Setup:
300 gallon glass Aquarium:
2 Fluval FX6s - top sponges replaced with floss. Purigen (1000 gallon worth), active carbon, ceramic rings in, other baskets
1 wet/dry sump filter - fed by overflow, pre-filter pad, ribbon media, Purigen, heaters
Fine black gravel (blasting sand), some rocks, wood, and plastic plants
No direct sunlight, lights are on a timer for 12 hours a day
Maintenance:
Weekly 3/4 water change, after algae magnet is used. Gravel vacuumed, wet/dry pre-filter cleaned if needed.
Water treated with Seachem Prime, 1/2 cup instant ocean
During water change, the wet/dry is kept running by having the return go into the overflow box. The FX6s run for most of the water change until the water level in the aquarium gets too low. They end up being off for about 20 minutes.
Water parameters:
PH: 8.0, Ammonia: 0, Nitrite 0, Nitrate 5ppm after water change, 15ppm before water change
Tap water tests 0 for everything, I have a Culligan water filtration/softening system
Stock list:
18" Black Arowana, 4: 5" to 7" Red Hook Silver Dollars, 3: 5" to 6" Emperor Red Hooks, 4: 6" Threadfin Geos, 3: 4" to 5" Altifrons Geos, 4: 4" to 5" Red-Tail Botias, 2: 6: 1" Skunk Botias, 1: 8" Pleco
Feeding:
Once per day, all food eaten within a minute, all fish eat aggressively
Just changed to: Hikari food sticks for Arowana, Life Spectrum sinking pellets, freeze-dried Krill, small algae pellets
Was feeding: Hikari sinking and floating pellets, freeze-dried Krill, small algae pellets
I switched foods only a couple of days ago, hoping it will help with the clarity
Problem:
After water change the water is clear. Each day it grows a bit more cloudy (very light brownish tinge), by water change it is noticeable from across the room. It isn't awful, but noticeable. Ammonia and Nitrite always test 0, Nitrate slowly increases until next water change.
What I have tried:
Besides putting floss in the FX6s and Purigen, I've added bags of Algone to the sump.
I added two large Hikari sponge filters for several weeks, but they made no difference and have been removed.
I tried Seachem Clarity yesterday, and now, almost 24 hours later, it is much more cloudy than usual.
There is a 200 gallon aquarium sitting next to the 300, with the same water parameters and maintenance routine. The 200 always stays perfectly clear, never cloudy. It has one FX6 and a wet/dry sump. Same foods are fed and it is well stocked with fish.
Additional thoughts:
To me it does not appear to be a nitrifying bacterial bloom. It looks like fine organic matter that the filter cannot trap, almost as if the fish waste is not solid. The water does not smell, and there is no foaming like you would get from dissolved organic compounds. I do not know why the Seachem Clarity did not work, it actually made things worse.
Any suggestions/ideas would be greatly appreciated. I've tried to be as thorough as possible with the explanation.
300 gallon glass Aquarium:
2 Fluval FX6s - top sponges replaced with floss. Purigen (1000 gallon worth), active carbon, ceramic rings in, other baskets
1 wet/dry sump filter - fed by overflow, pre-filter pad, ribbon media, Purigen, heaters
Fine black gravel (blasting sand), some rocks, wood, and plastic plants
No direct sunlight, lights are on a timer for 12 hours a day
Maintenance:
Weekly 3/4 water change, after algae magnet is used. Gravel vacuumed, wet/dry pre-filter cleaned if needed.
Water treated with Seachem Prime, 1/2 cup instant ocean
During water change, the wet/dry is kept running by having the return go into the overflow box. The FX6s run for most of the water change until the water level in the aquarium gets too low. They end up being off for about 20 minutes.
Water parameters:
PH: 8.0, Ammonia: 0, Nitrite 0, Nitrate 5ppm after water change, 15ppm before water change
Tap water tests 0 for everything, I have a Culligan water filtration/softening system
Stock list:
18" Black Arowana, 4: 5" to 7" Red Hook Silver Dollars, 3: 5" to 6" Emperor Red Hooks, 4: 6" Threadfin Geos, 3: 4" to 5" Altifrons Geos, 4: 4" to 5" Red-Tail Botias, 2: 6: 1" Skunk Botias, 1: 8" Pleco
Feeding:
Once per day, all food eaten within a minute, all fish eat aggressively
Just changed to: Hikari food sticks for Arowana, Life Spectrum sinking pellets, freeze-dried Krill, small algae pellets
Was feeding: Hikari sinking and floating pellets, freeze-dried Krill, small algae pellets
I switched foods only a couple of days ago, hoping it will help with the clarity
Problem:
After water change the water is clear. Each day it grows a bit more cloudy (very light brownish tinge), by water change it is noticeable from across the room. It isn't awful, but noticeable. Ammonia and Nitrite always test 0, Nitrate slowly increases until next water change.
What I have tried:
Besides putting floss in the FX6s and Purigen, I've added bags of Algone to the sump.
I added two large Hikari sponge filters for several weeks, but they made no difference and have been removed.
I tried Seachem Clarity yesterday, and now, almost 24 hours later, it is much more cloudy than usual.
There is a 200 gallon aquarium sitting next to the 300, with the same water parameters and maintenance routine. The 200 always stays perfectly clear, never cloudy. It has one FX6 and a wet/dry sump. Same foods are fed and it is well stocked with fish.
Additional thoughts:
To me it does not appear to be a nitrifying bacterial bloom. It looks like fine organic matter that the filter cannot trap, almost as if the fish waste is not solid. The water does not smell, and there is no foaming like you would get from dissolved organic compounds. I do not know why the Seachem Clarity did not work, it actually made things worse.
Any suggestions/ideas would be greatly appreciated. I've tried to be as thorough as possible with the explanation.
