really cloudy tank, plz help its getting me down

[oscars mum]

basically talking about the filter,before i added the external, on friday, i was using 2 very inadequate internal filters, and although i was washing them in tank water i was doing this every other day, as they were really sludgy, i have put that media into the external,so i havent improved the situation at all,
and as long as i keep the ammonia and nitrites down will it have an adverse affect on the fish, i mean the prolonged cycle??

 

[oscars mum]

without regular testing i might add,as i wrongly assumed that reg large water changes would keep it all in tact

 

[tunerX]

The prolonged cycle could be detrimental since since it will weaken the fishes immune systems and could cause secondary infections or illness.

If possible, go to an LFS and see if they can give you some filter media from their tanks. It will speed things up for you. It is always a plus to have a good relationship with an LFS.

The cloudiness from the sand will clear over time.

 

[oscars mum]

right ok, thankyou for your time and your very valuable advice

 

[oscars mum]

i forgot to ask whats the uk name for bio spira.. i hate to look like a prat when going into the lfs,and ensures i dont get sold what i dont need

 

[fishdance]

it dosent matter how many water changes i do i cant get the water cleared

its my oscar tank as i have had a problem with my filters and its going thru a cycle again,

i feed them tetra doromin pellets, and prawns and peas,bloodworm

the large particles on the left of the pic are food,not muck

There is a distinct pattern here..... Oscars are dirty messy eaters. If you have food on the bottom you are feeding at least 10 times too much. Why dont you stop feeding them until your filter cycles and the tank clears. Then feed them once a week sparingly? Just because fish eat food doesnt mean they are hungry or need to be fed. Since there is uneaten food on the bottom, I am confident most of the food they actually do eat is also being poo-ed out undigested.

 

[dr_sudz]

ya generally if you think your tank is cycled but you are still getting the cloudy water then you are not finished. It really is best that if your that early in the cycling process that you just start over again if you want to change something as complex as your gravel. Benifical Bacteria establishes itself all over the place, and gravel is a big one. If you remove it in the middle of the cycle and you are doing largers water changes you are completely retarding the process. To be honest with you I would just let nature take its course and really dial back on the feedings as was said. I personally wouldn't go with something like bio spira I would ask them for a squeezing of their filter media in a fish bag and get that into your tank asap! That is way better then the bottled stuff.
If you are finding that much later once things have stabalized and you are still finding it hazy or cloudy you may need to add another filter to help with the load of the tank itself, I find just adding another filter is usually enough and doesn't have to be over kill.

 

[ar0wan]

There should never be uneaten food in the tank!
If an accident happens
(the 2yo used to like to 'help' feed my 10gal nursery)
then vac it out immediately and do a heavy WC.

Once you cut WAY back on feeding
then just give it some time to cycle.
Sand will always give you some cloudiness when cleaned
but I don't think i'd vac more than every third WC or so.

HTH

 

[oscars mum]

right i did what i thought was best after reading all the advice. i have taken out the sand and replaced with gravel,and large stones ( the sand smelt like i was standing over a sewearge pipe) i have made the gravel 1 inch deep, so that i ensure thourough cleaning when doing a vac, the tank is now as clear as i would have liked it to be this morning, so what im doing now is going to squeeze one of my cycled filters ( the tests for this one are spot on,no3-10,no2-0,PH 6.8 no ammonia) im not sure where to squeeze it tho, do i just open the filter and squeeze into the cannister?? water flows upwards thru the cannister through,ceramic ring then bio balls,then course sponge then finer sponge,carbon and polishing pad--- so where do i squeeze?.. then as the water is clear now i wont feel compelled to do constant water changes so can let the filter get on and do what filters do, testing daily, please dont think i have gone against what everyone has said, i felt this would be the better way to go, and really hope you all agree, at the moment the readings on the tank in question are no3-10,no2-1.PH 6.8
i really appreciate all of your help
pic of the tank ,right after refilling,its much clearer now, the light is a temp mesure as my hood wont fit now with the external on there

~s~ xx

 

[bigspizz]

Why is that big cannister NOT connected? And look at the Oscar gasping at the surface for air....