Cloudy Water + Smell?

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J

joeg

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Jul 10, 2011
54
1
0
USA
I have a new tank (running for a week), 75 Gallon, freshwater.

The water has been cloudy since day 1, from what I read online (after i bought) about the substrate, this sometimes happens with this particular substrate:

http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?237562-Aqua-terra-black-sand
(hope its ok to link to another forum)

however, the cloudyness has not subsided. PH is about 7, amonia is < .02ppm.

now the 2nd part of my problem may be unrelated... there's kind of a weird smell coming from my filter... it's a Aqueon 55/75 HOB filled with scrubbies, sponges, and pot scrubbers (in addition to the original media).

i'm very new to this, so i'm not sure what everything is supposed to look like. when i investigated the smell in the filter, it's clearly coming from all the green slimy stuff on all the bio media.

is this normal? is there supposed to be green slime on the biomedia in the filter?

finally, last night i decided to do a partial water change... probably about 20%... then this morning it was still cloudy, so i did another 10-15%...

still looked cloudy when i left for work this morning.
 
its worth noting that i did wash the sand before adding it... but i live in an apartment, so its not like i could take it outside and use the hose. had to do my best with a bucket and the bathtub... that may be part of the problem
 
whats the green slimy stuff in the filter. The smell might be a bacteria build up since your just cycling your tank. But cant be for sure since this has never happen to me. Sand particles can take almost a week to go down if your using playground sand like me. I wouldnt have my filter on especially if its not a powerful canister or sump because the sand particles can ruin the motor
 
Tanks always smell a little bit when cycling. The sand will clear within a week, as mentioned.
What are you using to cycle the tank?

Be sure to remove your HOB filter and clean out any sand that got into it when the cloudiness goes away, and it would be better to have the filter off and just use air stones to move the water. I leave my filters on though, just clean out any sand that get inside.

Water changes can help clear the cloudiness sooner, just put a plate or large bowl in the tank and pour water onto that so you dont disturb the sand more.
 
I doubt it is the sand causing your problem considering that you also have slimy green 'stuff' on your filter media and your tank has only been set up for 1 week.

What other things are in your tank besides the sand?

Is the tank getting direct sunlight or near a window?

Are there any fish in the tank now?
 
yes, there are fish in the tank (though, now i kind of wish i had a better understanding of all this before i started, i would have done a fishless cycle)... the tank gets some decent daylight on 1 side. I also have 2 plants in the tank.

do i need to be concerned about the fish as long as the ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate levels stay low and the ph stays around 7? they appear to be fine/happy.

as long as i keep a watchful eye on everything and do frequent water changes will everything be ok?

also, i'm picking up a fluval fx5... i don't really like the HOB filter. i may keep it in addition to the fx5 for the circulation.
 
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