Cleaning Fish Tank...questions

[kmknits]

I have had my 10 gallon tank up and running for 6 months now. It is cycled and my readings are 0 Ammonia/0 Nitrite/30 Nitrate before the water changes. My question is this: When I do my weekly water changes and vaccuum the gravel, why does the water stay cloudy for half an hour afterwards? I change 6 gallons of water to keep my nitrate levels down until the next change comes 7 days later. I know I have hard water...could that be part of the problem? (My water is declorinated with Prime before it goes in the tank.) I don't want to be stressing the fish unnecessarily if there is something I can do to avoid this issue. Is it just stirred up sediment that the filter needs to take care of once power is turned back on? Thanks for any insight you can give this newbie!

 

[Aquascaper]

Did you thoroughly wash the gravel before adding it to the tank? If you didn't that will be the reason, if you did then it's more than likely just sediment disturbed by the cleaning.

 

[elmo666]

Very fine sediment is disturbed when using a gravel cleaner. This is so fine, has such little mass that it does stay in suspension for some time. If you can get some fine filter wool into your filter this will take it out and help polish your water. There is a product to coagulate fine particles, helping the filter take them out, but can't for the life of me remember what it's called.

 

[kmknits]

Thanks, guys! I did thoroughly clean the gravel before setting up the tank. Sounds like it just might be sediment...it is indeed very fine. I do have some polishing wool- I will add it to the filter to see if that will help!

 

[Aquascaper]

Interpet do something called 'Filter Aid'

 

[elmo666]

Accu-clear was the product I was thinking of.