I have been playing with the amount of gravel in my tank over the past few weeks (25 gallon, community fish, just barbs, corys, etc), and moving it around a lot has caused cloudy water in the tank. I figured it was just a bit of waste under the gravel that got stirred up. But it wouldnt go away. It coated the inside of the filter, the walls of the tank, etc. I must have not washed either some of the gravel or some of the rocks I recently added properly and it must be sediment or dust. It was EVERYWHERE.
I did a 25% water change and cleaned the filter substrate. No change. 50% change. Nothing. 80%. Still super cloudy.
Today I ended up taking the fish out, emptying the tank completely, and I actually had to take it in the backyard and hose it down, along with the filter, because just running it under water would not get rid of the sediment or buildup, whatever it is. Unbelievable.
So now fish are back in with some water from an established tank, but no substrate and no decorations. I also threw the filter materials out. I will need to take some from my other tanks filter and buy a new sponge tomorrow.
Even though the tank is completely bare, the fish look like they have better colouring and are swimming around a lot more. They look happier. The water is finally clear.
Now....to get to my question....I put a small amount (like 2 coffee cups full) of the gravel into a bucket and have washed it thoroughly maybe 6-7 times with fresh tap water. The water in the bucket STILL gets cloudy. Its like a never ending thing! WTF is on my gravel? I have never seen anything like this. Should I just go and buy new gravel??? I am really at a loss what to do.
Any input is appreciated.
I did a 25% water change and cleaned the filter substrate. No change. 50% change. Nothing. 80%. Still super cloudy.
Today I ended up taking the fish out, emptying the tank completely, and I actually had to take it in the backyard and hose it down, along with the filter, because just running it under water would not get rid of the sediment or buildup, whatever it is. Unbelievable.
So now fish are back in with some water from an established tank, but no substrate and no decorations. I also threw the filter materials out. I will need to take some from my other tanks filter and buy a new sponge tomorrow.
Even though the tank is completely bare, the fish look like they have better colouring and are swimming around a lot more. They look happier. The water is finally clear.
Now....to get to my question....I put a small amount (like 2 coffee cups full) of the gravel into a bucket and have washed it thoroughly maybe 6-7 times with fresh tap water. The water in the bucket STILL gets cloudy. Its like a never ending thing! WTF is on my gravel? I have never seen anything like this. Should I just go and buy new gravel??? I am really at a loss what to do.
Any input is appreciated.
