My Milky White Cloudy Tank

[ravekiss]

Kinda Fishey thank you very much for thinking of me..i will try to feed less and also think about your other suggestions. I will test for phosphates first though. Thanks again...will let you know how it turns out.
PS I dont have any live plants, i dont think I have what it takes to grow them live...I may just kill them.

 

[steelhealr]

Hi Ravekiss....I don't want to confuse matters, but, having suffered the same problem you did ( my tank took 6 weeks to cycle and 3 months to clear), I just want to give you encouragement and one last view. All the posts here have been great and true to the mark. But....( and I'll get some kickbacks on this)....I think no matter what you do, the tank will stay cloudy until it reaches it's 'equilibrium' state. If you do all the things mentioned above (pahansen always puts in great posts), it will set the course for your tank to clean up. A combination of factors including cycling with fish and overfeeding and changing water parameters (we all do it in the beginning even when we think we aren't) sets up a bacterial bloom that just won't resolve until the 'nutrient broth' decreases. In my situation, I even spent a lot of money to get a diatom filter...damn I was so frustrated like you. The filter sits on the shelf now and my water is so crystal clear that I can see rainbows in it. Do good tank maintenance, restrain the urge to overfeed, don't add chemicals, test your water parameters, keep regular and steady with your maintenance, and it should clear up. If I had to finger ONE parameter that is the most likely culprit....I say it's the darn fishfood. HANG IN THERE.....your tank will catch up. SH

 

[ravekiss]

Thanks steelhealr for the the encouragement, being my first tank, tis frustrating to get it perfect, like the ones I see in people's homes and fish stores. The lfs tanks are so overcrowded and yet their water is always crystal clear... i always wonder what's th magic.

 

[pahansen]

Ditto to Ravekiss -- Thanks Steelhealr for the pat on the back. You are the wind beneath my wings!

Pamela

EDIT: Of course, at some point someone is going to think I'm paying you...

 

[steelhealr]

...I'll take cash. lol SH

 

[Leslie]

Try feeding once every other day until it clears up then only once a day once it does. Also get some Purigen for your filter.

 

[ravekiss]

Purigen.. never heard of it...what does it do...I'll check it out.

 

[yvez9]

it's by Seachem

I use it in my 20 gallon
it's 3 times mroe effective than carbon but it doesn't absorb plant nutrients so it is safe to use if you have a massively planted tank!

I think it's just awesome

 

[sushi]

I know what you mean I got frustrated and so bought a power flow filter (with a sponge and water blower outer - very technical language ) and it does wonders. When the filter/sponge gets all dirty the water goes brown and murky so I clean the filter and within 1/2 to 1 hour, it's crystal clear again. I've got heaps of fish but this filter does the trick. I dunno how long you've had yours set up for but after about 6 months I had to take everything out so transferred fish into another container (100L) with air and heater and washed tank and stones, and it's been pretty clear for about 3 weeks now. Usually I cant see through mine either. You need to keep some of the old water to put back into the clean tank b4 you put the fish back in tho coz tap water not good. but yeah, buy a power flow filter, one that is matched to the size of your tank!!!!!!!!! that's my advice. HIH

 

[leepy]

Hi ravekiss, im having the same problems as you with the cloudy water.my tank has cycled and been up and running for 3 months. Its anonnying.i have just added an external filter but that hasnt as yet helped.
i know i have a well stocked tank,but others have well stocked tanks and dont suffer murky water. would more filtration solve this problem if overcrowding is the issue?

hello again.
I had a talk to a guy from my lfs and he told me it is very common with a tank under 6 months old.He has set up lots of tanks that have gone cloudy and stayed that way until the filters he used caught up.He told me to take out the carbon from my filter and stuff it full of filter floss and do a 25-45% water change.
he recommended using interpet filter aid just after the change.
filter aid clumps all the tiny little suspended particles together so your filter catchs them.

i did all this wednesday and my tank is super clear!
the filter floss he told me to use was black with all the crap on it.
weather my tank stay this way is yet to be seen,but im happy that ive been able to clear it for at least 3 days.

 

[Metermaid]

I also have a tank which is overcrowded - with happy fish ! - I have recently set up a bigger tank and to get things going in there I washed the filter medium from the small tank in a couple of cup fulls of tank water and then added this to the new filter - since I have been rinsing the small tanks medium everyday it has become absolutely crystal clear - something I could never achieve before - it's a regime I'm sticking too !

Good luck - I hope you get things sorted

 

[ravekiss]

Ok guys....my tank has finally decided to clear up after almost 5 months of milky white cloudy water!! The tank is now crystal clear!! This happened about 2 weeks ago when I took out everything (all decor & plants) from the tank, leaving only the gravel. I didnt use the gravel vacuum, i ran my fingers thoroughly through the gravel back and forth whilst dipping out water with a container. I removed about 75-80% of the water and refilled with the same temp water from the tap. Since then I did a weekly 15% water change and it has remained crystal clear! Its been over 2 weeks. I am so happy!!

 

[Inchworm]

Hi ravekiss

That's wonderful news!

I'm sure your fish are just as happy as you are!





BTW, I love your avatar!