HELP!! Murky water

[Ady1397]

I cant seem to clear up the water in my goldfish tank. It's not a bacterial bloom. I've checked the ammonia, nitrate, nitrites, pH, and general hardness of the water. Everything keeps coming out fine. There is plenty of filtration and the fish are doing great. I've done water changes since but they haven't really helped. I do have lava rock in the filters. Would that give a tint to the water? What could be wrong? Please help!

72 gal. tank, Fluval 404, Eheim pro II, 2 Whisper 40

 

[krap101]

what color is the "murk"?

 

[krap101]

oh and do you have driftwood/peat that'll get it to a orangish/yellow color.

 

[TankGirl]

What are the exact readings of your ammonia, nitrite and nitrate? That will be helpful to know, and also how long has the tank been set up?

Lava rock won't add a tint to the water at all.

Are the goldies rooting around a lot in the gravel, stirring up muck, possibly?

 

[grimlock3000]

How many fish are in the tank? How often do they get fed?

 

[Ady1397]

The murk is a yellowish green.
there is nothing in the tank except the fish...
no gravel , no drift wood, no decorations, nothing..bare tank

I changed most of the water over the past week and the murk is still there

could it bee an algea infestation.. the tank walls seem to be clean and there is no visible sign of it

 

[grimlock3000]

there is nothing in the tank except the fish...
no gravel , no drift wood, no decorations, nothing..bare tank

That must be very exciting for the fish.

 

[krap101]

lol yeah. get some pvc the 3 way or something. your fish'll love u.

 

[BrianNY]

Well, as everyone knows I keep barebottom discus tanks because it is easier to keep the whole tank clean. Goldfish might be a species that benefit from smooth gravel. They love to pick it up and spit it out.

Here's what I think is happening Ady . Goldfish produce alot of waste. The solid waste is dissolving and becoming part of the water column. To get a sparkling clear tank, you need to be changing more water. I'd suggest 25% a day until you see an improvement.

 

[Ady1397]

The tank is bare because of the problem we're having. We usually have large smooth river stones covering the bottom. We do have a full tank and they are well fed but I don't think it's too much. There is no peat in the tank and we increased water changes to 25% every other day. I will increase changes to every day to see if that helps. The "murk" is a yellowish whiteish cloudiness. Thanks everyone who's written so far and I look forward to getting more advice from you guys!

 

[Ady1397]

The tank is bare because of the problem we're having. We usually have large smooth river stones covering the bottom. We do have a full tank and they are well fed but I don't think it's too much. There is no peat in the tank and we increased water changes to 25% every other day. I will increase changes to every day to see if that helps. The "murk" is a yellowish whiteish cloudiness. Thanks everyone who's written so far and I look forward to getting more advice from you guys!

 

[poikilotherm]

Since it's cloudy, you may be able to remedy it with a 20 minute run with a diatom filter...

Since the murk is not attenuated by water changes, that may not be a permanent solution, but then again neither are big daily water changes...

Might be worth trying though. Someone else may have a better idea, but the Vortex D1, while slightly underpowered for your tank, is a good deal at bigalsonline for $69.

Also, cutting back on feeding may help. You've probably thought of that!

 

[grimlock3000]

Sounds like a definite bloom. White blooms are usually bacteria, and green blooms are algae. I suppose yellowish/white bloom could be either at this point. I can take a lot of patience to clear it up. Lower feedings, keep up with the water changes, and wait...

Also, if you had substrate in the tank and took it out, it can just make the situation worse because you remove some of your good bacteria in the process.

A diatom filter would work as well, but just removing the particles from the tank.

 

[Ady1397]

would a uv sterilizer work??
is it good to have one anyway?

 

[Overstocker]

Sounds like an algae bloom to me. Make sure the tank is not getting any direct sunlight... Also, try some new charcoal