Cloudy Water

[Noobyfish]

I just setup my tank, all there is in it right now is gravle, a filter and thermomemter. I had it running with water in it for about 30 some hours. The water was fine for the first day but when i woke up this morning there was a murky white cloud all over the tank. The only thing I think it could possibly be is that the bacteria in the Jungle Conditioner have done this but what could they be feeding on? Maybe my well water had them in it and the warm water made them reproduce like mad? Or maybe its not bacteria?

 

[Noobyfish]

I just got home now and the problem is twice as bad, if it gets any worse i wont be able to see the background.
Could it be comeing off the gravel? I also have laterite in there but i rinsed that good too and it turns the water red when it leaches.

 

[Noobyfish]

Please somebody help its getting worse by the minute if you look closely its like a milky white cloud. You can no longer see through from one end to he other length-wise.

 

[newfishaddict]

I just setup my tank, all there is in it right now is gravle, a filter and thermomemter. I had it running with water in it for about 30 some hours. The water was fine for the first day but when i woke up this morning there was a murky white cloud all over the tank. The only thing I think it could possibly be is that the bacteria in the Jungle Conditioner have done this but what could they be feeding on? Maybe my well water had them in it and the warm water made them reproduce like mad? Or maybe its not bacteria?

In the past I worked in a microbiology lab and tested various bacteria containing solutions such as "cycle" and others, none of them had ANY viable bacteria in them.

As for your cloudy water:
-does the tank smell? what is the smell like?
-Have you added anything else to the tank other than water conditioner and the "bacteria boosting" solution?
-The cloudiness, is it on the glass or in the water or both?
-If it is on the glass what is the texture or "feel" of it when you rub it in your fingers?
-what is the tank size? what filter?
-what lighting?
-do you have any water testing kits? if so what are your water stats?
-Where do you live? can you get me your "source" water stats? Tap water?


1)my first guess is that your "Jungle Conditioner " was contaminated in some way, get a new one. I recommend Prime for a conditioner and not bothering with any products that CLAIM that there are viable nitrosomonas or nitrobacter in them. These bacteria can’t survive the conditions in which they are packaged...
2) I would re rinse all substrate; I rinse new substrate about 20 times

3) I would also take some water treat it with your "Jungle Conditioner " and put it in a glass container on top of your fridge (for a little heat) and see if you get cloudy water 30 hrs later. Then add substrate from your tank and see if you get cloudy water then...

4) I would also "inspect" your filter and ensure that this is not the source, and now since the water is cloudy I replace or rinse your filter media.

5) Get ammonia to do a fishless cycle of the tank, after your cloudy problem is solved.

Cheers

 

[Noobyfish]

does the tank smell? No what is the smell like? No
-Have you added anything else to the tank other than water conditioner and the "bacteria boosting" solution?
Laterite

-The cloudiness, is it on the glass or in the water or both?
Swirling white cloud in the water

-If it is on the glass what is the texture or "feel" of it when you rub it in your fingers?
No

-what is the tank size? what filter?
35 gallon, filter rated for 60 gallon

-what lighting?
havnt turned on light yet for more than few mins to see what it looked like

-do you have any water testing kits? if so what are your water stats?
I have a very cheap kit that only gives approximations
Nonetheless

Nitrate
Under 15ppm
Nitrite 0
Hardness
between 75-100
Ph 6.8-7.2

-Where do you live? can you get me your "source" water stats?

Source of water is a well rated safe to drink

The cloud does not stick to the glass, if you look closely you see it swirling around in the water.


*** Upon closer inspection the tank is now beggining to smell bad, it has a musty smell that almost makes me want to vomit.

I had a fully established aquarium before and it never smelt cloes to this bad, infact it never smelt. This is a horrible stench thats now seems to be spreading throught the house. Please help

 

[SamUK]

do you have live plants?


could be a algae bloom. does the cloud have a green tint?

 

[Noobyfish]

do you have live plants?


could be a algae bloom. does the cloud have a green tint?

