need advice on cloudy tank....

[rccolaman]

I have had my 29 gal tank set up for a few years. I have never had a problem with my water clouding up until now. I do a water change and it stays the same. If someone could help me out I would appreciate it greatly.

 

[ttopmustanggt88]

filter floss. clean it daily. works wonders for me when trying to get ultra clear water. what color cloudy is it??

 

[FawnN]

What are your water parameters? Have you changed anything in your routine? And meds used lately or change in water conditioner?

 

[poikilotherm]

Have you changed anything you have been doing? Water changes, feeding amounts, light timing, medication? Are you using the same source for your water? Have any fish gone missing?

It is possible that your tank's nitrifying bacterial population has crashed. If you are testing your water, have you seen an ammonia or nitrite spike?

-Edit- Should've refreshed before posting! You guys are fast!

 

[loganj]

My guess is a bacterial bloom. I happens sometimes. Usually, this condition will go away on it's own. It doesn't just happen to new tanks either. UV sterilization is the most effective way to rid your tank of this. If you can borrow one for a couple of days, I think you'll see the cloudy water disappear. This is assuming your water parameters are normal of course. I recently had a bacteria problem in a 55g FW that had been up for several years. I tried everything over a period of a couple of weeks with no success. One night with a 57w UV and the water was crystal clear...no problems since.

 

[FishLover14]

Try doing regular partial water changes.....


Dan

 

[Fishyfanatic]

I had the exact same problem with my 10 gal tank. I had two angels and the tank was perfectly crystal clear until I did a partial water change. It turned so cloudy that I couldn't see the back of the tank. I tried everything from daily water changed to several types of chemicals. What finally made it work was I changed the filtration unit to a 35 gal tank unit and used Algea Fix and Clarity. Within a few days it was perfect again. I haven't had a problem since.

 

[FawnN]

If you are having any cloudy water, I would strongly recommend not using any of those chemicals that claim to clear your water.

Those are only temporay fixes and will only mask your true problem. Cloudy water is a sign of a bacterial bloom (extra nutrients in your water) that could be caused by various reasons. And I personally feel that partial water changes will remedy that problem.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

I took water samples to my local pet store and they told me that my water was perfect and they couldn't see why I would be having such cloudy water. After using Clarity, Algea fix, upping the temperature in my tank to 80, and using the filtration unit for the 35 gal, the cloudiness went away overnight. It hasn't been cloudy since I used it and I haven't had to use any of the chemicals since.

 

[FishLover14]

Dont use any of the medicens they work well but in a few weeks it is cloudy again.

Just to regular partial water changes.

Dan

 

[Fishyfanatic]

Dan,
Partial water changes aren't always the solution. I did daily water changes for 8 days and it never helped. The water that I didn't replace was still always cloudy and would just cloud up the new water. I even went so far as to one day emptying 75 % of the water. Still, no help.