Can nitrate cloud tank?

[KevinB]

Seeing a pattern with my tank and need help.

Have a 39 tall that is fully cycled, and has been running stable number for about a month or more. tests are 7/0/0/ 10-40. I have been doing 12-14 gallon water changes when the tank exceeds 40ppm nitrate after 10 days or so.

The question is, the tank seems to get cloudy before a water change, even though the tests are 7/0/0. The cloudiness goes away after the PWC. Does nitrate cloud the tank?

I ask because I was going to run some purigen, or an ammonia absorbing media, or plants to stretch the PWC's a bit. But that wouldn't work if there is something else clouding the water.

Thanks,
Kevin

 

[Mattyfelts]

to help the cloudiness try running carbon, 10-40 is a huge range.

 

[KevinB]

I do run carbon, but was thinking of removing it, and adding more media. I didn't think carbon had anything to do with Nitrate.

Also, not sure how 10ppm to 40 is a huge range. It's around 10ppm after a PWC, and rises to 40 when I change it again. It's not going to stay the same is it? The tank isn't planted. I expect it to increase, just didn't expect it to be associated with cloudiness. I thought cloudiness comes fro bacterial blooms.

Thanks

 

[Mebbid]

There are three different reasons water gets cloudy. The most common is a bacterial bloom in a cycling tank. This generally goes away after the tank is cycled.

The second type is physical debris in the water which modifying your filtration should take care of.

The last type, which happens to be the worst and rarest is an algae bloom. There aren't really a whole lot of ways to get rid of an algae bloom but the most practiced is a tank black out for 3 days. I ended up using a UV sterilizer when I had this problem in my reef tank.

 

[KevinB]

I'm familiar with all of that, just didn't seem to fit the pattern. No algae, tank is cycled. Could be filtration, but just trying to understand why it correlates with Nitrate and my routine PWC. I change the water, the cloudiness goes away even though the ammonia/nitrites are zero and well tested.

Kevin

 

[Mebbid]

Maybe a before and after picture of the cloudiness?

 

[KevinB]

Sure, next time (10 days or so from now) when I do a PWC, I will take a pic before and after.

 

[KevinB]

Update on this. On my initial post I mentioned that I had a fully cycled tank of about 5 months, with stable numbers (7,0,0,<40) for over a month. Now one month later and several water changes the water is staying crystal clear.

I am thinking that the more filled up filter is polishing the water more.