Nothing not even a decoration

The cloud has no trace of any color but white

 

[newfishaddict]

does the tank smell? No what is the smell like? No
-Have you added anything else to the tank other than water conditioner and the "bacteria boosting" solution?
Laterite

-The cloudiness, is it on the glass or in the water or both?
Swirling white cloud in the water

-If it is on the glass what is the texture or "feel" of it when you rub it in your fingers?
No

-what is the tank size? what filter?
35 gallon, filter rated for 60 gallon

-what lighting?
havnt turned on light yet for more than few mins to see what it looked like

-do you have any water testing kits? if so what are your water stats?
I have a very cheap kit that only gives approximations
Nonetheless

Nitrate
Under 15ppm
Nitrite 0
Hardness
between 75-100
Ph 6.8-7.2

-Where do you live? can you get me your "source" water stats?

Source of water is a well rated safe to drink

The cloud does not stick to the glass, if you look closely you see it swirling around in the water.


*** Upon closer inspection the tank is now beggining to smell bad, it has a musty smell that almost makes me want to vomit.

I had a fully established aquarium before and it never smelt cloes to this bad, infact it never smelt. This is a horrible stench thats now seems to be spreading throught the house. Please help

You likely have a bacteria that is growing rapidly. If the smell is rotten but also sweet, then it is likely pseudomonas (this is commonly what rotten chicken smells like). I would remove ALL the water and substrate from the tank. I would turn off the heater and filter and clean them VERY well. Replace all filter media. I would re-rinse all substrate and boil it. Also, clean your tank, I would use water saturated with salt, but you NEED to ensure there is no salt left when you re-start your tank so rinse it very very well, like 10 times. I would run the tank full of salty water for 24 hrs, with the heater in the tank but not on, and with the filter running with NO filter media in the filter. Then start over and GET A NEW WATER CONDITIONER(this one could have been contaminated). My microbiology prof said "those aquarium bacteria boosters will cause more problems than they are worth" If you have lots of money, get the conditioner tested for TPC (Total Plate Count) and also pseudomonas (bacteria).

If you have an established tank now, use filter media from that to help get the tank going. Or use a friends, if you can...

Sorry for your trouble, the re-setup will be some work.

cheers

 

[Noobyfish]

There is a sweetness to the smell.

SO what do I do now?

Empty the tank, take outside and re-rinse, then soak it with salt water for 24 hours?
Re-rinse substrate? Replace filter media? Im a bit confused as what needs to be done.

oh and would salt remaining in the ank cause this to happen?

THanks very much for all the help newfishaddict. I just wish this wouldnt have happened this is real discouraging

 

[newfishaddict]

There is a sweetness to the smell.

SO what do I do now?

Empty the tank, take outside and re-rinse, then soak it with salt water for 24 hours?
Re-rinse substrate? Replace filter media? Im a bit confused as what needs to be done.

oh and would salt remaining in the ank cause this to happen?

THanks very much for all the help newfishaddict. I just wish this wouldnt have happened this is real discouraging

Did you buy a used tank? or did this used to be your own salt water tank in the past?
I was supprised that pseudomonas was able to "take hold" in a brand new tank, but if it is used, that explains it...

I will respond about what to do in the next hr..

 

[Noobyfish]

As far as I know it is new. For a while i thought i had rinsed it using salt water but now i remember I didnt.
I bought the tank from a lfs and everything was new in box except the tank which usually are taken out of box to display i think. I was also very surprised to see this cloud this morning. Wont the bacteria die off if theres nothing in there to eat?

* I guess if there here in the first place there finding something to eat im just not sure what it could be, probly in the jungle tabs

sigh

 

[newfishaddict]

As far as I know it is new. For a while i thought i had rinsed it using salt water but now i remember I didnt.
I bought the tank from a lfs and everything was new in box except the tank which usually are taken out of box to display i think. I was also very surprised to see this cloud this morning. Wont the bacteria die off if theres nothing in there to eat?

* I guess if there here in the first place there finding something to eat im just not sure what it could be, probly in the jungle tabs

sigh

I am surprised too, but they have found something to eat.

