Cloudy Water

[jamie2010]

hi all.over the last month or so after every weekly water change my tank goes kinda milky.then by the time im getting ready for the following weekly change its only just clearing.
should i maybee do one bigger water change and leave it a bit longer?
my stats are all bang on(i know this because i had to take a fish back to the shopthis morning it died after one day,the owner tested my water)
any suggestions guys?

 

[my fat fish]

what filter u got whats tank i find that jewel are crap mine is always messy im gonna sway the filter ovcer soon

 

[WILDER]

Need to look at tank size in gallons or litres.
How many fish and which type.
Are you over feeding the fish.
Also it can be a sign that your filter not coping with the fish in the tank.
So what type of filter and how many gallons does it turn over an hour.
And can we take a look at your stats in ammonia,nitrite,nitrate,and ph.

 

[jamie2010]

right here we go.
juwel 125,standard juwel filter,and a small fluval internal
2 boesmani rainbows
2 kissing gouramis
1 pair nigerian red kribs
1 pair of sailfin mollies
ph 7
ammonia 0
nitrite 0
nitrate 0.5
so thats a 125 litre tank.

 

[WILDER]

That fluval is it fluval one with it being small.
How much water are you removing with the gravel vac.
What do you feed your fish.
Are you using filter floss.
When did you last change the black carbon if you use it.

 

[jamie2010]

no carbon (was told it would affect my plant growth)
id say its at least 20-25% cahange weekly,and i do two live feeds a week and a daily flake feed.
are you guna flame me for not having carbon ?
oh and its the fluval 2

 

[WILDER]

No don't need carbon, i don't use it only good for removing meds.
Increase the water change to 30%.
Are you removing the dead leaves off the plants, do you remove ornaments as waste and debris can soon build up underneath them.

When did you last clean the filters so they are working at full potential.

Add some new filter floss to the juwel filter that soon clears tanks up.
Don't need to use the juwel white sponges they are expensive, i just buy large bag of filter floss and stuff it in at the top of the juwel filter.

 

[jamie2010]

yeah i get rid of dead leaves .
but i must confess to not moving my mopani wood or the stone caves iv built for the kribs.
i might go and do a water change and vac now.what you reckon?
i use the floss and clean the pads every week(in the tank water)

 

[WILDER]

Yes i would, you will be surprised how much muck comes up, it will be black the water.

 

[jamie2010]

ok cheers wilder,youve been a great help.must dash got a tank to vac.
il let you know how i get on

 

[Kevstir]

Hi m8

You don't use api stress coat do you?? i had been using it for just over 2 months when all of a sudden after a water change the water was cloudy , i did a bit of research and found that stress coat can cause this if you put to much in , i reduced the dosage to 1 drop per gallon and after a week or so its completely cleared up , at the time all my water stats were bang on..

Kev

 

[jamie2010]

well iv had all the tank apart and done a 30-40% change.moved all the tsone caves and mopani wood and vaved the lot.it still looks a bit milky,but i have just been digging around in there.so hoprfully this will clear up.my water was crystal clear until a month ago.

 

[WILDER]

Was the water you removed really mucky.
It takes a while after a water change for it to clear.
Add a new filter pad as well as they don't work so well after a few rinses, that why i don't use them.
A big bag of filter floss is alot cheaper than then juwel filter sponges.

 

[jamie2010]

im guna get down town tomorrow and buy a couple of new pads.do you not use them at all?do you just use filter wool all through the filter wilder? it was real mucky,my fish must be pooping for england.

 

[WILDER]

You know where the white juwel filter pads goes I just add some filter floss there and change it every week.

Your tank should start cleaing now then, you had waste building up under the ornaments.