Hi! New here with some newbie questions

[MGannon]

Hi everyone, I'm Michelle and new here.
I have a 50 gallon long tank.
Having some cloudiness is my water. Water tests wonderful in all parameters. So not sure exactly what the problem is. I have been adding API's Accu clear and 24 hours later it is the same. It's not bad but nothing like when I first set it up.
I also did a 50% water change 2 days ago, filter all clean with new pads and bio. Water still the same
I'm assuming it has to do with a bio bloom. At least I hope. If so, what can I do to speed this along?

 

[Aiken Drum]

What precisely are your water parameters?

How long has your tank been set up?

Do you have fish in the tank or are you doing a fishless cycle?

 

[MGannon]

Hi and thank you for responding!
I am using the API testing kit. And here are the following numbers.
Ph 7.0
Hph 7.0
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrite 0

Set up tank and cycled 1 month before adding any fish. Fish were added throughout a 2 week period. Now have aprox 45. Mostly small tetras and a couple black Molly's. 4 Cory's and a few snails for maintenance
I have also added live plants to aquarium. (Only roots are in tank. Plant is hung on side)
Also my substrate is sand.
So to sum it up, it's been running for over a month. I'm assuming it's the shock of fish and will eventually even out and water start clearing up.
Oh also running the pen plax cascade 1000.

I thank you In advance.. especially if you tell me I shouldn't worry.. it will clear up

 

[Aiken Drum]

How did you cycle the tank?

Im going to assume the 2nd nitrite is actually nitrate.

Firstly, there is something wrong with your water testing. Its practically impossible to have all your water parameters at zero. The nitrogen cycle takes the ammonia your fish produce and turns it into nitrate. Nitrate is removed through water changes. Change half the water, and the nitrate is halved. So a cycled tank will have some nitrate in it. An uncycled tank will have ammonia and/ or nitrite depending on how far along your cycle is.

The only way to have all zeros is if the test was done after a near 100% water change and all you are testing is what the parameters of your tap water is, not what the parameters of your tank is. Showing zero across the board tells us there is something wrong with your testing and the numbers cant really be trusted, you may or may not be cycled. Make sure you are following the instructions on the testing properly. Make sure your test kit isnt out of date. Get a 2nd opinion, either try a different test kit or take a sample to a fish store for them to test. Make sure the test or sample is taken before your regular water change, so that the new water isnt diluting whats in the tank.

45 fish is quite a lot for a 50 gallon tank. It hasnt been set up long, those fish will be producing a lot of waste, your test doesn't show anything. The overstocking will be putting lots of nutrients in the water, and these nutrients will be fuelling a bacterial bloom. Ordinarily bacterial blooms clear up on their own as the cycle establishes, but with that level of heavy stocking it may not.

So. Get your water parameters double checked, they make no sense. Up the water changes to remove nutrients from the water. Give it a couple of weeks to see if things settle out. If they dont you might want to reduce the numbers of fish in the tank. The nuclear option is a UV steriliser that will kill off the bacteria in 24 hours and clear the tank, but thats dealing with the symptom rather than the cause.

 

[Aiken Drum]

You also mention "new bio". Do you mean you replaced the biological media in the filter? Or do you just mean the biological media is new because its only just been set up?

You should only replace biological filter media if its falling apart. This should be years, if not decades down the line. Every time you replace the biological media you lose all the microbes responsible for your cycle and you then to re-establish. A periodic rinsing in dechlorinated water is all you need. Same goes for any sponges.

If you do need to replace it some time in the future, dont replace it all at once. Do a little one week, a little more the next. Gradually replace it over a period of a couple of months.

 

[MGannon]

I will double check my readings and get back to you. Also I was told 1 tetra per gallon of water.. so I don't think it's overstocked. Maybe I stocked too fast? Idk

 

[MGannon]

There was charcoal in it and I replaced it with ceramic rings. And I can understand reusing the black sponge but not the white cotton. Yuck. There is no way to rinse that. It would fall apart.

 

[Aiken Drum]

1 inch per gallon of water is often quoted and not a very good metric, but its better than 1 fish per gallon. Most tetras are more than 1 inch. You have mollys and corys that are more than one inch each also. When you account for substrate, aquascape etc, your 50 gallon tank probably only has 40 gallons of water in it.

Your 45 fish in the 40 gallons is lets say heavily stocked. Especially for a new hobbyist.

If you were having no issues, id say its fine. But you are having problems. Reducing the number of fish to a more managable number will help considerably.

 

[MGannon]

Well I'll take some out and put in my 20g. See if that makes a difference
Thank you for all your advice. Not new to the hobby but new to this forum.

 

[Colin_T]

Hi everyone, I'm Michelle and new here.
I have a 50 gallon long tank.
Having some cloudiness is my water. Water tests wonderful in all parameters. So not sure exactly what the problem is. I have been adding API's Accu clear and 24 hours later it is the same. It's not bad but nothing like when I first set it up.
I also did a 50% water change 2 days ago, filter all clean with new pads and bio. Water still the same
I'm assuming it has to do with a bio bloom. At least I hope. If so, what can I do to speed this along?

Hi Michelle and welcome to the forum

Stop adding things to clear the water.

Post a picture of the tank so we can see the cloudiness.

When you say you have new filter pads and bio in the filter, what exactly does that mean?
Did you replace all the filter media/ materials with new stuff?

What brand of filter do you have?
What sort of filter media is in the filter?
Is there anything that looks like a white granule in a bag or filter pad?