Cloudy water need help please!!

[bohica12]

Ok, here is the deal. Currently my tank is a cloudy almost white color from my last water change. I really I think I changed too much water causing either my ammonia to rise or my water became acidic. I have hard water to begin with, that is why when I do water changes I use bottled water to help. I have had my tank for 5 months with no problems, on most days it is so clear. I was using this chemical called EasyBalance by Tetra Aqua, which diffuses frequent water changes, but I got tired of looking at all the waste on the bottom of the tank. It has been two days now, and I have lost 3 fish. What can I do to help? I have a Whisper filtration system. And my tank is a 29 gallon one. I am not overstocked as I have 8 platys and 3 tetras in it.
Like I said everything is fine, just when I used my gravel vacuum for the water change, it caused my water to get cloudy almost white like a cloud. Thanks for any help, since I am still new to this.
James

 

[kev_kb]

Sorry no idea about the water, but when you get it sorted add more Tetras, they like to be groups of 6 or more.

 

[Jebus]

first, that tetra easybalance is a sham
second, is your filter strong enough? I have a tetra whisper 10i my ten gallon, and i was noticing that it wasn't picking up any food, or even stiring the water around. I got a penguin 125, and literally the next day my water had cleared up. So it might be your filter, or the tetra easybalance.

 

[jams.alaskan]

What type of substrate are you using? Sometimes sand cas still cloud the water within 5 months if it has quite a bit of fines in it or if it just wasn't rinsed enough. I would also advise that you don't need or want the chemical additive. I myself, don't use them because there really is no need in a properly maintained tank and adding things like that gives me the feeling that it must be covering something up or adding things that I simply don't need.
Since you did have fish loss with the cloudy water did you do a levels test? I'd be interested to know what your levels are. You are correct that it isn't an overstocking issue but it could be overfeeding that is causing the problem. I wish you the best of luck and hope that you can get it sorted out. The 29 gal sounds like a fine tank when the water is clear...

ALASKA

 

[Da_Oz]

You are correct that it isn't an overstocking issue but it could be overfeeding that is causing the problem.

I am with this. Or gas pockets in a tight substrate like sand or very fine rocks.

 

[Aquascaper]

Not wanting to get off the topic here but the owner of my LFS set up a tank for the sole purpose of testing the effectivness of Tetra Easybalance.
He said that it worked well and that he wouldn't discourage anyone from using it but doesn't actively promote it in his shop (neither he or I use it in our own tanks).

Just thought i'd drop that in

 

[daddyo72]

Actually i believe its a bacteria with the sand probs.Give it a light stir and change half the waterkeep this up for a few days and the problem will correct itself.

 

[bohica12]

What do you mean by sand probs? Also what kind of test kits do you guys use. All I have is the test strips that are color coded. They have always came with negative results, but my fish were happy and active so I did nothing drastic. I have gravel on the bottom and I stired a lot of waste around when I was making my water change. The fish are at the top of the surface fighting for air? My filter is working, it is a whisper, by Tetra and it hangs on the back of the tank? Thanks for all the info and help. Please keep them coming.
I really do appreciate any and all advice that I receive.

 

[daddyo72]

How big is your tank? how often do you do water changes? Do you use a vaccum to clean your gravel?

 

[Jebus]

What do you mean by sand probs? Also what kind of test kits do you guys use. All I have is the test strips that are color coded. They have always came with negative results, but my fish were happy and active so I did nothing drastic. I have gravel on the bottom and I stired a lot of waste around when I was making my water change. The fish are at the top of the surface fighting for air? My filter is working, it is a whisper, by Tetra and it hangs on the back of the tank? Thanks for all the info and help. Please keep them coming.
I really do appreciate any and all advice that I receive.

if they are at the surface gasping for air, you need a airstone or a higher powered filter
try getting a better filter, and maybe a bubble wall for the back of the tank
for now, just do daily water changes

 

[bohica12]

Thanks for the reply, ok I will try a 10% change and see what happens. Water is still very cloudy and white, foggish. I have a 29 gallon tank did not do a water change for awhile cause I was using easy balance. I use a vacuum pump, ciphering action to remove the water and waste. Hope this helps. This is day three with no change in the color. I will try the water change and see what happens.
James

 

[sinistral]

Hard to know what's happened, though I'm sorry to hear about your losses For one thing, I am still not sure what Tetra EasyBalance is (don't know what the ingredients are, don't know how it works). For another, without knowing what your water parameters have been over the past several days and in fact, if I understand you correctly, indeterminate amount of time prior to that, it's hard to know.

