Murky Water Problem.

[PimpinJesse]

You ever try Algone? its a pouch that you put in your tank... absorbs all ammonia, nitrates, nitrites phospates......
controls all the chemicals in your tank to keep levels on check and no algae outbreaks...

should give it a try...

 

[Catfish Jack]

im having this problem also, but i have a odd, overwelming smell coming from the tank. i used a water clarifier. if this doesnt work by tomarrow, im going to try a bit of aquarium salt.

 

[Chrispixx]

i have a odd, overwelming smell coming from the tank.

The only thing that will take odor away is water changes and carbon. Try some carbon that should work, just dont leave it in your filter for more than a week or two, because it could leech everything back in the tank that it takes out.

 

[Bullrock74]

My tanks have always suffered the cursed white cloud followed by green water. At first, I thought it was caused by my overfeeding, but eventually I came to realize that it wasn't at all. I bought a UV sterilizer and have to run it for a few days per month in order to keep my water clear. I run it whenever I start to see the white cloud appear. After two days the white cloud disappears and I shut off the UV sterilizer. If I didn't have the sterilizer, the white cloud would quickly change into a massive green swamp.

Also read this article on green water. It is extremely informative.

Green Water

 

[LithiumMyth]

Is my only option to run a uv sterilizer in the tank? I am going to let the tank run it's course for the next week to see if it will stabilize on its own.

 

[rabbut]

Hi,
Can you please run me through the current media confiuration in your filter? As Crisspixx said earlier, it is very unusual to have 0 ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. Some media on the market will remove ammonia and nitrite only, leaving the tank completely uncycled. IMO media of this type is an accident waiting to happen. The only thing I can think of to caurse 0 all round would be filter media.
In the picks of your tank looking clear, it realy did look good. Have you gravel vaced since starting the tank? It is possible that the gravel is caursing the cloudy water. You could also try the water clearer again. If it is a bactirial bloom, the product may help the cycle. I say this as the bactiria will clump together and get trapped on ths filter media, colonising it a little quicker.
HTH
rabbut

 

[LithiumMyth]

Hello again rabbut. The current configuration (from top to bottom) is Filter Floss, Hagen Fluval BioMax Ceramic Rings, Hagen Fluval BioMax Ceramic Rings, Black Diamond Carbon.

Yes, every Monday I gravel vac, rinse my filter media in old tank water, clean the glass starting at the bottom and scraping toward the top with a kind of scraper (rinsing the scraper in tap water after each pass).

My LFS seems to think it is a bacterial bloom. What do you guys think the white stuff in the water is?

 

[Catfish Jack]

i have a odd, overwelming smell coming from the tank.

The only thing that will take odor away is water changes and carbon. Try some carbon that should work, just dont leave it in your filter for more than a week or two, because it could leech everything back in the tank that it takes out.

thanks for the info! i did a few water changes, and now its back to a healthy earthen smell. but, the cloudy water keeps coming back. im moving my shrimp over to my 10 gallon tank and im gonna use some algaecide.

 

[rabbut]

My LFS seems to think it is a bacterial bloom. What do you guys think the white stuff in the water is?

That sounds prety likely. The carbon rules out it beeing a chemical, and the filter floss should rule out floating debris. I would try to just ride it out from here, keeping a close eye on water stats. The filter media should not need rinsing as often as weekly though. I would rinse the filter floss after about a month, unless the filter cloggs. The floss will eventually need replacing. The carbon needs replacing monthly.
HTH
rabbut

 

[LithiumMyth]

Update
Water is still murky, water stats are pH 0 - Ammonia 0 - NitrIte 0 - NitrAte 0. Have not done a water change.

 

[godsson]

try putting some water cleaner enzymes theyre fast and effective my water was soooo cloudy tht i couldnt see any fish when i added some of that product it worked perfectly fine and the water became crystal clear. and its harmless.

 

[LithiumMyth]

Forked out the money for the UV sterilizer. Water is looking great. Continuing to watch water stats.

 

[rabbut]

Forked out the money for the UV sterilizer. Water is looking great. Continuing to watch water stats.

Should help to sort things out Has the water cleared yet? You may want to re-check the nitrAte value, as it is not theoreticaly possible to have 0 nitrAte in a fully cycled tank containing fish, whithout something to remove nitrAtes. Carbon will NOT remove enough nitrAte to make a 0 reading. Nitrate is a difficult chemical to test for accurately, so timings, drop counts and shaking must all be done to the letter for the test to be valid. As stated before, dip stripps are not overly accurate.
Good luck with the UV
Rabbut

 

[LithiumMyth]

Water is invisible and the fish are floating in air now . It seems that after the white cloud has gone away the NitrAte level has gone up to 6-7mg/L. I'm not exactly sure what an acceptable level of NitrAte is in mg/L but my assumption is the lower the better. At what point should I be doing a water change?

 

[x_leanne_x]

Hi! I've just got my tank this morning and it's currently setting up its levels before i buy any fish to put in! My LFS advised me not to wash my gravel as well and as soon as I put the water in I had this awful murky water! I phoned my fiance's brother who has kept fish for 20 years and he said to empty the tank, wash the gravel and refill it and see what happened...we're looking fab now!