Can poor lighting make your water SEEM cloudy?

[Zer0]

Question is above, but this light bulb has to be at least 12 years old and it's a NO fluorescent. I think 15w maybe 18w, somewhere around there because it's a single bulb made to go over a covered 10G AGA tank.

 

[ccCapt]

I would say no, it's not caused by the light. What "color" is the cloudyness? A whitish look can be a bacterial bloom or precipitation from high alk/calcium and a greenish look can be an algae bloom.

 

[cmor1701d]

I agree, the bulb won't make the water cloudy. It's a bloom or precip.

 

[Zer0]

Hmm.. that's weird then. I mean.. the water doesn't look cloudy.. it's pretty clear, but it looks like the rocks have a glowing outline.. just a bit. It's hard to explain, but i've been running filter floss and carbon for a few days. I would've thought my water'd be crystal clear by now. It's not a greenish cloud either.. and it's not even a white cloud. The rocks just look like they glow a bit.

 

[capj64]

Alien rocks

 

[Salty-Fish]

How much carbon do you have running in your filter?

 

[Zer0]

Not alot.. It's a filter made for a 5-10G tank lol. I just have it running on the fuge for a little extra cleanliness.

 

[mfdrookie516]

IMO, I think it depends on what you're calling cloudy.. I had a tank with a dingy yellowish looking bulb on it that made the tank look dingy and yellowish. Once i replaced it with a nice bright white bulb, it made the tank look 100 times better. If its just a NO fixture, probably t-8 or t-12, run down to hd or walmart and get a daylight bulb for like $5. if you get the walmart bulb, make sure to get the one that says "cool" not the "warm" and that should help... thats just my experience though

 

[Laurence]

The main cause of cloudy water is overfeeding and/or too many fish in the aquarium. Too-bright lights are another cause of cloudiness, because they encourage the growth of algae. Feed your fish only every other day for a week and see if the water clears (they won't die). Also, check your filter and make sure the filter medium is not clogged with gunk. And when is the last time you have cleaned the bed of substrate?

 

[Zer0]

The tank is brand new, and just finished its cycle. I have no inhabitants, and all of the algae is growing in the refugium. The cloudiness was coming from the color of the bulb, reflecting off my rocks. I've got a filter stuffed with activated carbon and filter floss, and have since upgraded my lighting to a 150w Metal Halide pendant. No more cloudiness. Thanks to all that helped.