Tank 2 weeks old - white cloudy water?

[Iain]

High nitrate in your tap water is going to give you fits with your tank.
Normally you do a partial water change to lower nitrate levels but if your tap water already has high nitrate what do you do then?

Import water?

No idea, I was hoping you guys might be able to tell me that! Would it help if I started feeding them just once a day?

 

[MichaelsLilGray]

that will help keep them down because it wont go to waist and turn to ammonioa.. the only thing i can think of.. is either a R/O D/I machine.. or go buy water by the gallon.. which.. at 125 gallons.. thats a lot of money...

 

[MichaelsLilGray]

Reverse Osmosis water would be best.. if you can supplement the tank with the minerals your stripping out of the water by doing so... so i think it would be the best way to do so.. and cheapest.. check ebay for them... just search reverse osmosis.

 

[Iain]

One thing at a time though, is this the cause of the cloudy water or is this an entirely separate issue?

 

[fort384]

That is awfully high for tap water 0_o.. my tap water is like.. 4ppm ammonia 1 ppm nitrite 0 nitrate =(

4 ppm ammonia in your tap water?? Do u live downriver from an industrial waste complex or something?? That's not good. There shouldn't be levels of ammonia in your tap water that are readable with an aquarium test kit.

 

[MichaelsLilGray]

ive tested it 5 times... 2 kits

 

[fort384]

Do u drink it?

 

[MichaelsLilGray]

ive been told its because of the cloramine in the water...

 

[fort384]

Yeah but 4ppm seems very high. Normal would be less than .15 ppm I think.

 

[MichaelsLilGray]

test kit turns forest green lol

 

[Iain]

So to sum up, I'm just waiting for the cloudiness to (hopefully) clear?

 

[asudavew]

Try loading the filter with a large amount of activated carbon.
Usually clears up a cloudy tank in less than 2 days.

 

[Iain]

Try loading the filter with a large amount of activated carbon.
Usually clears up a cloudy tank in less than 2 days.

Forgive my ignorance, but what do you mean? Is that something I put in with the filter media somewhere?

 

[missileman]

Some filters you can add media independently.
Smaller HOB filters you really can't.

 

[Iain]

Mine's just the one that comes with the Juwel Rio 125 - it's got 2 basket things that slide out with various filter sponges and a cage with some white balls of... something. Can't see where I'd add in some carbon TBH but I could well be wrong.

 

[asudavew]

Sorry, I didn't realize the type of tank/filtration that you had.

With that system, don't they sell a carbon filter sponge?

Maybe replace that

 

[Iain]

Sorry, I didn't realize the type of tank/filtration that you had.

With that system, don't they sell a carbon filter sponge?

Maybe replace that

Yeah there's a black carbon filter sponge. Should it really need replacing after 2 weeks..? That's going to get expensive...

 

[asudavew]

Yeah there's a black carbon filter sponge. Should it really need replacing after 2 weeks..? That's going to get expensive...

Just trying to think of a way to add some carbon to the filter.

Activated carbon is cheap, too bad their carbon sponge is not. Carbon is usually good for only (opinions vary here) 2-4 weeks...

Anyways... i've never used a setup like yours.. so is there anyplace that you could add some carbon.? Tied up in a sock somewhere in your filter.... ? Maybe where the carbon sponge is?

 

[Iain]

It looks like this:

As you can see there's a gap half way down that something else could go in... the carbon sponge is the black one near the top.

 

[Iain]

Oh bum, didn't realise the picture was so big, sorry...