water quality

[nyrmel]

ok I have a 20g fw (occupants in sig) and it has been doing well nice and clear ammo and trite holding at 0 trate at 10~15 planted tank gh 75 kh 100 ph 7 all holding pretty steady. been 2 days since a change and water went from ultra clear this morning to white clody tonight filter seems clear but I am puzzled any ideas?????

[rich311k]

What do you mean by an ultra clean? Sounds like a bacterial bloom.

[Zagz]

When you did your water change did you clean the filter. Water can go from ultra clear to cloudy due to a bacterial bloom as Rich has suggested. Usually caused by over cleaning your filter and reducing the beneficial bacteria. The water will clear again on it's own. You should keep an eye on the parameters just in case you do have a bacterial bloom and suffer a mini cycle.

[Purrbox]

The other likely culprit is green water. It can often look like a bacterial bloom at first, only taking on the green tint after some time. Either situation would likely be cause by a small ammonia spike, which as has been mentioned could be caused by damaging your biofilter. One of the ways to do that would be to rinse the filter with tapwater that hasn't been treated for Chlorine/Chloramines. Also have you done a head count recently? If some one went missing without your noticing, they could have died and caused a spike as well.

[marchmaxima]

I'd be conducting a set of tests if I were you. Monitor if needed.

[nyrmel]

ok everyone is accounted for
I rinse my filter in the WC water to get rid of crud but am careful to keep it wet and i rotate which one I rinse and I didnt change the filter the last time it looked pretty clean I picked off 2 little snails and dropped them back in. otherwise it was the same as pretty much the other wc's I have been doing (didnt swear once this time i was proud)
the water didnt seem to look green I put some in a white coffee cup and there was no green in a black cup it was kinda white. I do have that new tank diatoms thing going on. and params where steady from yesterday am to last night to this morning. I was just surprised to come home and have the water cloudy ithas been pretty clear throughout except for right after useing the vac. and it settles pretty fast. little better today ill keep watch thanks

[BillD]

Sounds like the normal bacterial bloom many new tanks get after a few weeks. It usually goes away with a water change or two. This is not caused by the nitrifying bacteria that lives on every surface in the tank, and filter.

[neilanh]

Did you remember to use a dechlorinator during your PWC? sometimes that can cause this to happen if you forget.

[nyrmel]

I always use a de clorinator even though my water contains NO clorine but as a saftey thing to use the conditioner today it seems kinda better but not as good as it was. i just find it to be so very strange. and a little unnerving since i am planning my first time away from my tank next weekend when i will be gone for several days leaving my fish on timed feeders and lights. I will continue to keep an eye on it thanks for the thots I am taking all to heart.

[marchmaxima]

If your water params are stable, and fish don't appear affected, then things should be okay. Just watch those params over the next day to two and report any changes. If, by chance, some of your beneficial bacteria has been killed off, you'll most likely see an ammonia spike in the next 24/48 hours.

In the meantime, a water change won't do any harm to rid yourself of some of the cloudyness.