Cloudy Water (not another thread about it!)

[kribensis12]

Hey all!

I have a (for me) really exciting project going on.

I am raising 7 Koi Angels which have 90% coverage (black and orange on 90% of their body!) with the hopes of getting a breeding pair of two out of them.
I got them at "quarter" body size in the beginning of January and they are growing fast, eating voraciously and all of the good things. They are temporarily in a 30g tank but after we move, they will go to a 55g.

I have been doing weekly 40% water changes. The tank is fully mature, planted and has never had cloudy water.
The last two water changes have resulted in very cloudy water for 1-2 days.

What is causing this bacterial change? I've never had cloudy water before - and it's even new for this established aquarium!

** I hope to start a thread soon about these angels - just have not had time.

 

[kiko]

do nothing
no water changes for 2 weeks...feed less and problem solved
overfeeding...recent cycled tank..and introducing new fish with stuff from the old tank...would be the most common 3 for bacterial blooms

 

[kribensis12]

do nothing
no water changes for 2 weeks...feed less and problem solved
overfeeding...recent cycled tank..and introducing new fish with stuff from the old tank...would be the most common 3 for bacterial blooms

That's the thing - no overfeeding, tank has been established for 3 years and fish were added 5 weeks ago (only inhabitants to this tank).

Cloudy water only shows up after water changes. I'm curious as to the cause, because as you pointed out, the most common reasons for it don't apply.

 

[Slaphppy7]

Not necessarily a bacterial bloom...could be microbubbles from dissolved gasses in your tap water

Are you matching the tap temp to the tank temp as closely as possible when performing WCs?

Any recent changes to your filter(s)? Do you vacuum the substrate weekly?

 

[kribensis12]

Not necessarily a bacterial bloom...could be microbubbles from dissolved gasses in your tap water

Are you matching the tap temp to the tank temp as closely as possible when performing WCs?

Any recent changes to your filter(s)? Do you vacuum the substrate weekly?

I do a 50/50 mix between R/O and tap. Water was clear when placed into the tank.

I gravel vacuum every week.

Temp is not the same, I've never matched the temp of a water change to the tank TBH. In my OP it's way to much work and would probably lead to me doing WCs less. That being said, this has never caused an issue before.

 

[Slaphppy7]

Temp is not the same, I've never matched the temp of a water change to the tank TBH. In my OP it's way to much work and would probably lead to me doing WCs less. That being said, this has never caused an issue before.

You might want to have a look at this: https://www.thesprucepets.com/how-to-treat-gas-bubble-disease-in-freshwater-fish-5074238

"Sudden changes in water temperature can cause bubbles to form since the partial pressure of a gas changes with water temperature. This is most common when you add water to your aquarium that is significantly warmer or cooler than your current water temperature. Unless you are intentionally trying to manipulate the temperature of your aquarium, it is critical to always test your water temperature whenever you do water changes and try to match the new water to the current water temperature. If you are using your water changes to adjust your tank or pond temperature, go slowly in order to not stress your fish with sudden temperature changes more than a few degrees."

I learned this the hard way....

 

[kribensis12]

You might want to have a look at this: https://www.thesprucepets.com/how-to-treat-gas-bubble-disease-in-freshwater-fish-5074238

"Sudden changes in water temperature can cause bubbles to form since the partial pressure of a gas changes with water temperature. This is most common when you add water to your aquarium that is significantly warmer or cooler than your current water temperature. Unless you are intentionally trying to manipulate the temperature of your aquarium, it is critical to always test your water temperature whenever you do water changes and try to match the new water to the current water temperature. If you are using your water changes to adjust your tank or pond temperature, go slowly in order to not stress your fish with sudden temperature changes more than a few degrees."

I learned this the hard way....

I'm not opposed to doing new things based on evidence, but I would say empirically I've never had a fish by affected by that disease and I have never added water that is the same temp as my aquariums.

If my aquarium were to have supersaturated water, I would think all of my Angels would show signs of illness. Am I incorrect?

 

[Slaphppy7]

It is possible to have water that is oversaturated with gasses, but causes no noticeable harm...temperature of newly added water is the key ingredient, as well as which gasses are involved.

Years ago, before I knew better, I used the "feel" method when performing WCs...if the tap water "felt" like the same temp as my tank water, then I was under the assumption that all was well

A WC with water that was too warm from the tap (5 degrees F higher than the tank, though it "felt" fine) killed 4 of my otherwise healthy fish in minutes, and left many of the others with irreparable harm...a well-experienced member on another fish forum advised that gas bubble disease was the culprit, after I explained what had happened (in a panic) and then measured the tank temp, immediately after the WC

Now, no new water goes into my tanks during WCs that does not match my tanks' temp...it takes minutes to verify, with a digital thermometer

At any rate, the cloudiness may well be just microbubbles...use a magnifying glass the next time you perform a WC, and the water gets "cloudy"

 

[kribensis12]

It is possible to have water that is oversaturated with gasses, but causes no noticeable harm...temperature of newly added water is the key ingredient, as well as which gasses are involved.

Years ago, before I knew better, I used the "feel" method when performing WCs...if the tap water "felt" like the same temp as my tank water, then I was under the assumption that all was well

A WC with water that was too warm from the tap (5 degrees F higher than the tank, though it "felt" fine) killed 4 of my otherwise healthy fish in minutes, and left many of the others with irreparable harm...a well-experienced member on another fish forum advised that gas bubble disease was the culprit, after I explained what had happened (in a panic) and then measured the tank temp, immediately after the WC

Now, no new water goes into my tanks during WCs that does not match my tanks' temp...it takes minutes to verify, with a digital thermometer

At any rate, the cloudiness may well be just microbubbles...use a magnifying glass the next time you perform a WC, and the water gets "cloudy"

I found another article for corroborating: https://www.tfhmagazine.com/articles/aquatic-plants/maintaining-water-quality-in-the-nature-aquarium

Sounds like the last two water changes must have been colder than before, causing the water to become cloudy.

I don't normally do as large of a water change (40%) for my other aquariums, but I am doing it for the Angels as I am trying to grow them out.

Mixing Room Temp R/O w/ tap water probably puts the temp down to to around 65F and it has never seemed to bother my Kribs, Rams, Apistos or other fish so I don't plan to heat my water before putting it in - but I can definitely adjust the volume for the angels. I'll try 2x 20% this next week.

 

[Slaphppy7]

I found another article for corroborating: https://www.tfhmagazine.com/articles/aquatic-plants/maintaining-water-quality-in-the-nature-aquarium

Sounds like the last two water changes must have been colder than before, causing the water to become cloudy.

I don't normally do as large of a water change (40%) for my other aquariums, but I am doing it for the Angels as I am trying to grow them out.

Mixing Room Temp R/O w/ tap water probably puts the temp down to to around 65F and it has never seemed to bother my Kribs, Rams, Apistos or other fish so I don't plan to heat my water before putting it in - but I can definitely adjust the volume for the angels. I'll try 2x 20% this next week.

Bookmarked that article, thank you for the link