Bacterial Bloom?

[jrd77]

I posted an email a few weeks ago ("Seriously Messup Up Tank") about my cloudy tank, what happened (we thought) to make it get that way, and what could be done about it. I appreaicte everyone's concern and advice.

Well, its been 3 weeks now and the tank is still cloudy. Just when I think it is clearing up, the next morning I turn the tank on and its cloudy again. I have been doing water changes almost daily for a while now and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't.

For those who do not know about the tank, its the 40 US gallon below. The levels are: pH=7, Ammonia=0, Nitrites=0 and Nitrates= 12.5. These levels have not changed at all during the entire process.

What can I do to make the tank clear again?! It is clear (no pun intended) that simple water changes just aren't enough. Any thoughts? I think I might lose my mind...

 

[semper fi]

do you have a link to the original post?

 

[jrd77]

Here's the old link:

http/www.fishforums.net/forums/index.php...+messed+up+tank

 

[semper fi]

i know you posted that your ph was 7. have you tested the kh and gh? if so, what were the results?

 

[jrd77]

I just tested my tank water for gh and kh. They were both appoximately values of 20. That seems pretty low. Could that have something to do with the cloudiness?

I went to 2 local pet stores a few minutes ago (to get the test). One store told me to stop all water changes for one week. She said it would get really cloudy and then resolve itself. The other store tried to sell me some additive stuff that said it would turn the tank a purple-brown color for about an hour then the tank would be completely clear after that. Is either one of these people right?

 

[semper fi]

is that in ppm or degrees?

 

[jrd77]

Testing kh and gh is new to me...sorry I was not very clear.

I used the Hagen Brand Carbonate and general hardness test that uses a titration. I put the initial drop of chemical into the tube, shook it, then removed the cap. I then added one drop of the solution for gh and it turned a light blue. The directions said to multiply the # of drops by 20, so I got 1 x 20 = 20 mg/L, which I guess is really soft (and bad for my ropefish and Oscar I think). I did the same thing for kh but it took 2 drops to turn a really light yellow (from blue). I then multiplied this number by 10 like it said and got the 20 mg/L.

If I convert it to the degrees of hardness (dh?), I think it is 1.12 degrees.

Any thoughts? Could there be a Calcium problem or is that only in marine tanks?

 

[jrd77]

I did not do a change yesterday and today there is a film across the top of the tank. If I touch it with my finger, the film breaks up but then goes back together. The film is milky white, the same as the cloudiness color...

Does anyone have any idea what that might be?

 

[plysha]

I know what your problem is you said on the other post that all your reading were low and alright well so was mine..... theres also something else you said you put in a new filter band new

If so do a 50% water change while doing the water change only by a small bucket or something you can fit into the tank and hold onto.... you know where the water comes out of the filter thats the water you want to take out through the filter.....while the water is running through it move the filter up and down till the water is down to 50% that should take care of it........
I put a filter in and forgot to run it under water so I had all that filter dust come out....I'm still having a little problem with it yet but not as bad another thing meds can make it cloudy too

Hope this helped
but before you do that water change let me know if you did the same thing I did???(forgetting to clean the filter first)

"there is a film across the top of the tank" I had the same thing and I waited a week and nothing cleared in my tank till I found out what I did wrong.....

 

[jrd77]

I did rinse my filters before putting the new ones in...But, I did it in tap water which at the time (3 weeks ago) I did not know I was not supposed to do that...Oops! But, your idea of solving the unrinsed filter was a really good idea.
Out of curiousity, how long should you rinse filters anyway? Maybe I just didn't rise them well enough?

I think it all started with the MelaFix...

I just did a huge 50% water change a little earlier and right now the tank looks great. Who knows what it will look like tomorrow....

 

[plysha]

lol
I know what you mean "I did it in tap water" lol so did I but not by not knowing I knew better but my other tank I took all my babies out of got tail rot and I had everything new my babies did alright with the new filter rocks water and everything....I can still rinse my filter out and have a little bit of stuff come out...
and Yes the melafix did do that to my tank as well I've treated my baby tank with melafix for 2 weeks (with a water change after 7 days) and they are doing great..
but water is still cloudy but am doing a water change today...

I never had that problem before with the filter dust.....
for rinsing filters I think about 5 to 10 mins should be good or till nothing comes out of it .....
well wish I could have helped more
Keep us updated if it gets cleared!!

Erin

 

[FiShDuHuHuHuHude!]

what u should do is buy commercial "de-fogging" liquid and let it sit
if that doesnt helpi suggest to remove ur fish for a while and clean gravel.water.and.plants that may be in your tank
then add normal tap water and add aquasafe(the one that makes tap safe for fish)
it says it works in seconds i would wait an hour at least just incase.
hope this helps




the fish duhuhuhuhude!

 

[Chasing Puck]

I'd actually try leaving the tank alone for a few days.

White cloudiness is usually caused by an imbalance in the bacteria in the tank. Not the nitrifiers that we want, but some of the 'other' bacteria that are a normal part of a healthy aquarium. A bloom of these usually means that some parameter is out of whack--too much food for the bacteria, basically. Once they consume most of it, numbers return to normal and the tank clears. Adding a quart of water from a healthy, planted tank will often help as well, if available.

Sometimes fiddling causes more problems than it solves, IMO. If the fish aren't suffering, leave the tank alone for 7-10 days and see what happens.

 

[Lorelei]

There's a lot of sense in Puck's answer there. "Too many cooks spoil the broth" All of these well intentioned responses, but sometimes, you just need to sit on your hands and wait things out. If the fish don't appear stressed- you have the luxury of doing that.

 

[jrd77]

My last change was on 8/10. I am going to wait 10 days and see what happens. Thanks to everyone for your advice. I'll keep you updated.