All I see is clouds! HELP

[soulFish]

Ok it's like on the second week or so of a cloudy tank. One 100Gallon tank is crystal clear. the other one looks like SH*T


The other had been tinted brown, yellowish. I removed 75% of he wood boiled it and am soaking it outside. But now the tank is taking on a whitish cloudyness. I've tested the water and it 's fine. I have been doing mega water changes for 3 days. 60/50/40% still does not effect the cloudness. Gets slightly better during the water change, then clouds over by the evening. I honestly dont know. The algae does not seem toe be growing very much, actually it seem to have stopped, growing on the tank.. due to the water changes? But the water tests fine, no ammonia, nitrates, PH is fine. The only thing I could see it being is the sand. Could the sand start leaking out and making he water cloudy? I rinsed it before I put it in there and it settled down after a few days of the tank being set up. And the clouds came on a couple months after the tank was established. The only thing new I did was treat the tank for Ich a few weeks ago.

I even cleaned out he canister and the HOB.. I just don't know and it's buggin me looking at a tank that looks like I don't take care of it when actually thats the total opposite!

 

[JonF]

How long haev you had the tank running for? What filters are you running. If the tank has only been run a short while I would just let it go a little longer and stop doing the massive water changes. Let it run a week without a water change and see what happens. Also, I would add some filter floss to your filters to help polish the water.

 

[Dr Joe]

What's the bio-load?

Since it's been established so long, try covering it for 3-4 days...NO light and limit feeding...Don't peek . If it's an algae bloom this should break the algae's life cycle. If the tanks clearer do a 50% W/C and keep feeding low for another week uncovered.

You could try a UV sterilizer (borrow one?).

Dr Joe

.

 

[Aquaman_95]

Hmm Sounds like a Bacterial Bloom. Actually this Is Normal in new tanks. Bio Is just now Starting.

 

[soulFish]

The tank have been running for about 3 months. The substrate that was put into it was from two established thanks. The filters being used are a Rena XP4 and a Emp 400. Both filters had bacteria loads on the bio inserts.. IE ceramic rings and bio wheel. So really the only thing new was the actual glass tank. Everything else had established parts.

Wish I had a UV sterilizer. But don't have any aquarium friends that have one either, and it's kinda expensive to get one to just try and see if it works. Although I probably should have one anyway.

The covering the tank idea seems like a good one. Given my options this seems to be the best one. Seems like it makes sense .. limit the light and decrease feeding.. hope the fish can handle less food. They are acting like P's now at feedings.

I have filter floss in both filters.. and just changed them yesterday. The clouds are not from fine particals.. atleast not from what my eyes can see. It just looks like smooth looking cloudy water.. no chunks floating about.

 

[Gr8KarmaSF]

You mentioned that it might be your sand.

What kind of sand are you using? Is this same type of sand being used for your other tank?

 

[kelwkatdady]

This happened to my 125 about 3 weeks ago...
I did water change after water change and nothing seemed to help...

as with yours, my water parameters where all perfect, I attributed it to a bacteria bloom and just left it alone for a week.

I turned all the lights out and only fed once a day instead of twice...

It cleared up in about 7-8 days...

Don't do anymore water changes, just watch it for a week and see what happens.

 

[Lonewolfblue]

I agree, don't do any major water changes for a week and see where you stand. Also, keep tabs on your water parameters as well, you don't want anything sneaking up on you. I believe it's just a bacteria bloom due to the new tank, as the glass was all clean. Even with established media, sometimes it takes a few days to re-acclimate itself and get back into sync.

 

[soulFish]

I'm using pool filter sand. The other tank has sea gravel picked up in Bodega. But I used this sand in the 20 Gal before adding more of it and mixing it in the 100 Gal. But the smaller amount when in the 20 did clear up and settle down and get clear.

 

[soulFish]

thanks guys, blacking out the tank did the trick, at Day 7 it's alteast 50% better! Great advice! So now I'm going to keep the light to a min, les than 5hr per day. Guess it was a bacteria bloom!