Cloudy water. Need help!

[Rachealmax]

Hi guys so today is day 4 off cloudy water. I have just done day 3 off water change and water doesn’t look any better!
Tank is 240 litres (55 gallons approximately). I have tested water and everything is fine and all within range. Tank is approximately 6 months old and this is the first time I’ve had issues with cloudy water. No new fish have been added in the last 2 months. Any help would be appreciated thanks!

 

[kiko]

stop changing the water...
put peat moss and carbon in your filtration, give it a week
then do a small water change. Something like 10%
bacterial blooms will only become worst the more water changes you do and you might cause your tank to recycle all over again

 

[Rachealmax]

stop changing the water...
put peat moss and carbon in your filtration, give it a week
then do a small water change. Something like 10%
bacterial blooms will only become worst the more water changes you do and you might cause your tank to recycle all over again

I have carbon in the filter already. Will give it a week and see how things go. Thank you

 

[GaryE]

It looks to me like a greenwater bloom more than a bacterial one. It's an extremely crowded tank and one that must be getting a lot of food in as a result. Uou have a lot more fish than I would keep in a lightly planted tank like that.

How long are your lights on for, and is there a lot of sunlight in the room?

 

[AbbeysDad]

Here's an article on Cloudy water and a deep dive into filtration and water quality.

 

[Rocky998]

stop changing the water...
put peat moss and carbon in your filtration, give it a week
then do a small water change. Something like 10%
bacterial blooms will only become worst the more water changes you do and you might cause your tank to recycle all over again

This is not true. Especially if it's cycling.
If it's cycling, the ammonia will build which needs to be removed. The water holds little to no bacteria from the cycling process.
And IF this tank is going through a cycle you need to be changing the water to avoid ammonia and nitrite build ups.
I do not know what you expect peat to do in the filter. Maybe you know something I dont about it?...

 

[Essjay]

We have been through this before.
Water changes do not cause a tank to recycle as the bacteria live on surfaces. Most of us do weekly water changes of between 30 and 75%, and this is why

The Powerful Partial Water Change – MJV Aquatics

mjvaquatics.com

Bacterial blooms (if this is one) are caused by different bacteria from the ones which 'eat' ammonia and nitrite. Water changes do not seem to affect bacterial blooms as they multiply very quickly and can replace the numbers a water change removes within a couple of hours.
Carbon adsorbs organic chemicals so it may help a bacterial bloom by removing some of their food source.
Peat is used to reduce pH, though its effectiveness is dictated by the KH level of the water. With high KH it will have little effect.

 

[Floridapierce78]

The only time I have bacterial bloom is when I change or add bio media. Other than that. Algae. I do 50% water changes twice a week. Haven't seen a ammonia spike in 6 months.

 

[kiko]

His tank isn't cycling, it's 6 months old
Peat moss isn't just used as a softener
https://www.tankarium.com/peat-moss-for-aquarium/
Water changes will only keep it going he actually needs 0 water changes so it can settle down
And he did mention this if some of you even bothered to read his post instead of coming for a debate with me over my methods
Hence the very small water change to replace some of the water.
When things settle back down he can go back to whatever his water changes are.
I stand by my previous advice and I'm sure the op will let us all know in no time.

 

[Valkyrie_Lips]

His tank isn't cycling, it's 6 months old
Peat moss isn't just used as a softener
https://www.tankarium.com/peat-moss-for-aquarium/
Water changes will only keep it going he actually needs 0 water changes so it can settle down
And he did mention this if some of you even bothered to read his post instead of coming for a debate with me over my methods
Hence the very small water change to replace some of the water.
When things settle back down he can go back to whatever his water changes are.
I stand by my previous advice and I'm sure the op will let us all know in no time.

The tank could be re-cycling if OP is changing their filter cartridges monthly like the boxes suggest..

 

[Rocky998]

His tank isn't cycling, it's 6 months old
Peat moss isn't just used as a softener
https://www.tankarium.com/peat-moss-for-aquarium/
Water changes will only keep it going he actually needs 0 water changes so it can settle down
And he did mention this if some of you even bothered to read his post instead of coming for a debate with me over my methods
Hence the very small water change to replace some of the water.
When things settle back down he can go back to whatever his water changes are.
I stand by my previous advice and I'm sure the op will let us all know in no time.

Sometimes cycles fail and the aquarium goes into "reboot mode". Another thing that could be happening is that they over-dosed the dechlorinator. When I overdosed it, the water got pretty cloudy

 

[Byron]

I am not going to argue with anyone, I am simply going to offer my suggestions based upon what I have learned from my research and discussions with professional biologists like Neale Monks.

First, green water is caused by unicellular algae that feed on dissolved organics. I don't think that is what is here. Whitish cloudiness can be due to stirred up stuff in the substrate as well as stuff that is sometimes in tap water; this is microscopic particulate matter. Whitish cloudiness can also be due to a bloom, which can be bacterial, diatom or organic. I suspect this bloom is what the OP is dealing with here, and it is most likely bacterial.

This has two sources, from within the aquarium and from the tap water. Dissolved organics from an excess of nutrients in the aquarium, or dissolved organics in the tap water which can occur in heavy rains (for example) in the reservoir and is so heavy it is not filtered out by the water authority. Take a look under a microscope at fresh tap water, you might be surprised just how much dissolved and particulate matter can be in it. Changing filter media can cause this, as can a water change, both are true. Waste-eating bacteria reproduce very rapidly, in about 20 minutes, so the increase of dissolved organics in fresh water can cause a real explosion of the bacteria.

These have nothing to do with cycling.