Cloudy Water

[azn_fishy55]

My tank seems fine a week ago when I introduced 6 fancy guppies and 2 dwarf gouramis and the tank already had 3 endler's livebearers,1 oto and 3 dwarf puffers.I first didn't want 6 guppies but only 4 but my crazy sister and grandmother went balistic and bought 2 more.I thought I was introducing to many fish at one time but I could do nothing,because my grandma doesn't ever listen to me since she is one of those old school aquarists and thinks that since I added some Bio-Spira the water became dirty but its wasn't very dirty at this point.So after a week I bought 2 otos and 3 cories.One oto dies upon introducing it in the tank and the other fish seem good.So now three days later the water is awfully cloudy and partlicles are suspended within the water.I don't think it is the filtration because I have an AquaClear 20 with 2 sponges and Bio-Max and a Whisper 5-15 no carbon.I don't think there is a CO2 defficienty because my plants are growing like crazy.I been pruning some now and then,I didn't expect this becuase the tank is so young.So now I am pretty confused what is happening and I am now very very mad at my grandma and my sister.I wish I could get pics of the tank but my laptop is getting fixed so I can't take any pics.Any suggestions?

 

[youronlysin]

First off, dont get mad at anyone! There are several things that could be going on in your tank to cause water clouding. I couldnt tell you all of them, but I'll give you a little advice based on my experiences.

You could be experiencing an algae bloom. You say your plants are growing like crazy and you have CO2 installed so I would say that, with your lighting, your due for an algae bloom. Those come on rather unexpectedly, and you really cant predict when its going to happen so just let it ride and it will subside. There isnt a chemical that will make it go away any faster and you wouldmt really want to add any nasty chemicals to your tank anyway. I've tried and failed. The two blooms I've experienced only lasted a few days, but each time it happened when I was expecting company and wanted my tanks to look pristine.

There are several other things that could be going on, but we dont know the tank's age, so we would have to make many assumptions. Lets just start here; Regardless of the possibilities, lets take care of the basics first. Make sure there are no dead fish or plant matter in the tank i.e. remove any decaying material. Perform a good water change if you havent already....30 to 50 percent right off, then do 20 to 30 percent water changes daily for a little while....if there is something bad going on, we want to keep the water in good shape for the inhabitants that have to suffer through it.

Your tank is pretty heavily stocked, so keep up with your water changes; weekly 20 percent changes should be routine. Those plants will help tremendously!!!! I would like to mention that I think 3 dwarf puffers in a 15 gallon community tank is extreme. I would never tell anyone they are wrong for doing something, but I think its important to understand the possible outcomes. Although Ive never kept them, it is my understanding that you would not want more than one puffer in the same tank of that size. It seems to be working for you for the moment....cool.

Relax on the feeding schedule for a few days. In fact, your fish should be fine with no feedings at all for 3-4 days. More than that, really, but lets just see what we can do in a few days.

In review, Clean old matter from the tank, perform your water changes!!!! reduce feedings and wait for a few days to see how it goes. You should consider investing in a water paramater test kit...the results could help us pin-point whats going on in your tank.

The best advice I can give you is to keep updating this forum with your progress, because there are many, many people with wonderful advice and many have so much more knowledge than I do. I just have a love for the hobby and the people on this site that have helped me from the beginning and I felt compelled to say something to ease your mind just a bit. I know there is so much more I should tell you, but lets go one step at a time. Let us know whats going on, please! There will be many others with great advice for you, so check back often! Good Luck!!!!

 

[Purrbox]

When a tank becomes cloudy like you describe it is usually one of two things.

If the cloudiness looks mostly white, then it is probably a bacteria bloom. Considering the number of fish that you added at one time, I would suspect that this is the case. Your tank probably is going through a mini cycle, and the cloudiness is visible evidence that it is catching up. It should go away in a couple of days.

However if the cloudiness is more green in coloration, you are dealing with an algae bloom of green water. In this case you probably have high Nitrates or Phosphates. The treatment is regular waterchanges and avoid overfeeding. In extreme cases a three day blackout will help to clear it up faster, but you still need to treat the cause.

As youronlysin said, test results for the basics like Ammonia, Nitrite, and Nitrate would be helpful now and in the future for pinpointing problems.

 

[azn_fishy55]

I think it is a bacteria bloom because the cloudyness is pretty a light white.I already have the test kits I need I just couldn't test at that time when I was posting,I am going to post it later because I have a head ache.But the water has been cloudy for like 4 days,is this normal?

 

[Wizzard~Of~Ozz]

If you have powerglo lights, take a sample in a clear glass and check it in daylight, I had what looked like milky water, once I took the water outside I noticed it was very green.

 

[Lonewolfblue]

And the plants will take in the nitrogen in any form, whether it's ammonia, nitrite, or nitrate. So that helps as well. And keep up with the PWC's. You should be fine in a couple days.

