Really Murky/Cloudy water

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AndrewM21

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Feb 29, 2012
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Hey guy's, my first post here so I hope it's in the proper place. I have this 20Gal tank and it was perfectly fine for about a week and for some reason the water has turned completely murky/cloudy.

I also have a "bubble/air stone" in the tank and the top of the tank is FILLED with bubbles. This didn't start happening until about 36 hours ago.

I have taken a video which you can view below. Hopefully some of you fish experts can help me out. I've devoted a lot of time & money into this tank (recently upgraded from a 10Gal) and I don't want my fish to die. I've also tested the following (with results). I also do regular PWC in the tank.

I have treated my fish tank recently for Ick (one of my columbian sharks had this). I bought a water heater for the Ick aswell (I've heard it accelerates their life cycle). My tank stays around 72~74 Degrees (F).

One of my Columbian sharks seems to be shedding it's natural slime coat also (I've heard this is caused by "stress"). However I can't seem to figure out what may be stressing my fish out? I have no abnormal changes in their feeding habits and/or water abnormalities.

I hope I've provided all the information that may be needed to determine what may be wrong with my fish tank.

Nitrate: 0
Nitrite: 0
Total Hardness: 120
Total Alkalinity/Buffer Capacity: 180
PH Level: 7.0 (Exactly)

Fish in tank:

Green glow Tetra
Pleco
Columbian Shark (BlackFin Shark)
Rainbow Shark
Albino Rainbow Shark
Red-Eye Tetra
Raphael Catfish
Angelfish
Chinese Algae eater
Black Molly


VIDEO:

[video=youtube;lA6-OijBcdU]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lA6-OijBcdU[/video]
 
cbobruk said:
Has your tank been cycled?

also, that is too many fish in that 20, they will out grow it quick.
Click to expand...

I bought a bottle of "Quick Start" which supposedly starts your aquarium cycle. They are small right now so the tank is big enough, I have about $300 put back for a bigger tank (I just have to find one in my area). The 55Gal tanks at the pet store are $600 which is extremely overpriced. I just want to know what's wrong before I go getting a bigger tank and I run into the same problem.
 
What do you have for filtration?

How long did you have the 10 gallon before you upgraded to the 20 gallon. Did you move the filtration from the 10 gallon to the 20 gallon without cleaning the filter (you should NOT clean out your filter when moving them). Are you familiar with the nitrogen cycle and "Tank Cycling"?

Is your tap water chlorinated or does it have chloramines in it? How did you treat the new water?

Could you do another Ammonia and Nitrite test and post the results again (just in case something has changed)?

72 - 74 degrees F seems a little low to me... Can I get another opinion from other members?

Keeping fish is a continual learning experience... I have unfortunately killed many fish in my learning process. Let's see what we can do to minimize the blackmarks during your learning process. Posting here is a great way to start! Welcome aboard!

Petco usually has $1 per gallon sales once or twice a year on tanks up to 55 gallons. I would wait for one of these sales if you have a petco any where close to you.
 
Oughtsix said:
What do you have for filtration?

How long did you have the 10 gallon before you upgraded to the 20 gallon. Did you move the filtration from the 10 gallon to the 20 gallon without cleaning the filter (you should NOT clean out your filter when moving them). Are you familiar with the nitrogen cycle and "Tank Cycling"?

Is your tap water chlorinated or does it have chloramines in it? How did you treat the new water?

Could you do another Ammonia and Nitrite test and post the results again (just in case something has changed)?

72 - 74 degrees F seems a little low to me... Can I get another opinion from other members?

Keeping fish is a continual learning experience... I have unfortunately killed many fish in my learning process. Let's see what we can do to minimize the blackmarks during your learning process. Posting here is a great way to start! Welcome aboard!

Petco usually has $1 per gallon sales once or twice a year on tanks up to 55 gallons. I would wait for one of these sales if you have a petco any where close to you.
Click to expand...

It was roughly 2 weeks then I quickly realized I needed a bigger tank. I put the 10galllon filter setup in the 20gallon tank WITHOUT washing it. The filter system that came with the 20G tank is a Cascade Power Filter 100.

I bought some type of medication that makes tap water safe for fish, can't think of the name right off the top of my head.

Nothing has changed as far as the results go either.

Not quite sure on the temp. But I can bump it up to 76 or higher if required. I just don't want to keep killing fish (Only 1 has died so far).
 
You listed nitrates and nitrites... what is the ammonia level?

Fish poop ammonia which one type of bacteria breaks down to Nitrites then another type of bacteria breaks down to nitrates. Then you usually do water changes to rid the system of nitrates.

I suspect you do not have any beneficial bacterial colony built up to break the ammonia down to nitrites. Hence 0 Nitrites and 0 Nitrates. If everything is functioning properly you should have some amount of nitrates.

I would recommend testing for ammonia. If you have ammonia in your water immediately add some Ammo Chips to your filter. This will TEMPORARILY take care of your ammonia problem and save your fish. We will then need to work on building up your biological filtration.

I run my Cichlid tank around 78 degrees F. I do not know the correct water temp for your fish.
 
According to my Ammonia test kit it's about 0.5. I do have ammo chips already in-use though. I redid the test strip again and it's still giving me the same results 0 nitrites and 0 nitrates.


Oughtsix said:
You listed nitrates and nitrites... what is the ammonia level?

Fish poop ammonia which one type of bacteria breaks down to Nitrites then another type of bacteria breaks down to nitrates. Then you usually do water changes to rid the system of nitrates.

I suspect you do not have any beneficial bacterial colony built up to break the ammonia down to nitrites. Hence 0 Nitrites and 0 Nitrates. If everything is functioning properly you should have some amount of nitrates.

I would recommend testing for ammonia. If you have ammonia in your water immediately add some Ammo Chips to your filter. This will TEMPORARILY take care of your ammonia problem and save your fish. We will then need to work on building up your biological filtration.

I run my Cichlid tank around 78 degrees F. I do not know the correct water temp for your fish.
Click to expand...
 
It sounds as if the tank isn't properly cycled you might be having a type of algae bloom accruing, try to keep the light off i would use something called prime made by sea chem it is good stuff to keep ur fish safe..... If the tank hasn't been fully cycled u really don't wanna kill all the ammonia because that is the only thing that will build ur bio media.....

You said that u moved ur 10gal filter without washing it then u said the 20gal came with a filter..... So do u have 2 filters on this tank?????

It seems to me the 10gal didn't finish cycling in the 2 weeks that it was running then moved into a 20gal n it still isn't properly cycled....

I would put temp to about 76 to 78 n use small amount of prime to keep ur fish safe till the tank is FULLY cycled


Sent from my iPhone using MonsterAquariaNetwork app
 
Look around on craigslist for tanks they are usually only a dollar to 2 dollars per gallon where im at. not including extras
 
Sounds like a bacteria bloom due to the tank not being cycled properly. Everything was clear, fish added week or so later (as the bio-load increases) BOOM cloudy water.
 
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