Cloudy water?

[HOLLIEO]

My water has always been a nice crisp clear color. Last night it was defianatly cloudy. I cleaned the cartridge on the filter and took the cucumber i had in the tank. but this morning it was still cloudy. My levels are all unchanged. I use the test strips, and no change in parameters.
Any clue as to why my water is suddenly cloudy?
I have not added any new 'real' plants. Actually I don't have any real plants. No new fish. The only new thing that I have done is stuck (with a suction cup) a cucumber slice at the bottom of my tank for my snails to eat. Could this have made the water cloudy? or is something else going on?

 

[Oscar]

Yes, the cucumber Could be the problem. If the "cloudy" is a whiteish colour you probably have a Bacterial bloom. I would suggest a 25% water change and the use of Cycle (or another similar product) I have also had some success with Hagens "B" Clear. When you use something like cucumber or Zuchini you should blanche it in boiling water first. Hope this helps

 

[HOLLIEO]

Yeah. It is a whitish color. I will do the water change when i get home, thanx!
Ummm, sorry to sound like an idiot but what does blanche mean? and why is this done?

 

[Zic]

Blanching is when you put vegetables into boiling water for a few seconds. You don't want them to get mushy from cooking too long. I'm not sure if blanching is done to soften up vegetables or to remove bacteria.

 

[HOLLIEO]

Thanks ZIC! Wow! What a goober I am. I just thought you washed the veggies off a bit and that would be fine.
I didn't even consider the possibility of bacteria introduction.
Will this be harmful at all to my fish? Or will they be okay as long as I do a little water replacement (25%)?

 

[TankGirl]

The blanching makes the veggies easier for the fish to eat, and also helps keep them from wanting to float. The bacteria will only be a problem if you leave the veggie in there for more than a day. Probably the veggie was in there a bit too long and started to break down a little, fouling the water. Just do water changes, and I don't think you need any products to clear the water just yet.

 

[HOLLIEO]

Thanks guys... and gals..
I changed some water and whammo!!! Already a nice crisp color.

 

[Zic]

My favorite feeling, when it comes to my fish anyways, besides getting new fish, is when I change the water and the tank looks nice and clean. About two weeks ago, I changed the water after cleaning the algae off the front and sides (I let it grow in the back and decorations, I like how it looks). I let the filter run for awhile before I turned the light back on. I was quite pleased with myself when I turned the light on and my tank was crystal clear.

It didn't look like fish in water behind glass at all. It looked like fish hanging in midair! The fish are happy and I'm a proud fishkeeper

 

[HOLLIEO]

bad news..
I thought it was clear. But it just still seems a little cloudy. I haven't put any chems in and no food (other than regular fish flakes). Levels have not changed any.
I just stuck one of my back up crappy little pennplax corner filters on my tank in addtion to the Penguin 125 biowheel to see if it would help clear up.
This morning the tank still looked a little cloudy. I will try a water change later and see if it stays clear. What is happening?

 

[silvi-p]

hi holli,
maybe the bacteria bloom is not quite over yet. do you have young fish in that tank? otherwise, I'd stop giving food altogether, especially flakes are destined to make these sort of things worse.

because there is such a heat wave here, I have a *slight* bloom as well, but if I don't use flakes, only frozen food, the water stays almost clear. it doesn't bother me much since I do weekly water changes and it doesn't get too much that way.

-s.

 

[HOLLIEO]

Yes. I have about 14 molly fry.
I do weekly water changes too. This is weird.