Cloudy Water - how long - do you wait?

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Make sure your lily pipe is just below the water surface, and It should be creating a Venturi effect, which will help to agitate the water .. I have the lily pipes and this is exactly what it should be doing.. Additionally you may wish to look at a surface skimmer... But I note the following.. Do not agitate the water too much as your Co2 absorption in the water is diminished, you need to resolve the reason for the scum on the water surface.. In order to have a balanced aquarium..
 
Just got in today into the office - to check the tank, and I was not overly impressed with the clarity. I therefore do feel that I have an issue - maybe it is a bacterial bloom. I give the clarity a 8/10 - and - I am coming back in tomorrow - to do a water change. I have added another serve of Accuclear - and will check it tomorrow. I know that I should not alone rely on the Accuclear as I need to resolve the issue. Additionally - I have increased the community of fish from 4, to 32 - so this may play a part in getting the tank and or water column to increase/decrease in its parameters - will test tomorrow and let you all know.
 
Just got in today into the office - to check the tank, and I was not overly impressed with the clarity. I therefore do feel that I have an issue - maybe it is a bacterial bloom. I give the clarity a 8/10 - and - I am coming back in tomorrow - to do a water change. I have added another serve of Accuclear - and will check it tomorrow. I know that I should not alone rely on the Accuclear as I need to resolve the issue. Additionally - I have increased the community of fish from 4, to 32 - so this may play a part in getting the tank and or water column to increase/decrease in its parameters - will test tomorrow and let you all know.
It's not a bacterial bloom. The UV would prevent/clear that up in hours. I'd say it's the soil/sand that's causing the cloudiness. I'm not familiar with sumps but can you add some filter floss. It will help catch any small particles that can cause the cloudiness.....
 
Ian, UV I have ruining when the co2 comes on, I also have a filter sock 100 microns at the dump of water from tank to sump, the sump is crystal clear.. I reckon I have not cycled yet as there were not enough fish in the tank, and therefore it just lengthened the cycle - now that I have introduced more fish into the tank I am going to have to monitor the parameters.. Thanks
 
Just completed a 50% water change tonight, will post my findings and my picture of the clarity, if any - tomorrow. So addictive looking after the planted aquarium, even though a lot of work - very rewarding to have a piece of nature in the home... Cannot explain the addiction and dedication I have to this hobby. If only you knew the trouble I go to each week - late at night to perform a water change - but I love it.
 
Just completed a 50% water change tonight, will post my findings and my picture of the clarity, if any - tomorrow. So addictive looking after the planted aquarium, even though a lot of work - very rewarding to have a piece of nature in the home... Cannot explain the addiction and dedication I have to this hobby. If only you knew the trouble I go to each week - late at night to perform a water change - but I love it.


Addictive, challenging, rewarding: vicious cycle. I think people reading this understand your passion. Hope the tank clears up.
 
You know, I have a 320 litre installed in the office.. And every Sunday night I do a water change by draining 50% out of the window 3 storeys up.. As I have nowhere else to drain.. Then to top up I run 3 x 60 metre length hosing - that's right my nearest water line is 180 metres away from the tank.. - around from a kitchennette - on the other side of the building - to the office for refilling.. When finished filling the rank.. Then I have to drain all the 3 x hoses by hanging each one out of the window, then wind them up, on their hose reel.. If I didn't like the end results I would never be doing it..
 
OK - came in today and whilst the lights were off - the tank would rate around 7/10. When the lights come on - and tank starts to diminish in clarity. Remember that I have a tank at home, that admittedly has been running for over 5 years - CRYSTAL Clear. I am trying to stay away from Accuclear - as I see no point to band-aid solutions. The parameters are PH - 7.6 (a little high for my liking), A - 0, N - 0, N - 0. At a loss - thinking of sitting it out. Bacterial bloom? - how do I know - yes I have taken water into a white cup and the cup is clear - additionally - the sump water is also clear. Just the tank - seems to sprout up a cloud. Any suggestions - advice - thanking you in advance
 
OK - came in today and whilst the lights were off - the tank would rate around 7/10. When the lights come on - and tank starts to diminish in clarity. Remember that I have a tank at home, that admittedly has been running for over 5 years - CRYSTAL Clear. I am trying to stay away from Accuclear - as I see no point to band-aid solutions. The parameters are PH - 7.6 (a little high for my liking), A - 0, N - 0, N - 0. At a loss - thinking of sitting it out. Bacterial bloom? - how do I know - yes I have taken water into a white cup and the cup is clear - additionally - the sump water is also clear. Just the tank - seems to sprout up a cloud. Any suggestions - advice - thanking you in advance
0 Nitrates is very uncommon if not impossible. Also your plants need it to survive. What is your fert dosing method/how much. I'm still convinced it's your substrate that causing the cloudiness. I recently(about 2mths) started a 29g with eco fine and the water is still cloudy. My other tanks are crystal clear. I have a video thread on it.
 
