Cloudy water overnight.....

[Zack cloutier]

I have a 120 gal tank with
1 tiger oscar
1 chocolate cichlid
1 robersoni cichlid
1 tiretrack eel
1 gibbs pleco

Filtration is 2x AC 110 and a fluval fx4

So last night i did a routine water change and rescaped my tank. I change stuff around in my tank more frequently then most people i feel. Maybe once every 2-3 months. While i was still draining for the warer change i noticed the water was colder then usual so i cranked the heaters up a bit. So last night the temp was around 72-73 degrees and this morning its now at 78-79 degrees.
I tested the water and all parameters are great. Zero amonia and zero nitrites ph is same as usual at 7.4 and nitrate is 10ppm
Could raising the temp be why the water is cloudy? Thats the only thing ive done different since the tank has ben running. It sucks bc i was potentially going to add more fish today but with the cloudy water now im nervous.

Any advice as to actions i should take or how to combat the cloudiness would be greatly appreciated

 

[Hendre]

Is it cloudy or milky? Can be a bacterial bloom that took opportunity after the water change. I would increase aeration to be safe, blooms can lower oxygen levels. What did you test with?

 

[Zack cloutier]

Heres the tank right after the water change last night and this morning when i woke up

The second pic doesnt do it justice, its more cloudy then it seems in the pic

 

[Zack cloutier]

Tested with api master test kit

 

[tlindsey]

Like stated above a bacterial bloom.

 

[kno4te]

Like the others have mentioned about the bacterial bloom. Maybe some mini cycle, heavy feeding, leftover food, or need some extra water chabnges. Make sure ur water is clean and keep ur water changes going. Should clear up.

 

[EntoStentor]

+1

 

[neutrino]

+1 to a likely bacteria bloom-- the cause is heterotrophic microbes, can mutlitply in minutes, much faster than those in your filter (and other surfaces, like substrate), which are a different type. They can multiply with extra nutrients in the water. Sometimes it's a mineral balance thing. Doesn't look severe enough to deplete oxygen with decent surface current or aeration. How new or old is the tank, or filter and media? Plenty of filtration, so that's not the problem, but sometimes happens when media isn't fully mature and stabilized.

Could simply be rearranging the tank stirred up stuff and it's either fine sediment in the water column-- or nutrients released into the water column sparked a bacteria bloom.

That's my normal with water changes-- well water with varying amounts of silt in it. You should see it sometimes, there are times you can barely see the fish. Takes anywhere from a few hours to overnight to clear up for me, it's just part of the routine with my well water. Doesn't bother my fish.

 

[Zack cloutier]

Thank you all for your help and advice neutrino has seemed to hit the nail on the head as i have done absolutely nothing and the tank is no longer cloudy! Crystal clear now. I probably jumped the gun in worrying myself.

Just to answer prior questions the tank has ben set up a little under a year and the fx4 was added about 6 months ago.

 

[punman]

I have found that overdosing on dechlorinator can cloud water too for a short time, but I doubt that was your problem.