Water cloudiness?

[gemach7]

Hello,
Will first start off with tank specifics.

55 gallon soft water planted community tank
Ph 6.2
Ammonia undetectable
Nitrite undetectable
Nitrate undetectable
Age about 1 year

Stock
1 Bolivian ram
2 crown pleco
6 diamond tetra
8 guppies(occasional fry but don't survive long to add to total)
6 harlequin rasbora
4 sterba's Corey's
4 amano shrimp
Assorted Amazon live plants.

No recent stock changes.

About a week ago I preformed a 20% pwc. But also stirred the substrate a little. I installed a small circulating pump afterwards to add unidirectional flow and aid with moving the detris created by the Plecos to the filter.

After the tank initially cleared from the substrate stir I was left with a cloudiness that still persists.

1) My initial thought was I had upset BB and created a bacteria bloom but 1 week in with daily water testing no parameters have changed(liquid not strips). I know I'm slightly understocked but would think a small gain in part of the nitrogen cycle would have shown by now.

2) due to the tannins my water is normally tea coloured. Could this be hiding the fact this is green algae not white. And by stiring the sediment I released nutrients that caused an algae bloom?

Performing another pwc today of 20%. To try to clear out some of the cloudiness.






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[fish wrangler]

Picture?

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[gemach7]

Picture?

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I really can't it see that well in the pictures I took why didn't post before lol.


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[gemach7]

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[fish wrangler]

Might be a mix of tannis and algae bloom from you disturbing the bottom. Released alot of nutrients in the substrate

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[gemach7]

Thanks was thinking the same... Maybe won't feed much for a few days and time my lights a little less.


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[fish wrangler]

http://www.aquahobby.com/articles/e_freshwater_algae.php here is how you can treat GW(green water)

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[Mebbid]

I am suspicious because a cycled tank should never have undetectable nitrates. Especially one thats sparsely planted.

Are you absolutely sure youre following the directions on the kit including timing the shaking of the vial and bottles for the correct amount of time? An improperly done nitrate test will cause a readong of 0ppm

 

[gemach7]

I am suspicious because a cycled tank should never have undetectable nitrates. Especially one thats sparsely planted.

Are you absolutely sure youre following the directions on the kit including timing the shaking of the vial and bottles for the correct amount of time? An improperly done nitrate test will cause a readong of 0ppm

There are usually low levels of nitrates present my during water changes. I tested again with strips because also concerned me. And left did another test that I let sit for 24 hours, since I know not mixing well delays the reactions with the chemicals. Was also away three days out of this week so we're qand also the low ph in my tank has an effect on my ammonia cycle


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[coralbandit]

Hello,
Will first start off with tank specifics.

55 gallon soft water planted community tank
Ph 6.2
Ammonia undetectable
Nitrite undetectable
Nitrate undetectable
Age about 1 year

Stock
1 Bolivian ram
2 crown pleco
6 diamond tetra
8 guppies(occasional fry but don't survive long to add to total)
6 harlequin rasbora
4 sterba's Corey's
4 amano shrimp
Assorted Amazon live plant

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IMO 99% chance you are NOT doing the test correctly!
After 1 year (again IMO) you need a new kit as you have no balance of the solution that needs to shaken with in inches of your life.
If you aren't on the water change police volunteer squad(I didn't see you at last meeting!)then a reading of zero has no other explanation IMO.
We'll leave the light on for you!

 

[Paul1792]

Hello,
.....


About a week ago I preformed a 20% pwc. But also stirred the substrate a little. I installed a small circulating pump afterwards to add unidirectional flow and aid with moving the detris created by the Plecos to the filter.....

IMO 99% chance you are NOT doing the test correctly!
After 1 year (again IMO) you need a new kit as you have no balance of the solution that needs to shaken with in inches of your life.
If you aren't on the water change police volunteer squad(I didn't see you at last meeting!)then a reading of zero has no other explanation IMO.
We'll leave the light on for you!

*******
Yep 90+ % chance I it's an algae bloom and I am guessing there is more than one problem. I think it's possible the nitrates are so high the test kit can't get a good reading. Not vacuuming substrate in a non-planted or lightly planted tank turns it into one big nitrate factory.

You probably need 50% weekly water changes if you don't do full vacuums of the substrate. Remember, your BB that "dissolves" all that detritus/fish poop and uneaten food turns that build up it into massive nitrates that go well upwards of 100 ppm. If your nitrates are at 100 ...... doing a 20% change only brings them to 80 which is still to high.