 

[azn_fishy55]

I did a HUGE water change,maybe not that huge but that was tiring because I don't have a Python and I am completly exhausted.I'll test when the tank settles down a bit.Also I don't have power-glo lights,I have Coralife compact fluorescent lights.Thanks!^_^

 

[Simpte]

Remove excess organics trapped on top of the substrate. That is likely causing your bacterial bloom. Common in planted tanks as many don't do the necessary cleaning in the early stages until the tank balances out.

 

[azn_fishy55]

I got an aquarium pharmauticals test kit since I think it is much easier than using Red Sea test kits.Here are my parameters according to the AP test kit.
pH:6.6
Ammonia:8.0 ppm
Nitrite:5.0 ppm
Nitrate:10 ppm
I was surprised at these test reads and that they were all bad even when I did a large water change before hand.I tried sucking out more organic material in the tank but I wasn't able to be all of it.I'll have to do another large water change monday.I was also surprised that the high levels of ammonia and nitrite didn't stress the fish, they seem in very good condition and not any visible sign of stress.The cloudy water is still there and there is an out-break in spot algae.I've been trying to scrape it off with a toothbrush and had some success.I don't think my tank is doing very well at this moment

 

[Lonewolfblue]

With those numbers, looks like you need to do another large PWC ASAP. Ammonia of 8ppm is way high. Get the ammonia down to under 1ppm if you have fish, and keep it there. Also, should try to get your ph a little higher, as it's getting to the area where it slows down the bacteria growth. Try to get it to around 7.0. Should be able to do that with just PWC's.

 

[Lonewolfblue]

May need to do several PWC's and gravel vacs over the next few days, especially if you have a lot of bad stuff in the gravel.

 

[azn_fishy55]

I don't have gravel but sand so it should be fairly easy to get the debris and organic waste.

 

[Lonewolfblue]

True. that's what I like about the pool filter sand in my 55G. Just wave the gravel vac over the sand to kick up the waste and suck it up. Also with the sand you want to stir it on occasion as well, or get MTS to do it for you.

 

[azn_fishy55]

Yep,I have some MTS in the tank and I stir the top layer of the sand with the end of a toothbrush.I did a water change and left the water at a low enough level so the filters make a strong current to mix up debirs and suck it up.I also siphon it out with the gravel vac,will buying a canister filter help clean up this tank?At the rate I am going it is going to be awhile before the water clears up.I was thinking a FilStar XP1 or a fluval 204 or maybe an ehiem.

 

[Lonewolfblue]

A cannister might help some. Either Filstar or Fluval is good, Fluvals are a little harder to setup and open, but once you get used to it, they are just as good. I'm adding a XP3 to my 55G today.

 

[azn_fishy55]

I did another two large water change but not much is changing.The water is clearing up a bit tho,here are my parameters:
pH:6.2(it went down because last time I tested I just repleced my CO2 bottles)
Ammonia:8.0 ppm
Nitrite:2.0 ppm(went down a little)
Nitrate:160 ppm( went up aloot)
I have a question,if the nitrites are going down and turning into nitrate why is the ammonia still the same?

 

[azn_fishy55]

My test kits keep getting the same readings,well not exactly the same but nearly and it only changes back one level or stays the same?The test kit I am using is an AP FW Master test kit that I bought the day before christmas.The cloudy water seems to be improving but the parameters are making me think I should tear down and start over

 

[Wizzard~Of~Ozz]

Not sure what was covered in this thread but, what water conditioner are you using?

your ammonia is very high from what I know, you may want to consider using prime (bonds ammonia to a form the plants can still use, but isn't toxic) or ammo chips..

That looks like it's cycling and there isn't enough lpant to remove the nitrate/ammonia.. it actually looks like the biological filtration can't keep up but is trying it's hardest..

when you are vacuuming the bottom, do you push the vacuum right into the substrate? or do you just lift what's sitting on the bottom (should be this one)?

Also consider 25% water changes every day to try and get the nitrate down.

 

[czcz]

Ammonia:8.0 ppm
Nitrite:2.0 ppm(went down a little)
Nitrate:160 ppm( went up aloot)

If this is your tank with a soil layer, and there is a chance you messed up or did not soak the soil for long enough beforehand, tearing it down and starting over is likely the easiest and most effective solution. If you decide to use layers with soil again, suggest you use a tried and true set-up following instructions from an expert (Tom Barr or Diana Walstad) exactly. You cannot mess around with soil.

Do not forget that mulm and a little peat under any inert (Schultz/Turface/etc) or planted aquarium substrate will start the tank off well, while avoiding the complications with soil. You would just need to fertlize in the water column instead. HTH

 

[azn_fishy55]

Well,I do have a soil layer but it is even smaller than half an inch because I didn't have enough soil when I was setting up.I didn't think it would be the problem becuase it is under a layer of shult's then sand(with sand on the top).I used Miracle Grow potting soil and let it soak for two weeks and took out all the stuff that floated to the top and only used the stufff on the bottom.The top layer was mostly composed pf lighter material such as bark and wood chipping and the bottom layer was all the organic stuff.I should start another thread for the tearing down part so I will get more answers.TAHNKS FOr ALL THE HELP!!! ^_^