Cloudy water is driving me crazy!

[sledge760]

For the most part the cloudines has been white, but in the past day or so it has a green tint to it. Substrate is natural color gravel (brown). There has been four good size pieces of driftwood. I took the three newer pieces out today just to see if this may be part of the cause. The one I left has been in there for 2 years. Also a few rocks that are hard surfaced so they won't decay. I have not tried Purigen but will look into it.

Here is roughly what I have been feeding the fish daily:
About 10-15 Hikari Gold medium pellets.
10 Hikari Carnivore medium sticks for the Aro.
A small pinch of Wardley flake for the Silver Dollars.
Is this too much?

 

[hillbilly]

How about gravel cleanings? You said you had gravel in there. Gravel traps wastes and uneaten food like you would not believe, and can break down in there, releasing dissolved organics. Could be the source of cloudy water, higher nitrate readings. It's pretty hard to vac it thoroughly if you have a good layer in a tank with a larger footprint, like a 180. That's why I use sand these days. The gunk stays on top where it's easily removed. Since I started using the sand, my nitrate levels have gone way down, simply because it's so much easier to remove the wastes before they break down. Just a thought.

 

[Bderick67]

Well considering the 9 fish you listed I really don't think you are feeding to much. How much light is the tank receiving, if it turning green I really beleive it's an algae bloom. Need some input from members who have delt with the algae blooms.

 

[sledge760]

I light vacum when I do a water change once a week, not digging all the way to the bottom of the gravel though. The tank has a single PC light strip. Two 96 watt bulbs. I have not tried sand in a freshwater, only the SW I used to have

 

[hillbilly]

I would bet if you dig down into that gravel layer, you would be shocked at the amount of gunk that's in there.

 

[sledge760]

Next time I will thoroughly vacum the gravel.

 

[DasArab]

My tank is almost the same, it has a "tint" to it and its been set up for a year. But I think its caused be the hair algea that grows on the bogwood, I think its free floating algea form it. I have just ordered a UV filter to help combat this, ive heard a couple of people who had a green water problem who've added a UV and over night the problem has disappeared. Have you ciincidered changing the lighing tubes for a different spectrum? Sometimes lighing can effect algea blooms n the water too.