Cloudy water and alge!!

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maestromad

Aquarium Advice Addict
Joined
Sep 14, 2011
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WALES, UK
Good evening all!! I'm having a slight nightmare with rather cloudy water, I had brown alge and cleaned most of off with a cloth but I now have not only green spot alge but green furry alge!! I have ottos, corys and guppies and idea on how to get rid/clear up my water??
My parameter are ph 7.4 ammo 0 nitrite 0 nitrate 10-20 this tank has been running for just over a month I do 30% water change weekly and this has made no difference to the water.
 
Cloudy water and brown algae are both classic signs of a newly cycled tank. Every tank I set up usually has both. You can just wait both out, as neither will harm your fish.

Because your tank is new, I can't really say much about the other algae. You tank's ecosystem is still finding a balance, and until it finds it, your nutrient levels are going to be all over the place. Your best bet is to just let it be for a bit longer and see if it fixes itself.
 
aqua_chem said:
Cloudy water and brown algae are both classic signs of a newly cycled tank. Every tank I set up usually has both. You can just wait both out, as neither will harm your fish.

Because your tank is new, I can't really say much about the other algae. You tank's ecosystem is still finding a balance, and until it finds it, your nutrient levels are going to be all over the place. Your best bet is to just let it be for a bit longer and see if it fixes itself.



I have set up many tanks. And I have never had a cloudy or alge issues.
 
Thanks guys, I'll give it another week or so and just keep cleaning it off then it's just frustrating not being able to see my fish clearly. Maybe I will try a much larger water change today around 50% and see how that helps
 
I had the same problem as you, only I was ready to throw my tank off a bridge out of frustration. I tried everything, including larger water changes (which, btw, only seemed to make matters worse). Bought a UV sterilizer, and problem solved within a day or so. I highly recommend.
 
Thanks for that I've jus done a pwc and clean of the glass and now my waters green!! Not having much luck lol. Was wondering if polyester filter may help but il look into the uv thing are they expensive??
 
There is no need to wate money on a UV. Use hydro proxy. It will clear up your tank in a day or two. It's 1oz to every 10gals


Use hydro is a very well known method to clear up all types of cloudiness.
 
I don't know, I wouldn't count out a UV sterilizer outright. My tank has been crystal clear since, and once set up requires no intervention on my part. Not saying that hydro perox or another method doesn't work, or work as well... just saying that just because it is not *your* solution, that doesn't make it a "waste of money" for someone else.

OP -- You can get some pretty inexpensive ones of ebay.
 
kindafishy said:
I don't know, I wouldn't count out a UV sterilizer outright. My tank has been crystal clear since, and once set up requires no intervention on my part. Not saying that hydro perox or another method doesn't work, or work as well... just saying that just because it is not *your* solution, that doesn't make it a "waste of money" for someone else.

OP -- You can get some pretty inexpensive ones of ebay.

I'm not saying there's only one way to clear up a tank. But why spend money on something you really don't need? I think pretty much everyone as peroxide laying around. And it seems to work just as wel or better.
 
Thanks for the input guys I shall look into both as soon as I'm cleaning the alge it's coming bak twice as bad! Getting bit silly now
 
I'm just wondering if any other members can assist? My parameters are nitrite 0, itrate 20 ammo 0.25 and ph 7.4, the alge is back within a day of the pwc ad clean (I wipe it off with a cloth) to too it off I have now found one of my ottos dead :( I've added some pics incase that helps
 
First off, I've never heard of hydrogen peroxide being used as a bulk treatment for algae or cloudy water. Spot treatment, yes, but never just dosing the water column. If you filter's on, you subject your BB to an oxidizing agent. If you're filter is off, then the H2O2 won't get properly distributed.

Second, I find it hard to believe that anyone can set up multiple tanks and never have had algae blooms or cloudy water. Both of those are classic, well documented examples of cycling tanks establishing. I've had both almost every time, and I'm sure that most others can attest to that.

Third, assuming that its green water, you need to fix the root of the problem and not just apply some temporary bandaid. Green water is too much light intensity. It usually means that you have too strong of lights, or that your tank is getting direct sunlight from a window.

