1 Month ? Old Tank - Cloudy Water -no Nitrite Or Amonia Readings

[Brette]

I have a 1 month old tank that has 4 year old filter media in it that has been crystal clear for a month and then i did a 15% water change and vacuum and its cloudy. No amonia or nitrite readings.

what should i do? i'm having flashbacks! i just went through this and ended up with columnaris and had to take down the tank! Its been fine for one month since i re-set it up.

thanks!

 

[Corleone]

It's likely a bacterial bloom. BTT might happen along and correct me, but hopefully this time I've got the details right:

The bloom itself is harmless, but usually results from excess organic waste breaking down, and can lead to an ammonia spike because of the jump in rate of break down. Do more frequent water changes for now with thorough gravel vacs. As long as ammonia and nitrite stay at 0, maybe every other day, I think I'd do it daily anyway for peace of mind. Also check around under decorations for suffering plants, dead fish or snails, or just an accumulation of gunk that doesn't get vacuumed as often.

 

[Brette]

Thank you Corleone!

I just read something and i think i understand why i get cloudy water (without any ammonia and nitrite readings) when I stir up the gravel and clean!

from FishGeeks:

The heterotrophs are the bacteria responsible for the occurrence of what is termed a bacteria bloom. This is where the water in the tank becomes cloudy as if milk was poured into the tank. Many people mistakenly attribute this to the development of the nitrifying bacteria. This is understandable, as they do tend to go hand in hand, but it is erroneous.

As defined, the heterotrophs feed on organic substances. They also reproduce at a rate of about once every 20 minutes. As with any organism, they will populate according to the amount of food available. In a new tank, there is a sudden increase in nutrients available. Especially if the hobbyist is new to the game and overfeeds. With this rapid increase in nutrients, the heterotrophs reproduce accordingly, and they become so numerous that they cloud the water, leading to the bacteria bloom. As you can see, this is independent of the establishment of the nitrifying bacteria. This will also occur in well established tanks, especially after a water change. When you vacuum the gravel, you free up nutrients that were not available to the heterotrophs previously. Again they reproduce accordingly and you have cloudy water. And again, this is NOT connected to the “cycle” or the nitrifying bacteria.

 

[Corleone]

Yep - that's about right. These bacteria process solid waste rather than nitrogenous waste - fish poop, dead bodies and dead plants. These bacteria usually live on surfaces out in the open in the tank (rather than high flow areas in the filter like nitrifying bacteria) as part of the biofilm - they're an important part of the tank ecosystem in this regard, but they aren't the nitrifiers. They do release ammonia when they break down matter, Which is why the bloom may cause an ammonia spike, rather than being a result of one (this is a detail it took me a while to really understand - the cause and effect is easy to reverse, as bacteria blooms are often accompanied by an ammonia spike, and with all the dangers of ammonia that cycling info drums into you, it's tempting to blame ammonia for everything.)

If you stir up gravel and notice any gunk floating around, you can do what I do - do a second smaller water change, and instead of cleaning the gravel, use the siphon to suck the floaties up. I do occasionally get a slight cloudiness if I move a large piece of decor or a lot of plants around, usually not really cloudy water, but if I look through it end-ways it's definitely slightly white.

 

[Brette]

Thanks again! And I agree with you, takes a while to fully understand how all this works.

Well hopefully the old filter media I have in the filter will make quick work of any ammonia this bacteria bloom produces. Which might be the case since the fish are acting normally and my test readings are all at 0. So complicated but interesting!