Cloudy Without Cycling?

[aquaidoka]

Dear all! A little help, please? I have 29G set up for about seven weeks, with medium quantity of plants and young fish (all below 2"): 2 pearl gouramis, 5 neon tetras, 2 black skirt tetras, and 2 dalamatians, filter aqua-tech 20-40, good heater and nice air stone aeration, 18W light upgraded the day before yesterday to new fixture Aqualight Freshwater 65W + old 18W.

Problem: about 6-7 days ago water in aquarium became cloudy and as for today, hardly anything can be seen in milky-slightly-greenish mirk of the tank. Tests show zero for ammonia and nitrites (well, maybe a very subtle greenish tint for ammonia that is much closer to 0 ppm than to 0.25 ppm, but other people don't see even that tint) and 5 ppm nitrates. pH 7.6 on 6-7.6 test and 7.4 on high range test. I feed them flakes (amount, which they can eat in 2 minutes one time a day). Fish feel as usual and show no signs of stress.

Could you please suggest what and why could happen?

 

[jacko32]

hi its a bacterial bloom heres a few links to read they will help you understand better

http/freshaquarium.about.com/cs/waterconditions/a/cloudywater.htm

http/www.helium.com/items/359132-how-to-clean-up-cloudy-water-in-an-aquarium

http/www.content4reprint.com/pets-and-animals/tropical-aquariums-dealing-with-bacterial-and-algae-blooms.htm

 

[Gilli]

Your tank is newly set up and this is sometimes a problem. Often cloudy water doesn't appear the instant an aquarium is set up. Instead it appears days, weeks, or even months later. In these cases the cause is usually due to bacterial bloom. As the new aquarium goes through the initial break in cycle, it is not unusual for the water to become cloudy, or at least a little hazy. It will take several weeks to several months to establish bacterial colonies that are able to clear wastes from the water. Over time that cloudiness will resolve itself.

Decaying plants or excess food that remains uneaten can also cause the milky water seen in bacterial bloom. Regardless of the cause, don't panic over bacterial blooms. Keeping the aquarium very clean by removing debris such as decaying plants and uneaten food, vacuuming the gravel regularly, and performing partial water changes, will quickly resolve most cases of bacterial bloom. Cut back feeding to every second or third day, which will cut down on excess food decay, and dont be tempted to add chemicals to try a fix the problem.

It also sounds like you are using the paper test strips which are no good for accurate water stats. Invest in a liquid test kit.

 

[aquaidoka]

Thanks for your replies. So, is it possible to have a bacterial bloom, when ammonia and nitrite tests show zero content? I need to do phosphate test... pH is too high isn't it? However, I have very few algae on tank walls and plants - can algae bloom without substantial growth on the surfaces?

It also sounds like you are using the paper test strips which are no good for accurate water stats. Invest in a liquid test kit.

I've got an "API Freshwater Master Test Kit". It is liquid-based for all tests (doesn't include test for phosphates) and seems to be highly recommended in this forum.

 

[Gilli]

If you have the API liquid test kit then you have the best! You say you have a slight ammonia spike which shows you may have a mini cycle going on.

All you need to do is cut right back on feeding - even stop for a few days the fish will be fine - cut back on the amount of time you have your tank lights on, make sure there are no decaying plants in the tank and make a few water changes. If you tank is fully cycled it should sort itself out in a few days. I had a similar problem with my tank when it was fairly new and it lasted for about a week then cleared.

 

[OldMan47]

A thin greenish tint to the water is very likely green water algae. With your low light intensity, I am guessing that you are leaving the lights on longer hoping you can use that longer time to grow plants better. It doesn't really work but the long hours of light can lead to having green water algae reproduce.

 

[aquaidoka]

All you need to do is cut right back on feeding - even stop for a few days the fish will be fine - cut back on the amount of time you have your tank lights on, make sure there are no decaying plants in the tank and make a few water changes...

Thanks! I'll give it a try.

A thin greenish tint to the water is very likely green water algae. With your low light intensity, I am guessing that you are leaving the lights on longer...

You read my mind (my lights were on for about 16 hour per day to support plants), and I feel myself that this is the main issue despite of the fact that there is no big amount of algae on the surfaces. In this respect, I've two more questions: (1) How should I act with those algae except for method suggested by Gilli? (2) Now when I have 83W lights, which is 83/28 ~ 3 W/Gal, for how long should I keep them on during this bloom, and after the tank recovery?

 

[frogmarch1987]

not sure about during the bloom, but lights should usually be on for an 8-12 hour stretch each day

 

[Gilli]

Frogmarch is right - keep them on for short periods only for now - do the things suggested and just sit tight and be patient - it will clear!

 

[aquaidoka]

Ok, thanks! pH dropped to 7.2. Other parameters, including turbidity, without changes.

 

[waterdrop]

3w/g is definately up there in the pressurized CO2 world, isn't it? Are you running CO2?
(must go, will check later for your thread if I can.. WD)

 

[aquaidoka]

Thanks for the suggestion, Waterdrop. No, I am not running CO2. Is it necessary to overcome bloom? Mostly, my plants by their description don't demand CO2. Besides, the bloom started when I had only 0.6 W/Gal. Again, I can reduce the light to 2.4 W/Gal, if it is helpful.

I've also another question, if the aeration should be turned on permanently as I do it or it shouldn't?

 

[OldMan47]

Let's start off with the basics. Green water algae is a simple single celled algae that does not stick to surfaces but lives as a free floating mass of cells in the water. It can reproduce very quickly and water changes do nothing but feed the remaining algae with a fresh supply of minerals from your tap water.
If you want to reduce the effect of green water algae, the answer is simple. Just cut back the hours of lighting to 8 hours or less and give the tank some time to respond. I find that I cannot grow green water algae with less than about 10 hours a day of light and have the deuce of a time growing green water with even as little as 12 hours a day. Sunlight does a great job of growing green water but artificial lighting seems to mean very long hours to keep green water alive. I try to grow green water because I use it to feed daphnia so I work the other half of this equation. At less than 12 hours, I seem to lose most of my green water culture in less than 2 weeks. It can go from a pea soup, hard to see through, culture to a thin faintly tinted culture in that 2 weeks time.

 

[aquaidoka]

Ok. Thanks, OldMan! Having no post of yours, I've performed 3 water changes, cut feeding to one time per two days, and reduced light to about 10 hours per day. I did water changes since Gilli here and in another forum, another highly respected fishkeeper with many tens of tanks said that such algae bloom as mine is possible because of the excess of nutrients added in different ways to the aquairum, and several water changes should be done to remove those simultaneously cutting the feeding.
During the last week (up till this moment) water clarified significantly, and I can clearly see fish at the back wall of the aquarium. Analyses give the same results. Water is still hazy, but I think that internal nutrients should have equalized till now with tap water minerals in their effect, and following your advice, I can now reduce water changes to my usual schedule of about 15% per week, and leave light for about 10 hours per day.

Could you please also give an advice about aeration? Is it okay to have it turned on permanently?

 

[RadaR]

No, I am not running CO2. Is it necessary to overcome bloom? Mostly, my plants by their description don't demand CO2.

Some plants do need more carbon and nutrients than others, however all plants provided with that much light will need CO2. No question about it.
If you dont want to inject CO2, then cut your lighting down to roughly 1WPG. Photoperiod doesnt need to be more than 8hours a day.
Green water has nothing to do with excess nutrients. In fact, it's a lack of nutrients that can bring green water about.
Here is a algae guide.
It's key that you understand that nutrients are not the enemy.