Cant Seem To Clear Cloudy Water--- Very Puzzled

[sycko]

hi all,
my water is pretty cloudy and i cant seem to clear it no matter what i do, i have done more than enough water changes even up to 45% i have taken ornaments out and cleaned the tank inside with algea wipes and left the tank alone for 4 days to c if it was a bacterial bloom but it just wont clear! its ok after a water change for 4-5 hours then its starts clouding up again! is the water suposed to be like this or is it suposed to be crystal clear? my water readins are as follows and have been for over a week now!
ammonia 0
nitrite 0
nitrate 10
ph 7.0
my tank is a 27.5 gl
i have the following fish:
5 neon tetras
5 rummy nose tetras
5 glowlight tetras
3 platy
3 corys
2 common plecs
1 clown loach
and yes i know about the plecs and clwon loach i have a suitable home for them once they outgrow my tank

 

[doresy]

Hi, what filtration system do you have and can you put in some white cotton media to 'polish' the water? ( do remember to rinse it first though or tiny white fibres could add to your problem!)

I know it is VERY frustrating. My tank had this sudden white mist-like appearance for no reason and it was present for what seemed like ages. Then it was gone (never to come back I hope)

Good luck and I hope someone has a suggestion for you.

 

[sycko]

thanx for the help doresy! the filter i have is a fluval 3 that came with the tank!! im just wondering if i need to clean the filter as i havnt yet cleaned it and my tank has been running for a month now!!! i also got a black pad and a white pad with my filter im not sure what they are for!! i have 2 foam pads already in the filter!
the water is just like you discribed!!! like a musky cloudy water just like if u add milk to water!!
mmmm maybe thats were i went wrong

 

[doresy]

thanx for the help doresy! the filter i have is a fluval 3 that came with the tank!! im just wondering if i need to clean the filter as i havnt yet cleaned it and my tank has been running for a month now!!! i also got a black pad and a white pad with my filter im not sure what they are for!! i have 2 foam pads already in the filter!
the water is just like you discribed!!! like a musky cloudy water just like if u add milk to water!!
mmmm maybe thats were i went wrong

Not familar with your filter. The black pad could be carbon or just black foam. the white pad is usually fine and should be placed where the water enters the filter. It is the first stage which holds most of the yuk (poo etc) and is white so you can see when it needs cleaning or replacing. The course media or ceramic noodles don't need much attention (as long as your first stage filtration is used.) Your friendly bacteria lives there and is not visable to the eye. It will just need a GENTLE squeeze ( or shake if ceramic noodles) in old tank water (or dechlorinated water) I do mine every couple of month or so.

There is a product made by intrepet (I think) called FILTER AID. Follow instructions on how much you add to your particular tank. The idea is that it makes all the very fine particals clump together so your filter can catch them or it makes them sink to the bottom so you can remove them when you gravel vac. Personally I would use the wait and see method but you could give it a try

 

[rdd1952]

It sounds like green water which is caused by diatoms. If that is the case, it isn't bad for the fish but is frustrating. It's pretty common with a new setup after cycling. I struggled with it a couple yeas ago on both my 29 gallon and my 75 gallon. It will eventually clear on it's own (as you mentioned, the daily water changes don't help). If you don't want to wait, you can clear it with a UV Sterilizer. Here is a thread I did in June, 2005. It shows the day to day progress of my 29 gallon tank using a UV Sterilizer. It had worked even better on the 75 gallon (went from so cloudy I couldn't see half way through the tank to clear in less than 24 hrs) but I didn't take any pictures of it. They definitely work.

Edit: Whatever you do, don't put any chemicals in to clear the water. They will only cause more problems.

 

[vinylman]

Fluval internals are usually well up to the job (I ran a 4 Plus internal in my 4ft tank for two years), but I still used to clean the filter media twice a month. Don't bother with the carbon; as has been said, the extra thin filter sponge goes inbetween the two larger, thicker sponges. And you don't need to change them every month like the manufacturer would like you to. Keep using them until they're nearly falling to bits, even then only replace one at a time.