Please help! Cloudy water

CozyCat · Jan 19, 2022

Hi

I set this tank up in September 2021 and have been dealing with cloudy water since late November.
The filter sponges constantly clog with brown gunk and you can't see the back of the tank let alone the big piece of driftwood that's suppose to be in the middle.

A layer of brown gunk coats the plants after a couple days too, I have to siphon it off or "dust" the plants so they can get some light. I do a 40-50% water change every 5 days or so as this water quality can't be healthy for the fish...

I've tried activated carbon in the filter, adding beneficial bacteria, gravel vacuuming detritus off the bottom, squeezing the sponges out daily, products designed to clear up cloudy water (flocculation), and frequent water changes.
Nothing seems to work and I'm at the point of taking it apart and rebuilding...

Hoping someone can suggest something to try, or do I just tear it down and start again?

Thanks

connorlindeman · Jan 19, 2022

Could it by any chance be a bacteria bloom? Did you rinse the sand well before adding it to the tank?

Byron · Jan 19, 2022

If this is just a cloudiness, a bacterial bloom is likely. But if the presence of organic matter is also blatant, it is more.

My 90g tank went the same, for three years. Water was not this cloudy, but it was hazy, and the brown gunk--which is organic matter--was everywhere, even clogging the roots of floating Water Sprite. I had long discussions with my online friend Dr. Neale Monks, and we never identified the "source" as such. Neale said sometimes an organic bloom (which we assumed was the issue, there are also diatom blooms and normal bacterial blooms) can be impossible to pin down. We sort of identified the wood as the likely cause, but not conclusively. I happened to be moving and downsizing my tanks during the third year of this, so that solved the problem in a sense.

There are related causes that I will mention, you may have luck and find something pertinent. Organic matter naturally accumulates in the substrate, so vacuum that very well. And in the filter--I did see some improvement with more regular filter cleanings. The fish load and the fish being fed contributes; minimal fish and feeding may help. Water changes--do large-volume (75-80% of the tank) regularly. Keep plant additives like liquid fertilizers minimal, even non-existent (depends upon the plant species and number).

Ironically, as this is organic in nature, the fish are (so far as I know) not harmed in the least. It just looks unsightly to the aquarist. I had 8 tanks in my fish room, and the 90g was the only one that ever had this.

CozyCat · Jan 21, 2022

connorlindeman said:
Could it by any chance be a bacteria bloom? Did you rinse the sand well before adding it to the tank?

It could be, the water has got that milky appearance. I did rinse the sand, it was very dusty and I had to rinse it a few times. My corys love sifting through it

CozyCat · Jan 21, 2022

Byron said:
If this is just a cloudiness, a bacterial bloom is likely. But if the presence of organic matter is also blatant, it is more.

My 90g tank went the same, for three years. Water was not this cloudy, but it was hazy, and the brown gunk--which is organic matter--was everywhere, even clogging the roots of floating Water Sprite. I had long discussions with my online friend Dr. Neale Monks, and we never identified the "source" as such. Neale said sometimes an organic bloom (which we assumed was the issue, there are also diatom blooms and normal bacterial blooms) can be impossible to pin down. We sort of identified the wood as the likely cause, but not conclusively. I happened to be moving and downsizing my tanks during the third year of this, so that solved the problem in a sense.

There are related causes that I will mention, you may have luck and find something pertinent. Organic matter naturally accumulates in the substrate, so vacuum that very well. And in the filter--I did see some improvement with more regular filter cleanings. The fish load and the fish being fed contributes; minimal fish and feeding may help. Water changes--do large-volume (75-80% of the tank) regularly. Keep plant additives like liquid fertilizers minimal, even non-existent (depends upon the plant species and number).

Ironically, as this is organic in nature, the fish are (so far as I know) not harmed in the least. It just looks unsightly to the aquarist. I had 8 tanks in my fish room, and the 90g was the only one that ever had this.

Wow! Very insightful, thank you

I'm glad it's not just my tank

three years is a long time, I don't think I could persist with it for that long...

I'll try the things you suggested and see if it improves. Though it might just get re-scaped, I was never happy with how it turned out anyway

Slaphppy7 · Jan 21, 2022

What kind of sand did you use?

CozyCat · Feb 7, 2022

Slaphppy7 said:
What kind of sand did you use?

ShowMaster River sand. It's beautiful sand, love the colour of it.

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Please help! Cloudy water

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