I need help!! Cloudy water and film.

[thompmaa]

I used to have a tank long long time ago and loved it! So about 8 months ago, I got a 10g and put a few fish in. Some died (meh fish die) but for the most part that 10g is pretty healthy. I put some live plants in (java fern, anubias) and theyre doing ok. About 4 months ago, I fishless cycled a 20g with live plants (java fern, anubias) tall for a few weeks. Once that was cycled, I transferred my Angel fish to the 20g and got a handle full of platties for the 10g.

Just 3 days ago, I had to do a water change and wanted to add some more water conditioners as many experienced fish keepers suggest. I use API products and I was only using was Quick Start and Proper pH. I bought and used Stress Coat+ and Leaf Zone. My water is straight up milk!!!!! Why??? Everything is covered in a kind of a "slime". Rocks, wood, plants and especially the foam prefilters.

What is it? Did I do something wrong? What do I do?

 

[thompmaa]

I forgot to add some pics

 

[Aiken Drum]

It's called a bacterial bloom. It's bacteria growing in such numbers that they become visible and make the water cloudy. This is common in newly establishing aquariums.

This is now happening to you because the chlorine/ chloramine in the water was killing a bacterial life in the aquarium and preventing your aquarium from establishing. The water conditioner is now removing the chlorine/ chloramine, and the bacterial growth is now establishing. The bacteria that is essential to a healthy aquarium is now establishing and your aquarium is now starting to cycle. As your aquarium and the nitrogen cycle establishes over the coming weeks the cloudiness should clear up.

Chlorine/ chloramine is very unhealthy for fish. Fish don't have to die.

 

[thompmaa]

So this is normal even for a partial water change? It was about 40% water change. My tanks have been established for months. Theyve been cycling for awhile. Im just trying to understand.

 

[Aiken Drum]

It's normal for a newly establishing aquarium.

On what basis are you saying you are cycled? What are your water parameters?

The chlorine/ chloramine in the water will have been killing the microbes that cycle the aquarium. Your aquarium might have been set up with fish for 8 months, but as you've never been adding water conditioner to remove the chlorine/ chloramine it's never started to establish. The chlorine is now not present, all sorts of microbes are now growing in proliferation and you are now seeing what most people experience in week 1. As your cycle establishes and your nutrients settle down the cloudiness should go away.

 

[thompmaa]

So this is normal even for a partial water change? It was about 40% water change. My tanks have been established for months. Theyve been cycling for awhile. Im just trying to understand.

It's normal for a newly establishing aquarium.

On what basis are you saying you are cycled? What are your water parameters?

The chlorine/ chloramine in the water will have been killing the microbes that cycle the aquarium. Your aquarium might have been set up with fish for 8 months, but as you've never been adding water conditioner to remove the chlorine/ chloramine it's never started to establish. The chlorine is now not present, all sorts of microbes are now growing in proliferation and you are now seeing what most people experience in week 1. As your cycle establishes and your nutrients settle down the cloudiness should go away.

I think Im understanding. So just to be clear, API Quick Start doesn't eliminate chlorine/chloramines? If it doesn't, Im a little confused why plant/algae growth didnt seem to be stunted.
And just to clarify, while the most expensive tests could show exact measurements, I had been using API's master kit and those results were all in "nominal" ranges. Algae growth and plant growth were pretty steady.

 

[Aiken Drum]

So this is normal even for a partial water change? It was about 40% water change.

The cloudiness has nothing to do with a water change. It's because when you did the water change you added a water conditioner which removed the chlorine/ chloramine. Chlorine + chloramine are added to your tap water to kill off bacteria and other organisms that would be harmful to you if you drank it. Chlorine and chloramine are harmful to fish, and so you need to remove this from your tap water before you add it your aquarium. I'm not 100% sure why your fish have survived so far, maybe you don't have much Chlorine or chloramine in your tap water, maybe the fish that are surviving are somehow more tolerant, but regardless Chlorine and chloramine will be burning your fishes gills, and won't be doing them any good.

There are numerous bacteria found in aquariums, and so far they have been killed by the chlorine/ chloramine. There are bacteria you don't really want, such as the ones causing your bacterial bloom.

There are bacteria you want to keep alive though. The nitrogen cycle functions by microbes consuming the ammonia that your fish produces. The chlorine/ chloramine in your tap water was killing those too, so your cycle never established.

The bacteria you are seeing are feeding off the excess nutrients (ammonia that is present because your cycle hasn't established). As your cycle establishes, the bacteria responsible for the nitrogen cycle will outcompete the bacteria causing your bloom, and the bloom will go away. This isn't something you should see with every water change, but it might take a couple of months for your cycle to establish and it clear up.

So just to be clear, API Quick Start doesn't eliminate chlorine/chloramines?

