Imm running a 210 gallon tank with a 40 gallon sump. Gph is about 1600. The water runs through a cloth bag that I have stuffed with course and fine filter pads. It then runs into a chamber with about 10 liters of Seachems Matix. Them I have six pads of bio-chemsorb, that are supposed to treat 55 gallons apiece. Then it runs over another lip, through a sponge and into my tank. Ever since I installed it three weeks ago, my tank has been getting cloudy after only three days or so. Anyone have any advice on improvents? And also if the matrix gets dirty, will gravel vacuming butcher my bacteria? I have no idea........
sump questions and cloudy tank
- Thread starter AlaskaJammin
- Start date
Is it a fresh water tank? How many fish do you have in it? Did you just set the tank up or did you just add the new filter? If you just added the filter what did you do with the old filters? Have you tested the water to make shure your not cycling?
We have questions..... sooooo many questions
We have questions..... sooooo many questions
Lol sorry yeah here let me answer some. Fresh water tank. Has one foot long scarlet pleco, two 1.5 foot black arowanas, five jurapari, and a endlicheri bichir. ripped out the old filters I was using, and started a patch kit on them. They bowed and started linking, bad sumps. Tidepools have a biowheel so no way to transfer the bioligical. But however my water is testing fine. I more just need a way to remove super fine particles from my tank.
Since you said your water is fine then just constantly do some water changes everyday and wash your mechanical filter sponges as well each time to get rid of the suspended dirt. Theres nothing else you can do already... unless you want to try diatom filters.
You could also add a sand bed after the final sponge, let the outflow from the sponge pass through into a tray holding around 2" of pool filter sand and then into the tank.
Are your fishes ok? If the cloudyness don't seem to bother their health and the water perimeters are fine, ... don't worry about it. Your tank will surely clear up not too long from now. You already seem like you have a fine piece of filter material that will capture tiny particles as it goes through. So you can't really do much more about it now, you've done everything.... Just wait patiently. ; )
yeah, diatom filters work great on fresh water , give you funky algae on salt. they're handy to have around if you're quarantining a new fish as well
if the cloudyness really bother's you and you can't wait for it to clear naturally. then use ACUREL-F this stuff is insane ! but you will notice it will get slighty cloudy in a few day's but not as bad(not sure of your level of cloudyness!)your water will still clear up. the time frame in witch this product work's is some thing to admire.. it comes in 1.6 fl.oz. 25ml size (i've only seen it this way may have bigger size now!) you add 2-3 drops per gal or 5 liters directly in the water.. uesd it in the begginig when less experianced in fish keepin. 
Sweet thanks for all the input guys. Yeah the cloudiness doesnt bug my fish, but it sure bugs me. Its not bad, from the fron of my tank you can barely see it. Fron the side though you can barely see the far edge of the six foot tank. Ive been doing water changes and it seems to be getting better slowly. Patience is a virute im going to have to learn one of these days.