what could this be?

[floridagar]

well i cleaned my tank the other day and did a 50% water change because the water was cloudy. So by doing that i could clean the filters and put new carbon in the canister filter and ceramic rings. Doing that it was finally okay the water was clear and all the fish were happy as can be.

Now the fun part. Three days now and the water is cloudy again and the i cant figure this out, i am doing another water change not 50% this time only about 25% and will continue to do this once a week till the water is clear again. Is this recommended when having this certain problem? because i cant figure this out i dont know what it could possibly be?

Right now i think it could be the power head messing with the sand substrate and causing a bad circulation in the tank. Or it could be the that the ceramic rings are clouding the water. Which shouldn't since i rinsed them off before i put them in the canister. Or its my water and i never had this problem before.

Thanks for your time help would be awesome!

 

[pi-eyed]

How big is your tank---temp-parameters-more importantly placement(next to a window with direct sunlight)? It could possibly be the start of an algae bloom. I had a similiar problem and found out it was the coral life bulbs on a freshwater tank next to a window. Nothing grows algae like a saltwater bulb on a freshwater tank. 80 degree water with direct sunlight is also a good cause for algae.

Good luck,
Chris

 

[Columbian Shark Catfish]

I agree with pi-eyed about the placement of the tank. However, when I had one next to the window it just got algae, no cloudy water.

Also, it's not wise to change that much water and all the filter media at once.

 

[geronimo69]

I agree with pi-eyed about the placement of the tank. However, when I had one next to the window it just got algae, no cloudy water.

Also, it's not wise to change that much water and all the filter media at once.

I agree about changing the media, should only be done small bits at a time (as to avoid a mini cycle). As for water, it doesn't matter. If it's at the same temp and PH, you can pretty much change 100% of the water. Won't harm the fish. The beneficial bacteria is on the tank surfaces (substrate, filters, rocks, deco) not in the water colunm.

 

[dlobom]

Is your tank fully cycled? Algae bloom is normal on new tanks, it should go away by itself in a couple weeks.

Also, how do you clean your filter? If you use tab water, it will take longer to cycle and the bloom can go on for a long time. When setting a new tank I usually don't clean the filter until its fully cycled, and only with dechlorinated water.

 

[floridagar]

Thanks for all the input the tank is 150 gallon and the window is covered up by blinds (they are brown colored blinds). So idk if that could be the problem but the light i don't like the light on the tank even when i clean the tank it still looks a little cloudy with that light. I don't know what kind of light it is because i bought the tank and stand and light from someone over craigslist. And he never gave me the info on the light all he said it was only used for fresh water. but the heat in the tank is 78 degrees fluctuates to 80 degrees. I have live plants in the tank which one of them is massive i took that one out to see if it would clear up. and i held off on the water change. the fish seem to be fine i tested the water everything is normal i even tested the water from the sink three days ago. Unfortunately i am out of my test kit so i will go to the LFS and have them test the water again.

Thanks again! all is extremely helpful

 

[Younglin]

Cycle isn't complete. You only really need to clean the filter every couple months. And carbon is useless btw. Just do water changes as necessary and once you have enough beneficial bacteria the water will clear.

 

[creepyoldguy]

Changing out the ceramic rings is what caused the cloudy water. More than likely you're tank went into a mini cycle and had an ammonia spike (which causes hazy white water). This happened becuase you removed the majority of the bio load that the tank depends on to complete the nitrogen cycle. Next time, throw your carbon out and replace that with new rings and don't touch the rings that are currently in your canister, other than to rinse them in tank water (which really shouldn't be necessary for quite some time).

 

[creepyoldguy]

I agree about changing the media, should only be done small bits at a time (as to avoid a mini cycle). As for water, it doesn't matter. If it's at the same temp and PH, you can pretty much change 100% of the water. Won't harm the fish. The beneficial bacteria is on the tank surfaces (substrate, filters, rocks, deco) not in the water colunm.

Thanks for putting in some worth while info.