No. API Quickstart doesn't remove chlorine/ chloramine. It's a supplement that they claim contains those microbes responsible for the nitrogen cycle and helps to cycle the aquarium. In reality, these products simply don't do anything useful, and even if they did, adding them to chlorinated water would just cause anything useful to die, same as any other microbial life.

I had been using API's master kit and those results were all in "nominal" ranges. Algae growth and plant growth were pretty steady.

Unless those "nominal" ranges are zero for ammonia and nitrite, then they are present. Low levels might be relatively safe for fish, but they are still there and are still food for the bacterial bloom you are now seeing. Same for the algae and plants. They will love the nutrients present from an uncycled tank.

In a cycled aquarium you should be seeing zero ammonia and nitrite, and your nitrate should be steadily rising between water changes. If you are seeing any ammonia or nitrite in your water then you arent cycled. The nitrogen cycle should be turning all the ammonia and nitrite into nitrate.

What precisely are your water parameters?

 

[thompmaa]

I dont have any numbers to give you. I only have the API freshwater master test kit which has the owner compare their samples taken to a color coded key. (See my photos. The key is in one of those photos.) When i say "nominal", Im talking about the color of my samples being as close to the key as possible.

And secondly, I understand the entire nitrite/nitrate cycle. Ive had live plants and fish with no issues in one tank for 8-9mths and the other about 4 mths. I understand ammonia is bad, I understand chlorine kills good bacteria, and I also understand that the cloudiness didnt appear just because I did a water change.

I truly appreciate you helping me today. You've given me a lot of great information. One last question. Would you even recommend using API Quick Start? Or would the Stress Coat+ be sufficient for future water changes?

 

[Aiken Drum]

This is the test chart for the API Master Test Kit. You should have one with your kit.

To get the numbers you do the test, and look for the corresponding colour and the number is just below the colour.

For example if your ammonia test is a bright yellow colour your ammonia is 0ppm. If it's that really dark green your ammonia is 8ppm.

If you have the API Freshwater Master Test Kit it should be fairly simple to provide the test results for pH, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate in numbers. Or at least have a fairly good stab at it, some of the colours can be a bit difficult to differentiate.

I wouldn't use API Quickstart personally. I don't think its a very good product. If you wanted to try different similar products then Dr Tims One and Only or Fritz #7 or Fritz Turbostart would be better to try. But even then, there is no guarantee. If your pH is below 7, none of these products are going to do very much. I wouldn't use any of these products, but its your money.

I'm also not a fan of stresscoat. It does its job as a water conditioner just fine, but its stupidly expensive. I used to use stresscoat, but a 473ml bottle does 24 water changes on my 200 litre aquarium for £16, so 67p per water change. 500ml bottle of Seachem Prime does 100 water changes on the same aquarium for £21, so 21p per water change. Also, the aloe vera additive is not a good thing to add into water that has anything with gills living in it. Aloe vera coats the gills, makes them less able to transfer oxygen. They put some marketing on the bottle that the aloe vera is beneficial, and people then pay a premium, but aloe vera can be harmful to fish, or anything with gills. If you like API products just use API Tap Water Conditioner or API AquaEssential. Seachem Prime is the #1 water conditioner on the market for good reasons though. AquaEssential is APIs version of Seachem Prime. I'd go with one of those 2 for a water conditioner.

 

[thompmaa]

Yes. Thats the test chart Im referring to. I didnt think I was going to have to explain this but the reason I used the word "nominal" is because matching a color of a liquid to the color on a piece of paper isnt exactly perfect. (For instance picking a wall color to paint your living from a swatch at the home improvement store isnt exactly the same once its on the wall.) The lighting in the room could play a minor role in determining if a sample is within nominal parameters. A room lit with natural sunlight versus incandescent lighting could effect ones ability to effectively conclude a result.

So, the LED lighting on the ceiling in the room where my aquariums are lead me to believe my samples are within nominal ranges.

With all that said, sir I appreciate all your help. I didnt have my mind made up on API products, they just happened to be a reputable brand sold locally. I will look into Seachems.

Thank you so much! Take care!

 

[Andy Sager]

Yes. Thats the test chart Im referring to. I didnt think I was going to have to explain this but the reason I used the word "nominal" is because matching a color of a liquid to the color on a piece of paper isnt exactly perfect. (For instance picking a wall color to paint your living from a swatch at the home improvement store isnt exactly the same once its on the wall.) The lighting in the room could play a minor role in determining if a sample is within nominal parameters. A room lit with natural sunlight versus incandescent lighting could effect ones ability to effectively conclude a result.

So, the LED lighting on the ceiling in the room where my aquariums are lead me to believe my samples are within nominal ranges.

With all that said, sir I appreciate all your help. I didnt have my mind made up on API products, they just happened to be a reputable brand sold locally. I will look into Seachems.

Thank you so much! Take care!

Just an FYI, the best way to read those liquid tests is under natural sunlight. Take your test result and a white background outside to get a more accurate reading. You are correct, in assorted house lights and backgrounds you are going to get assorted answers.