I just bought a new 72gal bowfront for my African Cichlids. I am using crushed coral in the bottom of the tank. This is the first time i have evr used crushed coral. The problem i am having is that the water is so cloudy it looks like milk. I rinsed the coral off before i put it in the tank, but it still let off huge amounts of residue. What is the best way for me to get rid of this cloudiness. Should i just let the filter run or is there something i can put in the water to clear it up quicker?
Cloudy water in new tank
- Thread starter JM
- Start date
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Menagerie
Aquarium Advice Addict
Just let the filter run. Are fish in the tank?
Menagerie
Aquarium Advice Addict
Okay, let the filter run and the cloudyness should go away.
TankGirl
Aquarium Advice Addict
Are you using ammonia to cycle?
If so, I would let it run and ignore the cloudiness. The cloudy debris created by the CC will settle down in a day or so, and you want the CC to buffer your water (I assume) so all that particulate matter will help do so. As the tank matures this will no longer be a problem.
If so, I would let it run and ignore the cloudiness. The cloudy debris created by the CC will settle down in a day or so, and you want the CC to buffer your water (I assume) so all that particulate matter will help do so. As the tank matures this will no longer be a problem.
I am not really worried about the cycling because i moved my filters from the old tank onto the new one, so the bio wheels have all the bacteria on them already. I was just wondering how long it will take this cloudiness to go away.
FawnN
Aquarium Advice Addict
By placing your established filters from your old tanks in your new one and no food to feed them, your bacteria will eventually die. You don't have any fish in your tank, so what are you doing to feed your bacteria?
BTW, I don't have any experience with crushed coral, so what is the crushed coral exactly for?
TankGirl
Aquarium Advice Addict
Crushed coral will raise the pH and hardness/alkalinity of the water, and is a great way to buffer for keeping Africans, most of which love hard, alkaline water.
Cloudiness will take a day or two to go away, but I will echo Fawn here (doing that a lot lately
) about the bacteria - it will die in a day or so without any ammonia to feed it.
Cloudiness will take a day or two to go away, but I will echo Fawn here (doing that a lot lately
) about the bacteria - it will die in a day or so without any ammonia to feed it.Shiloh
Aquarium Advice Newbie
Help!
I posted this on another thread, but after looking at the board more closely, I thought maybe this is the thread I should post my question on. So here goes......
I'm a newbie on this board and I sought you all out from frustration!
We have tanks that never seem to cycle! They are always cloudy- milky. We've tried regular filters, bio-filters, with & w/out undergravel, stones, no stones. This has been going on for over a year!
We finally got a new 55 gallon fresh water tank to switch the fish to this summer & kept the old one to winter the pond fish. We let both "age" for 2 weeks, during which time they were crystal clear. As soon as we added the fish, they started clouding - which I know is normal. But they NEVER go back to crystal clear!!! We've tried treated tap water, distilled water, spring water, drinking water - none of it seems to help!
Nitrate and Nitrite levels remain high - very high. Amonia hovers just at minimum safe levels to safe. Ph is fine. We only feed twice a day (although they beg
), and never feed if old food isn't cleared up. Today it has a light reddish/brown tint to the 55 gallon, and the items in the tank are taking on a rusty colored yuck stuff, too.
We cannot for the life of us figure out what to do! The fish are alive and well, but not pretty to look at like they should be. Any suggestions???
I posted this on another thread, but after looking at the board more closely, I thought maybe this is the thread I should post my question on. So here goes......
I'm a newbie on this board and I sought you all out from frustration!
We have tanks that never seem to cycle! They are always cloudy- milky. We've tried regular filters, bio-filters, with & w/out undergravel, stones, no stones. This has been going on for over a year!
We finally got a new 55 gallon fresh water tank to switch the fish to this summer & kept the old one to winter the pond fish. We let both "age" for 2 weeks, during which time they were crystal clear. As soon as we added the fish, they started clouding - which I know is normal. But they NEVER go back to crystal clear!!! We've tried treated tap water, distilled water, spring water, drinking water - none of it seems to help!
