been this way? it could be due to the fact that those are some pretty high waste generating fish you have there. my buddies 75 that houses a 10" oscar and an 8" pleco is constantly cloudy, too. we've determined that the parameters are fine as is everything else, and chalked it up to the fish he keeps... hth

 

[Speakerman]

The parameters are safe...but all the other tanks I have are crystal clear...looks like the fish are floating in mid-air...

I'd just like this tank to be as clear.

Maybe I could get rid of the emperor 400 and the whisper 30-60....and get a second xP3 along with the UGF and powerheads.

 

[JRagg]

Have you ever tried a water polishing filter aka micron filter? I'm not sure what media you have in your XP3.

IF, and that's a big if, it's just actual particles of stuff (and not some other cause) then a micron filter will work wonders. My old 45 used to be a little hazy, but once I put in a micron filter it looked crystal clear again.

 

[Speakerman]

Can somebody link me to that type of filter...I've not been able to find any of that stuff.

Preferably link me to it on Petsmart or Petco.

Thanks for the help guys.

I'll try the polishing filter if I can find it.

 

[JRagg]

I think this is the kind of stuff. I don't have a Rena or Eheim, so I'm sure someone else that uses them will post to confirm and maybe say where you can find this stuff.

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produ...x=mode+matchallpartial&Np=1&pc=1&N=2004&Nty=1

I had a magnum 350 back in the day, and it has a 15 micron cartridge you can use. I don't recommend going to buy one though. That is really all they're good for imo. Not worth shelling out $80 just to see if that's the problem.

 

[Speakerman]

Well the Magnum 350 pro comes with a dual bio wheel...that might be worth it. for like 100 bucks. I'm gonna go look at it and see if I like it.

 

[odessadude]

I would say your not vaccuming the bottom enough. Big fish will stir up the bottom and if the gravel is not clean, the problem will continue.

I agree with JRagg, get a fine micron filter in a Magnum Filter and clean your gravel better.

 

[triazole]

I'd recommend getting rid of the UGF. the other filters by themselves are enough filtration. but removing an established UGF is a herculean task by itself. but the end results may be well worth it.

 

[JRagg]

Well the Magnum 350 pro comes with a dual bio wheel...that might be worth it. for like 100 bucks. I'm gonna go look at it and see if I like it.

Don't get the pro, it's a waste of money. You have no need for biowheels at all since you have ceramic media in your XP3. The regular kit is $70 and has everything that you'll use. There's also some other useless junk that comes with the Magnum.

Check to see if the magnum comes with the micron filter or not. I'm not sure that it does. Make sure to put the blue nylon filter stuff around the micron filter when you put it in. It will make the filter last longer.

And Odessadude, is that a magnum 350 I see under your tank? They're rare around here.

 

[Lonewolfblue]

This is the new tank, correct? A lot of times, a new tank will look cloudy til the tank becomes mature. As long as you are checking your parameters and they are good, and the fish are looking good, and doing regular PWC's, you will be fine. My 55G looked a little cloudy for a while til it matured, and has been crystal clear since. Could just be the normal bacterial blooms of a new tank.

 

[odessadude]

JRagg, you must be on the same page as me. I bought one of those Magnum 350's with the dual Bio-Wheel set up a few years back and have been storing all of the stuff that came with it. I looked at hooking it up, but there must be 10 places water would leak if something happened to a seal etc.

Yes it is a 350. I buy 90% of my stuff at thatfishstore.com in PA. I pack it full of carbon, put the sleeve around it and it keeps the water cystal clear. The main reason I use it for, is in case the Ehiem starts working it is a back-up and visa-versa for the Eheim.

Back to you>

 

[Speakerman]

I'd recommend getting rid of the UGF. the other filters by themselves are enough filtration. but removing an established UGF is a herculean task by itself. but the end results may be well worth it.

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That wont be happening. The UGF I put in (not for filtration) but actually for aeriation and flow. It does that perfectly...There is absolutely no reason to remove it.

Everybody is misunderstood with UGF. They think they will keep your tank crystal clear and healthy all by themselves, and that they don't require any maintanence...Thus they use it in the wrong application.

Well thats not what I use it for. It is an addition to what I allready have and serves it's purpose to keep my water healthy.
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LWB, I think you are right. My 55 gallon was acting the same way...but now it's crystal clear. I'm sure I just have bacteria blooms in this tank like I did the other one. Thanks bro.

 

[mr funktastic]

unfortunatly the UGF may be the main casue of the water being cloudy. alot of junk gets sifted down there. and all that junk is being airated and pushed back through the tank then picked up by the actual filters. so that cloudyness may be from that. just anopinion though. u can get just as much airation without the mess of the UGF by putting bubble wands and air stones in the tank.

 

[Caincando1]

Personally I'd reverse the UG and keep the stuff moving up twords the filters intakes instead of packing the gravel full of waste.

 

[guppy12]

THATS SICKINING LEY OVER STOCKED!!!!!!
but anyways u could go to a site i know about. www.oscarfish.com and they'll fix u up

 

[Speakerman]

Personally I'd reverse the UG and keep the stuff moving up twords the filters intakes instead of packing the gravel full of waste.

I really thought about doing this...because the power heads are reversible, but if I did that I would have to close of the bubble towers... Or else all the water being pushed in by the power heads would just go right out the top of the bubble towers.

Is there a way around this? Or would it just involve removing the towers and just aerating the water through bubble wands/stones...

EDIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Could gunk in my xP3 hoses be the culprit? They are brown and stuff...whenever I turn the filter off, then cut it back on the filter sprays out a bunch of white silky looking stuff.