I am going to make a guess and you can correct me if I am way off base. It sounds like you haven't done a water change or monitored your levels in at least weeks, could be months? If that's the case then one hypothesis would be that your levels of ammonia, nitrites or nitrates had risen without you knowing it, and the fish had gradually grown tolerant to the nitrogen over time. A big water change and the rapid depletion of nitrogen (and a rapid change to the environment the fish had grown tolerant of) caused a large stress and the deaths.

In this instance, as jams had suggested, testing your parameters is really paramount.

I have another off-the-wall guess. From tetra's website:

EasyBalance features a new appearance (the liquid contains the Nitraban granules in a gel-like suspension) which enables fish keepers to “watch it work”. The white biodegradable granules settle into anaerobic pockets in the gravel where they are broken down by denitrification bacteria. These bacteria consume the nitrate to obtain oxygen which means there will be less nitrate in the aquarium.

I don't know what these anaerobic bacteria are, but if you hadn't done a gravel vac or stir in some time, the bacteria could have proliferated and competed off other bacterial types to reside in the substrate. Doing a gravel vac could potentially have liberated them. I don't know how or why this would then relate to your current symptoms and problem (cloudy water, fish deaths). Sudden inability to metabolize nitrogenous wastes? Bacterial bloom? Anaerobic bacteria liberation? No idea.

Hopefully things are sorting themselves out at this point. HTH~

 

[bohica12]

That is the best information that i have received so far. I did stir the gravel a lot, causing those pockets to come to the surface.
this is reading off of the back of the EasyBalnce solution.
EasyBalnce reduces frequent water changes, Keeps aquarium water biologically balnced for up to 6 months.
It says that it should not be used in aquariums with low oxygen conditions, proper aeration using an airstone is strongly recommended. That too could be the problem. How exactly does an air stone work? And if I buy one what are the steps I should take for it? Thanks
Ok here are the tests that i take, I use the dip sticks, Nitrate 0, Nitrate 0, Hardness very hard, alkalinity high, ph level alkaline.....BUT, those hardly ever change, and like I said before, my fish where spawning and very active prior to this latest water change. So if it was working, then no need for change. I read that somewhere. I bought this PH neutral regulator, it seems to work very well, it adjust ph to 7.0 level.
Again thanks for the info and help!!

 

[pendragon]

I'm not familiar with Tetra EasyBalance, but it sets off alarms in my head already. There is no substitute for proper maintenance and appropriately frequent water changes. Any product claiming 'shortcuts' to this process facilitates 'lazy' fishkeeping habits, and is right off my list from the get-go. I don't mean to be criticizing you, bohica12 - I just don't think that's a good product to put your trust in. I would encourage you to discontinue its use and get on a proper maintenance schedule.

Further alarm bells go off when the directions say it is not to be used in a low-oxygen environment. Bad. Bad. Bad.

An airstone works by doing two things: 1.) agitating the surface of the water, and 2.) increasing the surface area for oxygen/water contact. Both of these methods result in more oxygen diffusion into your aquarium water, and thus easier breathing for your fish. The airstone itself comes in different shapes and sizes, but is basically a porous object that lies on your substrate, through which air escapes and rises to the water's surface. Your local pet store will almost certainly have a bunch of airstones to choose from. In order to get the air into the airstone (so it can escape and create bubbles), you'll also need an air pump and some tubing (preferrably silicone tubing). Air pumps also come in a variety of sizes and levels of power. Your local pet store can help you choose the one that fits your needs. Generally speaking, most aquariums don't need airstones if setup properly, though there probably are some in which they matter. If your filter system provides some surface agitation when it returns water to the tank, that is generally sufficient. These days airstones are used, or not, based more on whether the fishkeeper likes the bubbles in the aquarium or not - purely aesthetic value. But if your fish are having a difficult time breathing, or if you need to ensure your oxygen levels are not low, an airstone will help a lot.

Also, you generally want to avoid using products that alter your pH level if you can (e.g. pH Up, pH Down, Bullseye 7.0, etc.). In addition to the problems that can come from simply changing pH levels, these products generally contain generous amounts of phosphate, which can open you up to an ugly situation algae-wise. Unless you really need to change your pH level, it's best just to let it be. If you do need to lower it, the best (safe) method I've found is to put a little peat granular (again, available at your local pet store) in your filter. It works well. It will turn your water slightly brown over time, but you can control this to some extent by not using more peat than you need.

pendragon!

 

[Da_Oz]

Anyone can go six months without cleaning there own house if they got enought febrez. But would you want to. I may be behind on some new products but IMO there is no chemical that can keep a tank clean for 6 months. Where I live I have well water so I add nothing to my water cept salt, fish, and plants.