Cloudy Water?

[bigsez]

I have cloudy water-- i completed the fishless cycle, have no fish, levels are all ok but my water is cloudy -- I tried on the advice or bad advice of the LFS to add water clarifier into the water and 24 hours later to no avail it is still cloudy-- I have no idea what to do PLEASE HELP-- any help would be greatly appreciated-- BTW i have a 75 gallon freshwater tank setup with fluval 405 cannister filter

 

[fatheadminnow]

Don't add anymore water "clarify" stuff.

It is most likely a form of algae, you can check here to see if you can't identify what type of algae it is, if it is algae.

Do you have any live plants?

-FHM

 

[bigsez]

Don't add anymore water "clarify" stuff.

It is most likely a form of algae, you can check here to see if you can't identify what type of algae it is, if it is algae.

Do you have any live plants?

-FHM

no live plants at all just yet-- ques-- wouldnt i see the algae on the glass or something-- other than that i am at a dead-end and cannot figure this cloudiness out--thanks for the reply

 

[fatheadminnow]

Mmmmmmmmmmm.......

You have successfully completed a fishless cycle right?

Do you add anything to the tank?

Basically we need to know everything about your tank, and what is going on with it.

-FHM

 

[bigsez]

Mmmmmmmmmmm.......

You have successfully completed a fishless cycle right?

Do you add anything to the tank?

Basically we need to know everything about your tank, and what is going on with it.

-FHM

ok sorry for not being too informative-- 75 gallon tank-- fluval 405 filter set up as the instructions recommended-- white gravel with 2 ornaments and some fake plants at the moment-- I went through a fish-less cycle but a friend gave me some media from his established tank as he said would help speed up my cycling time-- Its been like 2 weeks and the water is real cloudy-- Currently all my levels test ok with my LFS and my ph is 7.2-- the water once i filled my tank up looks exactly the same as it does today-- when you look at it from the front it doesnt look that bad, but when looking through the sides it looks horrible. I wouldnt put a fish in there be afraid he wouldnt be able to see where he is swimming-- could it be my gravel wasnt cleaned enough and if so will this ever clear?

Mmmmmmmmmmm.......

You have successfully completed a fishless cycle right?

Do you add anything to the tank?

Basically we need to know everything about your tank, and what is going on with it.

-FHM

all i added into the tank was water conditioner and now that clarifier stuff which really was a waste bc so far it didnt work

 

[fatheadminnow]

Is it White Gravel or is it Sand?

-FHM

 

[bigsez]

Is it White Gravel or is it Sand?

-FHM

white gravel--also is the 405 good enough of a filter or should i be running 2 filters

 

[fatheadminnow]

The 405 is 340 GPH, so if you take 340 and divide it by 75 gallon, you get a turnover of 4.5. Which is borderline.

I would suggest on getting another filter, or a bigger filter.

Also, you should get a powerhead as well, as this will circulate the water more and help the filter out.

How long has the tank been running? For two weeks, or has it been cloudy for two weeks?

-FHM

 

[bigsez]

The 405 is 340 GPH, so if you take 340 and divide it by 75 gallon, you get a turnover of 4.5. Which is borderline.

I would suggest on getting another filter, or a bigger filter.

Also, you should get a powerhead as well, as this will circulate the water more and help the filter out.

How long has the tank been running? For two weeks, or has it been cloudy for two weeks?



-FHM

I also have a powerhead but I am unsure of the placement. I have my inake on the right side of my tank the outtake is
On the left hand side. the powerhead I placed in the middle of the tank aiming the same way my outtake is. Don't know if this is all correct
Yes the tank has been cloudy for the whole time so far. So what filter would you recommend. 1 other question I have is what
Media should be in my filte r. I have bio balls , carbon, polishing pad and that's it. Thanks again

 

[waterdrop]

Hi bigsez and welcome to TFF!

I believe its possible you have been given the wrong information about a "fishless cycle." A real fishless cycle requires the use of an ammonia source, like pure household ammonia, and requires 3 to 6 weeks, often taking a full two months if conditions are not quite right. It is extremely common to get a significant milky white bacterial bloom near the -beginning- of a fishless cycle but this will be long gone as the cycle nears completion.

