VERY cloudy aquarium water - help

[megan_jones]

My tank has been set up with fish for over 2 years now and I have never had the problem before. A few weeks ago I did a 20% water change and the water went a little cloudy, I then added an anti-cloudy chemical to the tank which made it much worse but the problem sorted itself by the next day.
Yesterday I did another 35% water change and within a few hours the tank was already very cloudy again. By today it's even worse, as shown in the picture attached


I've tested the water and everything is completely fine although the pH is quite low at 6.6
I'm especially worried about this as there are currently 2 month old angelfish fry and a parent in the tank. They all seem to be doing fine and the parent even laid eggs today so she must be alright.

I'm just wondering if anyone can tell me why this is happening? Can it harm my fish? And how can I get rid of it and prevent it from happening again?

Thanks


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[54seaweed]

put charcoal in the filter box
1 or 2 big water changes doing these 2 things should help clear up in day or so
as for instant clear stuff thats for the birds

 

[megan_jones]

put charcoal in the filter box
1 or 2 big water changes doing these 2 things should help clear up in day or so
as for instant clear stuff thats for the birds

I completely agree, I won't be using it again haha. Problem is that I have an under gravel filter because of the fry so that might also add to the issue:/


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[PerfectDepth]

Looks like a bacterial bloom. If some of your bacteria have died off or have been removed somehow, there will be a population explosion as the bacteria multiply to "catch-up" until the colony is replenished. Until they latch on to some surface, they'll be suspended in the water, making it cloudy. Depending on how much bacteria has died or been removed, this can also cause a mini-cycle, so you may want to keep testing for ammonia and nitrite just in case.

Did you do anything that might harm your bio-filter, like rinsing the filter media in tap water, or remove an extra large amount of detritus with the gravel vac after not cleaning the gravel for a long time?

How often do you change water, and how much.

Has your pH always been that low, or is it dropping?

Edit: nevermind about the filter media- just read that you have an under-gravel. Is the UGF the only filtration?

 

[aqua_chem]

Looks like a bacterial bloom. If some of your bacteria have died off or have been removed somehow, there will be a population explosion as the bacteria multiply to "catch-up" until the colony is replenished. Until they latch on to some surface, they'll be suspended in the water, making it cloudy. Depending on how much bacteria has died or been removed, this can also cause a mini-cycle, so you may want to keep testing for ammonia and nitrite just in case.

Patently false. The bacteria that are free floating are heterotrophic bacteria. The are an entirely distinct species from the chemoautotrophic bacteria species that live in filters and convert ammonia stepwise into nitrate.


As long as your ammonia and nitrite aren't erratic, I wouldn't worry about it too very much just yet. Most of the things that cause cloudy water in FW (there are really only two, euglena and heterotrophic bacteria) are mostly cosmetic and not particularly dangerous. The danger comes when there is a concomitant issue that caused multiple issues. If it doesn't clear up in a week or so, or if your NH3/NO2 start to come up, then you should start to worry.

Also, do you know what your baseline pH is?

 

[PerfectDepth]

Thanks, didn't know that. What are the causes of a heterotrophic bacteria bloom?


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[aqua_chem]

I'm not sure that it's well understood, but I would propose, from an ecological standpoint, most likely a combination of available food and a relative lack of things that eat them in a young tank. As the tank matures, microscopic invertebrates would start to grow out as well, which eat these bacteria. Not just bacteria need to establish themselves; a whole food chain sets up in aquariums that we're not even aware of.

 

[PerfectDepth]

Thanks, that makes sense.

Aqua-chem, firstly I really appreciate your correction and sharing of your knowledge, it's very good to know. Secondly, what I said may be false, but "patently" false? Keep in mind that while it may be patently false to someone with your level of knowledge, it's evidently not so for everyone since it seems to be a somewhat common misconception.

Sorry for going off-topic.


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