Fourth, IMO, don't cheap out on anything connected inline with a filter like a UV sterilizer. Read the reviews for the cheap UV sterilizers on ebay (usually odyssea knockoffs) and you'll see that most of them are cheap and prone to breaking, with a heavy seasoning of catastrophic failure, which you don't want with something that has that kind of flow going though it. In all reality, there is no need for a UV sterilizer in a FW aquarium. They're like roombas: nifty, but not needed. Anything a UV sterilizer can solve can be solved by good aquarium technique.

Five, if it's just cloudy water, let it be. Most cloudy water bouts are caused by heterotrohpic bacteria. Pretty much everything that these bacteria can do are good: break down fish poo, eat dissolved organics, etc. Let them be and establish themselves, they're your friends in the tank.
 
Ok thanks for that in my tank I have two interpret 18w 24" daylight bulbs in a 110l 15"inch tank. My tank is in sight of pattio dors but nowhere else for it to live!
I keep the lights on for 10hours a day and I dose my plants weekly with flourish is this where I'm going wrong??
 
First off, is it cloudy water or green water? If you need to, hold some white paper or such behind it so you can tel if there's a coloration to it.

Do you have any good pictures of the other algae? We need to know exactly what kind to address the issue.
 
The water is cloudy now with the alge on the glass I did have green spot but that cleaned off with a toothbrush (not mine) ad doesn't seem to have made a reappearance yet. When I did my pwc and clean the water went very green but it's settled to cloudy ad its hard to see my fish!!
 
just curious, how big is the tank?

Listen to aqua chem, he knows his stuff

just let it be, I know its unpleasant but it will get better

don't add chemicals it will only make it worse, let nature rub it'd course. this happens to almost all new tanks.

stay calm and do water changes to keep your parameters in check. even if it makes the water look worse. my sisters 55g gold fish tank took arpund a month to go from a little cloudiness to totally clear

what type of filtration do you have on the tank?
 
Its a 110L tank with a U2 fluval filter, when you say leave it do you mean nt clean it off either - would love any advice as I feel like a bad fish keeper with dirty water :(
 
clean it off .. but a little isn't bad. so I would say clean it ever 4-5 days. your not a bad fish keeper. as others have stated, a lot of people experience this. its a waiting game, just like cycling
 
aqua_chem said:
First off, I've never heard of hydrogen peroxide being used as a bulk treatment for algae or cloudy water. Spot treatment, yes, but never just dosing the water column. If you filter's on, you subject your BB to an oxidizing agent. If you're filter is off, then the H2O2 won't get properly distributed.

Second, I find it hard to believe that anyone can set up multiple tanks and never have had algae blooms or cloudy water. Both of those are classic, well documented examples of cycling tanks establishing. I've had both almost every time, and I'm sure that most others can attest to that.

Third, assuming that its green water, you need to fix the root of the problem and not just apply some temporary bandaid. Green water is too much light intensity. It usually means that you have too strong of lights, or that your tank is getting direct sunlight from a window.

Fourth, IMO, don't cheap out on anything connected inline with a filter like a UV sterilizer. Read the reviews for the cheap UV sterilizers on ebay (usually odyssea knockoffs) and you'll see that most of them are cheap and prone to breaking, with a heavy seasoning of catastrophic failure, which you don't want with something that has that kind of flow going though it. In all reality, there is no need for a UV sterilizer in a FW aquarium. They're like roombas: nifty, but not needed. Anything a UV sterilizer can solve can be solved by good aquarium technique.

Five, if it's just cloudy water, let it be. Most cloudy water bouts are caused by heterotrohpic bacteria. Pretty much everything that these bacteria can do are good: break down fish poo, eat dissolved organics, etc. Let them be and establish themselves, they're your friends in the tank.

Well just because you have not heard of it doesnt mean it doesn't work. It is a very well known method to clean up cloudy an green tanks very quick.

It's 100% safe to all plants and fish.

Tank that went from green to clear in 2 days which hydro.
 

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