Nitrate and Nitrite levels remain high - very high. Amonia hovers just at minimum safe levels to safe. Ph is fine. We only feed twice a day (although they beg
), and never feed if old food isn't cleared up. Today it has a light reddish/brown tint to the 55 gallon, and the items in the tank are taking on a rusty colored yuck stuff, too. We cannot for the life of us figure out what to do! The fish are alive and well, but not pretty to look at like they should be. Any suggestions???
spence0416
Aquarium Advice Activist
-Shiloh
You probably should try starting your own thread to get more answers, but heres my guess at your problem...
Sounds like it could be algea. Is your tank getting direct sunlight? What kind of lighting are you using. Reduce the light and the tank will most likely clear up. Also if you have drift wood in the tank it will often leak out the brownish color. Don't forget to do weekly water changes.
You probably should try starting your own thread to get more answers, but heres my guess at your problem...
Sounds like it could be algea. Is your tank getting direct sunlight? What kind of lighting are you using. Reduce the light and the tank will most likely clear up. Also if you have drift wood in the tank it will often leak out the brownish color. Don't forget to do weekly water changes.
Shiloh
Aquarium Advice Newbie
Light
We have regular aquarium lights in both tanks. The 55 gallon has two lights that cover the length of the aquarium and the hexigon has one (all flouresent). One is against an inside wall. The other is next to a window where the shade is always pulled and curtains are over it. Indirect light, there.
I never thought about light causing something like this - every office I've ever been in with an aquarium has had lights. And I can see algea giving the reddish tint.... but would it also cause the high Nitrate and Nitrite levels and milky condition???
Years ago I used to raise Cobra Guppies to sell to a pet store. Never even let the water age. Just filled it up, poured in dechlorinator, dumped in the fish and went for it! Never even knew you were supposed to let a tank cycle, and it was always clear. Never a problem. This is just driving me crazy!!!
We have regular aquarium lights in both tanks. The 55 gallon has two lights that cover the length of the aquarium and the hexigon has one (all flouresent). One is against an inside wall. The other is next to a window where the shade is always pulled and curtains are over it. Indirect light, there.
I never thought about light causing something like this - every office I've ever been in with an aquarium has had lights. And I can see algea giving the reddish tint.... but would it also cause the high Nitrate and Nitrite levels and milky condition???
Years ago I used to raise Cobra Guppies to sell to a pet store. Never even let the water age. Just filled it up, poured in dechlorinator, dumped in the fish and went for it! Never even knew you were supposed to let a tank cycle, and it was always clear. Never a problem. This is just driving me crazy!!!
spence0416
Aquarium Advice Activist
If you are still showing high Nitrites then you have not finished cycling your tank. Once nitrites drop off then your cycle is complete. Algea and bacteria can cause the white milky cloudiness you are talking about. Algea will not cause your reading to change it just doesn't look very nice.
So for now limit the feeding to once per day (if not every other day), limit the amount of time you leave your light on, and keep doing a 10 - 20% water change every week. I am willing to bet this will clear up your tank in about a month.
Pick a filter and stick with it. Changing your filter can cause a new cycle to start. What you can do is try adding carbon if you haven't already done this.
So for now limit the feeding to once per day (if not every other day), limit the amount of time you leave your light on, and keep doing a 10 - 20% water change every week. I am willing to bet this will clear up your tank in about a month.
Pick a filter and stick with it. Changing your filter can cause a new cycle to start. What you can do is try adding carbon if you haven't already done this.
TankGirl
Aquarium Advice Addict
Shiloh - your tanks are never getting fully cycled. My guess is that in an effort to clear them you are cleaning the tank and filter, changing filter media, and otherwise disturbing the biofilter. Leave the tank completely alone and only do water changes to keep ammonia and nitrite levels low. Eventually, over a period of weeks, while doing nothing else, the tank will cycle and the water will clear. If this does not sound like what is going on, then go ahead and start a new thread so more people will see it and respond. Good luck -
