Water Gone Foggy!

[Rorie]

Please help - i have had a great tank on the go for just over a month.

This afternoon i changed the water and also changed the carbon filter for the first time. I followed the instructions and all went well.

I later in the day tested the water, and introduced 5 new fish - 2 Corys and 3 Danios. A few hours on from that and the water has gone all cloudy! I tested the water again and it is all good, perfect! So can anybody help me or reassure me why my water has gone so cloudy?

I thought it may just need to run through the filter a bit, but that does not make sense thats what its been doing all day...

 

[Sunny22]

So is your tank cycled? Sometimes early in a cycle the water will go cloudy due to a bacterial bloom. It is harmless but doesn't look great. Usually it goes away after a short time.

 

[Rorie]

yeh it is, and i have had it going for a number of weeks with fish being added every 10 days or so. I changed the carbon in the filter today, so i wonder if that has done it? I washed it out and everything first though, so i am confused!

 

[Fish_Man43]

yeh it is, and i have had it going for a number of weeks with fish being added every 10 days or so. I changed the carbon in the filter today, so i wonder if that has done it? I washed it out and everything first though, so i am confused!

Hello

So what did you wash and in what did you wash it with? if you used tape water to wash your filter midia you might of killed the bacteria within the filter. What are your stats and what test kit are you using? it might be a mini cycle or a bacteria bloom your seeing, what color is the water? First thing to to test your water also changing the water can cause temp clouding until it settles, how much water did you change?

 

[Rorie]

I washed the carbon under tap water - granted this may not have been a great idea, but i figured it would be ok seen as it was only to get rid of the dust. I tested the water straight away and it was all fine. I do wonder if it was a temperature thing as the temp went up when i put the water in...!

It is all clear today though, so that is good!

Thanks for your help!

 

[Fish_Man43]

I washed the carbon under tap water - granted this may not have been a great idea, but i figured it would be ok seen as it was only to get rid of the dust. I tested the water straight away and it was all fine. I do wonder if it was a temperature thing as the temp went up when i put the water in...!

It is all clear today though, so that is good!

Thanks for your help!

Good to hear all is settled down i don't think it was the water being a little cold might of been the disturbance when you did the water change? before you do a water change do you leave it until to gets to room temp and then top it up with hot water from the kettle to make it about the same as your tank water? if your filling it up by 20 - 25 % just room temp will do, but more over 25% best to get it to the tank temp. By the way you don't really need carbon in your filter unless your removing meds or dyes.

 

[Rorie]

Really? What cleans the water then? I know the manufacturer can be a bit OTT with time scales etc, but they said change the carbon every 8 weeks or the water goes funny!

It is a wet and dry top filter i have. The water comes in through the pump, sprays out onto a black filter, then through to the white filter, then through the carbon, then through the ceramic node things, then to the second section where it does it all again but in reverse. After this in flows into the opposite end of the tank.

So is the filters (the black and white LINKshown here) and the ceramic all that is needed to keep my water clean?

Should i just take out the carbon filter - shown in the same link - until i need to get rid of medicine? Or do i just need to replace it with new carbon when i need it to be effective?

Thanks!

 

[Fish_Man43]

Really? What cleans the water then? I know the manufacturer can be a bit OTT with time scales etc, but they said change the carbon every 8 weeks or the water goes funny!

It is a wet and dry top filter i have. The water comes in through the pump, sprays out onto a black filter, then through to the white filter, then through the carbon, then through the ceramic node things, then to the second section where it does it all again but in reverse. After this in flows into the opposite end of the tank.

So is the filters (the black and white LINKshown here) and the ceramic all that is needed to keep my water clean?

Should i just take out the carbon filter - shown in the same link - until i need to get rid of medicine? Or do i just need to replace it with new carbon when i need it to be effective?

Thanks!

Activated carbon is a chemical medium. It has a highly fractured surface, and any organic compounds that come in contact with the surface of the carbon stay there. This process is called "adsorption" (not absorption, which is something else entirely). Because of the fracturerd surface, each carbon grain has a large surface area, and will adsorb a lot of stuff, but eventually the carbon becomes saturated, and needs to be replaced. In theory, it can be cleaned and reused by being baked in a hot oven, but there's not much point since carbon is usually very inexpensive.

The question for many aquarists is why use carbon. Back in years gone by, before filters were as effective as they are now, aquarists tended to leave weeks, even months, before water changes. The idea was that the stability of the aquarium was the thing, and water changes disrupted the equilibrium. Because of the way these tanks were being run, the water became "old", and acquired a yellowy tint from the organic chemicals that were building up in the aquarium. Carbon adsorbed these chemicals, known by a German word, "gelbstoff", and so got rid of the yellow tint.

In a modern, well-maintained aquarium, there should be no build up of organic chemicals in the water. Hence, carbon isn't strictly necessary. Moreover, carbon has an important negative attribute: it adsorbs fish medicines. If you are treating for something like whitespot, it is vital that any carbon in the filter is removed. Otherwise, the carbon will neutralise the medicine, and stop your fish getting better.

You can keep the carbon in and won't do any harm, as many people on here will tell you you don't need it and alot of people including myself replace the carbon with another piece of sponge or filter wool, so it will have more for the beneficial bacteria. But the carbon is for taking meds and dyes out and if not replaced the carbon will release the toxins back in to your tank. What cleans the water is your weekly gravel cleaning and 25 % water changes all depends on your water stats, the filter holds beneficial bacteria and this cleans the water and helps to eats the waste and keep your stats where they should be ammonia 0 nitrite 0 and nitrate under 20 recommended but higher will be safe but don't let it got to high. Carbon is a shops dream as a money maker as it's really serves no purpose only for the things name earlier. But if anyone else reads this they might say the same things.

 

[Rorie]

Ah ok, so i can take out my carbon, have 3(?) layers of sponge on top of my ceramic nodes, and all will be well? I just put in the carbon after treating my water with medicine or dye (why would i use dye?!)?

Thanks for your time and advice, i appreciate it. Sorry for being pedantic with my questions, it just seems crazy that i am encouraged to replace the carbon so often when in fact i dont need to.

I want the best for my fish So i like to know all the details. Your a great help in my knowledge base expansion

Edit...

And i just noticed you edited your post to a much more detailed one...thanks

 

[Fish_Man43]

Ah ok, so i can take out my carbon, have 3(?) layers of sponge on top of my ceramic nodes, and all will be well? I just put in the carbon after treating my water with medicine or dye (why would i use dye?!)?

Thanks for your time and advice, i appreciate it. Sorry for being pedantic with my questions, it just seems crazy that i am encouraged to replace the carbon so often when in fact i dont need to.

I want the best for my fish So i like to know all the details. Your a great help in my knowledge base expansion

Edit...

And i just noticed you edited your post to a much more detailed one...thanks

That will be ok just place the sponge or filter wool where the carbon was, some meds give out a dye that will turn your water blue or green, or if you get plants and it might taint the water, as my nephew just teated his fish with white spot and turn the water a pale green so after he finished the treatment he use the carbon to take the med out and the dye. If you not seen this thread it might be a good read for you

New to fish keeping