I suggest you "vacuum" as much of your substrate as you think you can stand, do a 50% water change, quit feeding, and turn out your lights for a few days.

I use fake plants in both my thanks and do only about 20-25% weekly changes. Water is crystal clear and nitrates are in check. But I vacuum substrate at each weekly water change. Make sure to shield tank from direct sunlight. (I had to put background material on one side to stop it from coming in due to east exposure and uncovered glass over my front door that was shining into the living room.)
I learned from this forum that my lights should not be on more than 6 hours a day.


Also, what kind of filter are you running? Micron polishing pads and seachem Purigen can help here. Fresh carbon is also good for removing tannins.

 

[gemach7]

Update...
have been doing daily water changes and gravel cleaning. Also increased my co2 and trace elements my plants have not been growing as they had been. Also added a 2 hour break to my light timer 4 hours on... 2 hours off and... 3 hours on again. Current nitrate reading is 20ppm, thank you for the hint that if too high my test would not show. Algae bloom has lightened up a bit.
There have been no signs of sickness amongst my stock and no missing fish or shrimp. And The diamond tetras are shimmering with more purple again hints again.

With the exception of the crown Plecos that were purchased 6 months after setup... all of the fish are about either the age of the tank or older after being moved from a smaller community tank. With guppies approaching 1.5 years.

Thank you everyone for advice on this. My other tanks are not planted and and I keep a more stringent substrate cleaning with daily stirrings in addition to weekly wc. This is my first planted tank as well as first attempt at maintaining a ph much below my tap normal. think my experience with reptiles in naturalistic terrariums and outdoor ponds gave me unrealistic expectations.


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[gemach7]

*******
Yep 90+ % chance I it's an algae bloom and I am guessing there is more than one problem. I think it's possible the nitrates are so high the test kit can't get a good reading. Not vacuuming substrate in a non-planted or lightly planted tank turns it into one big nitrate factory.

You probably need 50% weekly water changes if you don't do full vacuums of the substrate. Remember, your BB that "dissolves" all that detritus/fish poop and uneaten food turns that build up it into massive nitrates that go well upwards of 100 ppm. If your nitrates are at 100 ...... doing a 20% change only brings them to 80 which is still to high.

I suggest you "vacuum" as much of your substrate as you think you can stand, do a 50% water change, quit feeding, and turn out your lights for a few days.

I use fake plants in both my thanks and do only about 20-25% weekly changes. Water is crystal clear and nitrates are in check. But I vacuum substrate at each weekly water change. Make sure to shield tank from direct sunlight. (I had to put background material on one side to stop it from coming in due to east exposure and uncovered glass over my front door that was shining into the living room.)
I learned from this forum that my lights should not be on more than 6 hours a day.


Also, what kind of filter are you running? Micron polishing pads and seachem Purigen can help here. Fresh carbon is also good for removing tannins.

Run a fluval c4.
I don't use carbon as took me 3 months to get the ph to around where I wanted, so want the tannins in the water.
Use a rain collection system now to mix with my tap water as to ensure my ph entering my system is the same as the tank. Given my stock isn't as particular with these parameters as others was more of a excitement to see if I could replicate something similar to native biome. Though I know both the rasbora and amano shrimp do kinda make this silly being from Asia.


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[Paul1792]

Run a fluval c4.
I don't use carbon as took me 3 months to get the ph to around where I wanted, so want the tannins in the water.
Use a rain collection system now to mix with my tap water as to ensure my ph entering my system is the same as the tank. Given my stock isn't as particular with these parameters as others was more of a excitement to see if I could replicate something similar to native biome. Though I know both the rasbora and amano shrimp do kinda make this silly being from Asia.


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*************
I don't use carbon either .... I only recommended it because it removes tannins. Seachem Purigen does that as well so I won't suggest you do what I do.

Looks like the "wood"/tannins are good for your pleco:

Clown Pleco

Sounds like you are on the right track with nitrates at 20 ppm.

Gratuitous comment: One C4 for a 55 gallon is kind of "living on the edge." I have a C4 on my 29 gallon and two C3's on my 38 gallon. Fortunately, you don't appear to be anywhere near "overstocked" and the pictures of your tank don't show any obvious "dead zones." I cannot tell from the pictures where your intake tube/filter is but I hope it's in the middle of the tank. If at one end or the other, four feet is a long way to move water. If you add more fish I'd definitely up the filtration.