I would:

1) remove the filter, substrate, and heater and clean them VERY thoroughly. Use heat (boiling) for the substrate. I would use bleach on the heater and filter but you must ensure that you rinse the bleach off VERY well; I would rinse 15+ times. Don’t stop rinsing until you cant smell bleach. Make sure the bleach you use is brand new, seal on the bleach should be removed just before you use it.( When bleach sits without being fully sealed, it loses its effectiveness)

2) throw away all used filter media

3) drain the tank

4) rinse the tank very well with hot water about 5 times (you don’t need to fill it all the way, just rinse all sides of the tank ) Rinse inside the tank, and outside.

4.1) scrub the tank with a clean scrub pad, and warm water, pseudomonas are very “slippery” and can excrete a substance that helps them stick to things like glass very well, so scrub well.

5) After scrubbing , rinse 3-4 times with warm-hot water.

6) Fill the tank with untreated (chlorinated) water, and add AQUARIUM SALT (with no iodine) until it wont dissolve anymore, then add a bit more salt to be sure the tank water is saturated with salt.

7) Do NOT put the substrate in yet, salt can be very hard to rinse out of a substrate.

8) put your filter back in the tank , but with NO filter media, plug in the filter so it runs…(should be a tank full of clean salt water now)

9) Put you heater in the tank, but do not turn it on, you just want the salt water to help ensure there is no bacteria on your heater, but you don’t want heat on. (if your heater is not submersible, you need to ensure the non submerged part of it is cleaned very well. I would use bleach and rise very well)

10)let the clean tank full of salt water run with filter running, heater off, with no substrate for 24 hrs (2-3 hrs is fine actually)

11) now, you need to rinse the tank, filter, and heater so that no salt remains, rinse well. Rinse at least 5 times.

12) fill the tank with non-treated chlorinated water again, let that run for 2-3 hrs(or overnight) to ensure no salt has gotten into your silicone or any other parts of the filter….This step is just another rinse.

12.1) drain the tank and rinse...

13) now use PRIME to treat your water and fill the tank up, and get the filter and heater going, add your very clean and boiled substrate. (Prime is the best, and very cheep if you only use the amount you need based on your chorine levels)

Note: I would be a bit concerned about your well water, they can be high in various bacteria and iron (and organic matter, this could be the source of “food” for the bacteria you have) , and still be “fit” for human consumption., I would definitely test for iron(un-chelated) in your well water…

14) I would add proper amounts of ammonia to start a “fishless cycle”…

Good luck! My plesure to help, gives me a break on the Microbiology text I am writing now....

 

[Noobyfish]

Thanks again. Only trouble is I wont be able to do this till Monday. It will be funny to see just how many bacteria can grow.

One more question.

What can I do to make sure this all doesnt happen again when I add the next bach of water since all the stuff was sqeaky clean to begin with.

What should i do to my water?

 

[SamUK]

dechlorinate it and thats it.

read up on fishless cycling in the beginners section.

 

[newfishaddict]

Thanks again. Only trouble is I wont be able to do this till Monday. It will be funny to see just how many bacteria can grow.

One more question.

What can I do to make sure this all doesnt happen again when I add the next bach of water since all the stuff was sqeaky clean to begin with.

What should i do to my water?

I suspect that this happend due to high organic load (perhaps also bacteria) in your well water. If you start the fishless cycle right away then this can help out compete any other bacteria that might try to grow. Also, for the first 24hrs that you have dechlorinated water in the tank I would not turn the heater on....(basically I would not turn the heater on until you are ready to start a fishless cycle via ammonia)

If you cant clean your tank out for a few days, I would turn off the heater and add salt to the tank right now, this will prevent the bacteria from growing more, and prevent them from stinking up your house.

Have you used this well water in a fish tank ever before? you could boil your well water to kill any vegitative bacteria. You could also use bottled water , but if you dont live in Canada this is likely not affordable. (I get 5 gallons of spring water for 2$ here in Canada)