Cloudiness, is it because I am underfiltering?

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
:popcorn: you have probably over stocked the tank early and it has not cycled yet do to the over stocking, and the fiilters and cycle can't catch up . you ned nitrate in the tank for sure . use a filter from a friends establised tank and just open the lip and wash out the filter in your tank , it will trick the tank into thinking it has cycled and then do a 10 to 15 percent water change every 4 days till it clears . it should all work out fine
 
Howdy,

I am always sceptical when it comes to filtering a large, stocked tank with biowheels and/or sponges only. Real biofiltration - to me - means canister or wet/dry. Cloudy water is a good sign of the lack of biofiltration if stirred substrate can be ruled out.

The fact that you posted the question the way you did means you already suspected that ;). Now go and get yourself a decent filter - tell your wife we said so :thumbsup:

HarleyK
 
I REALIZE AMONIA IS 0, BUT 15 FISH IN A TANK THAT HAS NOT ESTABILED IT SELF YET IS OVERSTOCKED TO ME , HE RUSHED IT , IT IS NO BIG DEAL HE JUST NEEDS TO DO WATERCHANGES A LITTLE MORE OFFTEN TO CLEAR IT , AND LET THE FILTERS CATCH UP . JUST MY VEIW . I RUSHED A TANK ONCE THAT HAD NOT FULLY CYCLED AND TOOK ME 3 MONTHS TO GET CLEAR , AND I HAD 2 2028 EHIEM CANISTER FILTERSS ON IT .
 
Howdy brettrotchell,

first off, please do not use caps. It's considered shouting.

Second, how big was your tank, how many fish did you start with, what filter media did you use, and did you use and bottled bacteria or old media to start cycling? It is highly unusual that (two!) canisters cannot cycle a tank within a decent time span.

HarleyK
 
HarleyK;508569; said:
Howdy,

I am always sceptical when it comes to filtering a large, stocked tank with biowheels and/or sponges only. Real biofiltration - to me - means canister or wet/dry. Cloudy water is a good sign of the lack of biofiltration if stirred substrate can be ruled out.

The fact that you posted the question the way you did means you already suspected that ;). Now go and get yourself a decent filter - tell your wife we said so :thumbsup:

HarleyK

Thanks Harley,
The cloudiness of the water varies day by day and it's driving my crazy. As for a wet/dry, there is no way I could build it into my stand because it is a weird shape. It however could support a canister filter, if I had the money and another outlet! I am running out of space to plug things in too. I did rush it but it should sort itself out over time. Should I do a 50% water change? I have been adding clarifier and it is helping a little bit. It is driving me crazy that I can't get the water clear. Ammonia and Nitrite are 0 so I don't understand why it is still "over stocked". I'm not going to give up, just rip some more hair out of scalp!
 
What foods are you offering? some will cloud the water a lot more than others.
 
frozen bloodworms, frozen beef heart, MarineCuisine, Emerald Entree, Frozen Brine shrimp, shimp pellets, and freeze dried krill. Also, I use feeder guppies because some of my fish are really picky.

Thanks everyone

BTW, Rallysman, I just watched Orgazmo last night! Funny stuff!
 
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