Cloudy water im established tank

[J duff]

My water is cloudy i recently changed substrate and planted my tank i did leave lights on 10+ hours a day and i reduced to 4 i do regular water changes i bought a new filter that im running with the old one why is it still cloudy

 

[BBradbury]

Cloudy Tank Water

My water is cloudy i recently changed substrate and planted my tank i did leave lights on 10+ hours a day and i reduced to 4 i do regular water changes i bought a new filter that im running with the old one why is it still cloudy

Hello J...

You likely just need to improve the media in the filter. Acurel has a good cut to fit padding that will help. Substrate can never be rinsed enough. It will always produce small particles that cloud the water. The filter padding will attract and hold those particles and the water will clean up in a few days. Keep up with large and frequent water changes. This will help maintain a stable water chemistry and clear up the tank water too.

B

 

[J duff]

Thankyou

 

[Rivercats]

If you do a WC does the water just cloud back up? If so you are having a bacterial bloom which can be caused when the substrate is disturbed a lot, among other things. Bacterial blooms normally run their course and clear up in a matter of days. If you just have a lot of very small, fine detritus particles in the water then you can get a cheap bag of 100% polyfill which can be bought at Walgreens, Target, or any craft store. Just stuff it into your filter where there is room. The dirtier the polyfill gets the smaller the particles it will filter out of the water. When it's dirty, just throw it away and add new.

A bacterial bloom will not be filtered out by filter media unless something like a polishing pad is used. Even then it may not work. Time almost always takes care of bacterial blooms.

 

[J duff]

Thankyou for the advice!

 

[Hulka9]

I used this after putting sand in my aquarium and cleared it up in no time. Works great.

http://www.amazon.com/API-Accu-Clear-Water-Clarifier-8-Ounce/dp/B000HHLQO0/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

 

[J duff]

My LFS told me its phosphate

 

[Caliban07]

My LFS told me its phosphate

Lol phosphate.

It's a bacterial bloom. You lost a lot of good bacteria on the gravel you replaced and the plants. Bacteria doesn't just grow in the filter.

Because there is now new surface area available the bacteria are trying to colonise themselves again. It will settle in a few days.

 

[J duff]

Its been like 2 weeks

 

[Cynic]

Are you incredibly overstocked?

 

[J duff]

Understocked of anything

 

[Rivercats]

Its been like 2 weeks

Have you checked your ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate levels? Your tank could still be in a mini cycle causing a bacterial bloom along with having some very find detritus in the water column. If it's detritus it the water will get clearer with each large WC but as I said a bacterial bloom will just cloud back up. I don't suggest using any type of water clarifier as they often don't work and actually cloud the water more. On rare occasion you will get an extended bacterial bloom and a UV sterilizer will clear it up by killing off the free floating bacteria. Just remember bacterial blooms can take weeks sometimes to clear up.

 

[J duff]

Could it clear up without a UV sterilizer ?

 

[Rivercats]

Could it clear up without a UV sterilizer ?

It can given enough time but many people get really impatient. In your case with having done a major rescape with a lot of substrate disturbance I would give the tank time. Just remember it can last weeks on rare occasion. A UV sterilizer like this one... Green Killing Machine Internal UV Sterilizer with Power Head at PETCO can be used if the water doesn't clear up.

 

[J duff]

Thankyou! I went to get that exact thing yesterday and petsmart person said they dont work

 

[Rivercats]

Many people on this forum use them and have all had positive results. I've yet to hear anyone say they didn't work for algae or bacterial blooms. They work fine in smaller tanks. If it was a tank over 75g I would go with an inline UV like I have on my 220g tank. Just be sure to get the proper size. As for the employee, I can say, but if they haven't actually used it then they can't give an honest opinion on whether they work or not. You could start a thread and ask how people who have used this UV sterilizer how it preformed.

 

[J duff]

Im about to go grab one

 

[jwh0818]

You should try some purigen as well. It will remove nitrogenous waste and also help clear your water up. its sold on ebay Amazon and most online fish stores/ equipment shops