LFS's frequently misuse the term "fishless cycling" and beginner's simply misconstrue this to mean tank water without fish. A fishless cycle is really a bit more complicated than that, requiring a good test kit and good knowledge of the procedure. The working document for that on our forum here is in the Beginner's Resource Center up in the pinned articles of this forum. It was written by rdd1952 and should help you check whether you did the same sort of thing or perhaps need to modify your procedure. The use of mature media is good but cannot replace the use of ammonia and the testing procedure, it is just an addition to it.

FHM can help you out a lot with this procedure...

~~waterdrop~~

 

[fatheadminnow]

I agree with waterdrop, that you did not do a proper fishless cycle.

Read up here about what a fishless cycle is, and how you should go about completing it.

A very good test kit to get is the API Freshwater Master Test Kit.

This test will test for the four(4) basic water parameters, Ammonia, NitrIte, NitrAte and pH.

Give that thread a read that I have provided a link for, and then come back with your questions.

-FHM

 

[fishyindenmark]

I've had my 55 gallon freshwater tank up and running since around last Christmas and I continue to have issues with water clarity. I've been using a conditioner called Acurel F - 25, which claims to suspend particles in the water which allow them to either settle or become filtered out. The product is organic and supposedly non-toxic to the fish. It does a remarkable job, but I can't help but wonder as to the cause of this problem in the first place. The tank came was a kit and has a large dual cartridge filter, not an under-gravel system. Admittedly, I've got perhaps more fish in there than I should, but seemingly within the 1" per gallon rule I've read about here. I was pondering getting a second filter, but I'd rather not go through the expense if ultimately it's not going to help. Given the novelty of our new set up, we do a good job maintaining the tank, so I'm doubting it's due to neglect. Any of you fish experts have an idea what's causing this continual problem? The tank just looks so much more attractive when you've got that crystal clear water!

 

[fatheadminnow]

I have just done some reading, and some people that the product you are using, Acurel F - 25, can actually make the tank more cloudy if used.

My advice is not to use this anymore, if you do everything right, which you will after you understand the nitrogen cycle and how to properly go through with it, then you do not need to add anything to the tank, other than a water conditioner to condition the water for water changes.

Did you read that thread that I have provided a link for?


EDIT: sorry, it is this link here. http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=224306
-FHM

 

[drobbyb]

I've had my 55 gallon freshwater tank up and running since around last Christmas and I continue to have issues with water clarity. I've been using a conditioner called Acurel F - 25, which claims to suspend particles in the water which allow them to either settle or become filtered out. The product is organic and supposedly non-toxic to the fish. It does a remarkable job, but I can't help but wonder as to the cause of this problem in the first place. The tank came was a kit and has a large dual cartridge filter, not an under-gravel system. Admittedly, I've got perhaps more fish in there than I should, but seemingly within the 1" per gallon rule I've read about here. I was pondering getting a second filter, but I'd rather not go through the expense if ultimately it's not going to help. Given the novelty of our new set up, we do a good job maintaining the tank, so I'm doubting it's due to neglect. Any of you fish experts have an idea what's causing this continual problem? The tank just looks so much more attractive when you've got that crystal clear water!

What are your tank parameters? What are the filters, fish, and recent tests for ammonia nitrate and nitrite? This information may help us in finding the cause of your problems.

 

[waterdrop]

I've had my 55 gallon freshwater tank up and running since around last Christmas and I continue to have issues with water clarity. I've been using a conditioner called Acurel F - 25, which claims to suspend particles in the water which allow them to either settle or become filtered out. The product is organic and supposedly non-toxic to the fish. It does a remarkable job, but I can't help but wonder as to the cause of this problem in the first place. The tank came was a kit and has a large dual cartridge filter, not an under-gravel system. Admittedly, I've got perhaps more fish in there than I should, but seemingly within the 1" per gallon rule I've read about here. I was pondering getting a second filter, but I'd rather not go through the expense if ultimately it's not going to help. Given the novelty of our new set up, we do a good job maintaining the tank, so I'm doubting it's due to neglect. Any of you fish experts have an idea what's causing this continual problem? The tank just looks so much more attractive when you've got that crystal clear water!

What are your tank parameters? What are the filters, fish, and recent tests for ammonia nitrate and nitrite? This information may help us in finding the cause of your problems.

Yes, agree with Robby: Its not clear you are using a good liquid-reagent based test kit - that's what needs to be used to tell us the ammonia, nitrite(NO2), pH and nitrate(NO3) parameters for your tank water.

~~waterdrop~~