Ian, thanks for the reply. My fertilisation is ADA - Potassium daily, and on alternate days, ADA Brighty Special Lights(double dose), on alternate days (double dose) Green Brighty Step 1.. My soil has been the ADA Power Sand mixture with the ADA Aqua Soil. Thanks in advance. Nitrates are definitely 0 - saw the reading around 5 minutes ago - when i took the test using the API test kits - which I have been using for years.. Thanks in advance. .
 
Ok - I have just pumped some AccuClear into the tank, - WOW - this stuff is amazing, at band-aiding the situation. The water has gone to crystal clear within an hour. Unbelievable. I have been suggested to try the following product - and - wish to know - if anyone has ever used.. PSB | AZOO CORPORATION - Photo Synthetic Bacteria
 
Just wondering - is there any harm in using AccuClear - until the tank sorts itself out - and gets to the cycling process on its own, and in the meantime - use Accuclear as required. Can you produce harm into the tank - by using Accuclear constantly? - each 24 hours or more?
 
I don't think it would necessarily be harmful to use beyond 48 hours but if this is the case then finding the root cause would be the priority. Clear sump + cloudy tank is an odd situation. Perhaps the substrate is leaching something? If this is a bacterial bloom then it may runs it course after a few days. Hope you figure this one out.
 
See picture of sump ImageUploadedByAquarium Advice1401105778.092764.jpg - I don't have a picture of tank in its cloudy part, as it is not that visible when taking the photo..
 
That is a nice sump. I have one in storage; have not used it over 10+ years. Mostly because it is too big for my current setup and the lack of flexibility. It is a trickle style with plastic barrel like media. I got it back when wet-dry filters were all the rage.
Oh, the few times I have used API AcuClear I've noticed that the section of the tank will become milky white where the flocculant was added and slowly spread through the tank. I guess this depends on the amount of suspended particles are in the water at the time. If I've added too much then the tank will become cloudy for a day or two.
 
If you still have to cycle the tank, I would even worry about this issue. With that stuff you are using clearing the tank in an hour, I can almost guarantee it's the substrate. All that stuff does is binds the particles together so that the filter is then able to catch them. That why you need to look at the filtration a bit closer. As I said, I don't know anything about sumps but look into adding some floss somewhere.....
Have you got a spare hob filter you could try on it. Fill it with floss and it will help clear it up quicker. Also when you add new water, are you disturbing the substrate. This will kick up tons of particles that will cause cloudiness. Bacterial blooms will not clear by any water changes or the clear stuff you are using. The only thing that will clear it is either time or a UV. As you have a UV, that rules a bloom out. You could continue to use the product you have but as was said, you need to try something else to solve the problem.
 
Ian, the sump has a filter sock - 100 microns. UV is installed but running only 8 hours. I will let it run for longer. The substrate, has BELEM grass growing all over it... And the fish hardly touch it. When I water change I have an attachment similar to a microphone cover over the outlet to break up the water as it enters the tank which works well - you almost have no idea that the water is being added.. I will check all today..thanks for your support
 
Still battling with cloudy water, however - I want to post the following question - which came to me - when I was topping up my SUMP.. I find that my sump - as pictured above, needs topping up.. Therefore when I have the SUMP - exposed - filter media - exposed - for a day around 12 or more hours, and the noodles as pictured - dry, is this killing good bacteria, and therefore - when I top up - I am affecting the clarity of the water etc..
 
I suppose it is possible that bacteria become exposed and die when the water level drops for several hours and in the process of refilling the sump, the cellular material/remains contributes to the cloudiness.
Would it be possible to rearrange things in such that the ceramic media is at the bottom of the sump (should guarantee 100% submersion all of the time) and the whitish pads are above them? This would resolve the dry out issue. This may not totally resolve the cloudiness issue but it might help.
 
Thanks Fresh2o - this is definitely a plan! - will move and see how it goes.. Although a simple thought - sometimes - the simple things in life are overlooked.
 
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