Cloudy water in an established aquarium

[Pecemon]

Hi, I started a new acuarium about 7 month ago. It is a 120 l with internal filter bioflow. It has been fine until now that sudenly the water has turn cloudy. The parameters seem stable otherwise; Amonia: 0, Nitrites: 0, Nitrates: 0-5; Phosphates 0.1; pH 8.0; GH14; KH10.
I have 6 dannios, 4 corys and 6 guppies.
I do regular changes of water and syphoning the gravel. The only different thing I have recently done in the rutine is that I decided about 2 weeks ago to introduce more cilinders to increase the bacteria in the filter as there was empty space in it. I thought that would be beneficial and I do not see how they could be related.
Thinking they could be I have reduced the lighting time to a couple of hours/day, but I do not find any difference. I have also done additional water changes and cleaning the gravel but do not help very much.
I would appreciate some advise

 

[TropicalFlow]

Oh i went through this 7 months ago when my tank was ten moths old. It is most likley bacteria bloom or CWS. All i did to fix it was add some Topfin Accu-Clear for a Week ish. My tank was crystal clear. You're PH is acidic, Not sure if that might make a differecnced

 

[Slaphppy7]

Welcome to TFF

What kind of test kit are you using?

 

[Pecemon]

For pH an electronic device, for all other parameters Api drops.

Welcome to TFF

What kind of test kit are you using?

 

[Slaphppy7]

The API Freshwater Master Test Kit?

 

[Pecemon]

The API Freshwater Master Test Kit?

Yes, that one, but phosphates, gh and kh are not part of the kit

 

[Slaphppy7]

Yes, that one, but phosphates, gh and kh are not part of the kit

Correct, you have to buy those tests separately...adding more media to your filter may have caused the cloudiness...did you rinse them before adding?....ceramic media is VERY dusty when new (assuming you used ceramics)

 

[Pecemon]

Correct, you have to buy those tests separately...adding more media to your filter may have caused the cloudiness...did you rinse them before adding?....ceramic media is VERY dusty when new (assuming you used ceramics)

Yes, I rinsed them in aquarium water from the change before getting them in the filter, but I guess that in a week time the possible dust from it should have been already filtered anyway and cleared with the additional water change. I will do another change again today, but I am unsure about if I should treat with something (I had never need chemicals before in this or in my previous tank).
But I do not see any reason to have suddenly algae or bacteria either because of the ceramic

 

[Slaphppy7]

Use no meds or treatments, just fresh water and a large WC, see if that helps

 

[Pecemon]

Just un update, I felt they could be unicellular algae. I used a bit of H2O2 I have at home to wash vegs, kept it dark most of the day and few water changes and water has come finally to normal

 

[Stan510]

The problem with new tank syndrome is that whatever you use as a filter including pre filter isnt up to the job. You should add a HOB filter in addition to what you have and put some floss in it as the prefilter. Only wash that out every week or two.
Your plants look great,fish nice and well fed. Just need more filter before you add more fish.

 

[Pecemon]

I have floss as first layer of filtration and 2 thick sponges apart from the biological stuff that I had just increased. I clean and change the floss weekly and wash the sponges in water of the change, not weekly but regularly.

The filter is internal and came integrated in the aquarium, but there is space to move, change or add things as it has space for chemicals that I am not needing.

I now think the issue I reported were algae, but cannot see the association with the increase of biological filter. The amonia and nitrites were both at 0, measured regularly. It may have just been coincidental.

 

[Stan510]

Never wash the bio sponge of the filter that often. Almost never is the goal. I think THAT is why you are seeing gray water.
Otherwise the plants look great. Are you using Co2?

 

[Pecemon]

Thanks, I clean the sponges to take out the bits of plant that tresspass the perlon and kept trapped there, but I will be more meanful with that in the future.
To the Co2, I don’t. I tried in the past but I was not very successful. There is substrate under the gravel, but I do not do anything else. Little fishes do the fertilising by now, although with the darkness of these couple of weeks to get rid of the algae, they are not so bright now.