Cloudy Tank

[Gypsy5]

I posted this on the discussion part of the forum but I think this should be here.

We have a 6ft community tank that has suddenly turned very cloudy/dusty - you can actually see very fine dusty particles in the water. It's got an orange/brown tinge to it. The tank has an undergravel filter as well as two small internal filters and has been set up for well over a year.

The pH is usually low (around 6.2) because of bogwood but is currently at 7.4+ which is really strange for this tank. Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0 and Nitrate 40 (which is higher than normal). The gravel is vacuumed every week when a 25% water change is carried out. We put carbon in our internal filters yesterday and Accu Clear to try to clump some of the bits together but nothing has changed.

The only thing I've changed recently is I removed some fish to take them to the shop and their food was changed to Sera Vipagran as I was given a free tub. I stopped feeding that a few days ago but nothing had changed and none of my other tanks have gone like this.

Does anyone have any ideas on this please?

Thank you for reading.

 

[Paigan]

I posted this on the discussion part of the forum but I think this should be here.

We have a 6ft community tank that has suddenly turned very cloudy/dusty - you can actually see very fine dusty particles in the water. It's got an orange/brown tinge to it. The tank has an undergravel filter as well as two small internal filters and has been set up for well over a year.

The pH is usually low (around 6.2) because of bogwood but is currently at 7.4+ which is really strange for this tank. Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0 and Nitrate 40 (which is higher than normal). The gravel is vacuumed every week when a 25% water change is carried out. We put carbon in our internal filters yesterday and Accu Clear to try to clump some of the bits together but nothing has changed.

The only thing I've changed recently is I removed some fish to take them to the shop and their food was changed to Sera Vipagran as I was given a free tub. I stopped feeding that a few days ago but nothing had changed and none of my other tanks have gone like this.

Does anyone have any ideas on this please?



Thank you for reading.

I am no expert but I had a few cloudy issues, mine was due to the bog wood, it has something called tanning in it, I wasn't informed until i put the wood in, that it should be soaked for a minimum of 48-72hours. Changing the water every day. The tanning has like an orange/brown tint to the water, could the particles be coming loose from the bog wood itself?

 

[Gypsy5]

Thank s for replying. We wondered about the bogwood but one piece has been in there since the tank was set up and the other two have been in there for only a few months less than the original piece.

We wondered if kH and pH can make water go cloudy?

 

[Paigan]

Thank s for replying. We wondered about the bogwood but one piece has been in there since the tank was set up and the other two have been in there for only a few months less than the original piece.

We wondered if kH and pH can make water go cloudy?

Bacterial Blossom - Often cloudy water doesn't appear the instant an aquarium is set up. Instead it appears days, weeks, or even months later. In these cases the cause is usually due to bacterial bloom. As the new aquarium goes through the initial break in cycle, it is not unusual for the water to become cloudy, or at least a little hazy. It will take several weeks to several months to establish bacterial colonies that are able to clear wastes from the water. Over time that cloudiness will resolve itself.

Decaying plants or excess food that remains uneaten can also cause the milky water seen in bacterial bloom. Regardless of the cause, don't panic over bacterial blooms. Keeping the aquarium very clean by removing debris such as decaying plants and uneaten food, vacuuming the gravel regularly, and performing partial water changes, will quickly resolve most cases of bacterial bloom. Cut back feeding to every second or third day, which will cut down on excess food decay.


Hope it helps

 

[Gypsy5]

Thanks for the reply. We've worked it out and this tank has been set up for over 18 months (doesn't time fly? lol). Have also been feeding less than I usually do. Am going to do a small water change every day and hope that it improves. It's been like this for about 2 weeks now.

 

[Gypsy5]

Got a little bit of flicking in this tank too but only from one or two fish. Also been noticing that some of the pest snails have been dying off - some of them are out of their shells. Don't know whether this is relevant or not?

 

[Paigan]

Got a little bit of flicking in this tank too but only from one or two fish. Also been noticing that some of the pest snails have been dying off - some of them are out of their shells. Don't know whether this is relevant or not?

Hello,

Apple snails and most other snails only have a life of around about 18-24 months, depending on the conditions of the water. It could be that the snails are just old? I know snails have odd behaviour when the water is not right, but i am sure your water quality is fine.

I just worry as it sounds so familiar to what i experienced, when you say there is a little bit of flickering, have you seen anything on their bodies etc?

Have you do any water testing?

 

[Gypsy5]

It's the pest type snails that are dying off. No marks or anything on fish bodies and water tests done daily. pH went very high 8.4+ but is slowly coming down (around 7.4 now). This is still higher than usual for this tank though. Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0, Nitrate 40, kH 4 (it has never been above 1 before).

Thanks so much for trying to help. xx

 

[Gypsy5]

Looking at my tank again now. It's so weird in there. It's like smoke swirling about. You can see it from afar, little tiny fine particles swirling in the current.

 

[Gypsy5]

Still very very bad in there today.

 

[Paigan]

Still very very bad in there today.

I have never heard of smoke like water, very strange indeed, however if the fish are not stressed I wouldnt worry to much.
Its when the fish are starting to get stressed or showing signs of illness/disease. Lets just hope its some sort of bloom.

maybe you should try and get some pictures on here, there is usually someone who knows

take care

 

[Paigan]

Looking at my tank again now. It's so weird in there. It's like smoke swirling about. You can see it from afar, little tiny fine particles swirling in the current.

he hardness of water is related to the dissolved minerals in contains. The total hardness is usually regarded as consisting of two components: general hardness (GH) and carbonate hardness (KH). General hardness is caused by divalent metal ions, primarily calcium and magnesium. Carbonate hardness is due to carbonate/bicarbonate ions, and represents the main 'buffering capacity' of the water, i.e. its ability to resist pH changes. KH and pH are therefore inter-related: if KH is high, the pH will be very stable (and difficult to alter), if KH is low (e.g. less than 3 degrees KH) then the pH will be less stable.

 

[Gypsy5]

Still cloudy - this is the third week.

We have been told that it may be the undergravel filter that is faulty. We have found that it is cracking in places and has loads of sludge beneath it. We need to replace the whole lot which s going to be a nightmare as we have many many fry in that tank as well as lots of baby bristlenose plecos. We are going to buy another one or two internal filters tomorrow to ensure that it's got adequate filtration while the u/g filter is out of action.

Who said fishkeeping was relaxing??? x