Water Quality

[Mollybreeder]

Well I have been recently having trouble with my 10 gallon tank's water quality. It has been very very cloudy over the past few weeks and I couldnt figure out what it was. My water chemistry is PERFECT so it couldnt be that...I dont have an algae problem...but I think it could be my tap water...it is literally loaded with minerals and they are encrusted on top of my heater cap and filter. Its a white/greenish crust that washes off with water. So I went to my grocery store and bought 10 gallons of distilled water. I did a 25% water change and added four gallons of distilled water to the tank. It is now only faintly cloudy and getting better. Do you think i did the right thing and my water will clear up?


Thanks,

Jeremy

 

[Snailguy101]

Well wat are your water stats? Saying it's perfect won't help.

 

[mlee0332]

distilled water doesn't have electrolytes that fish need... they'll be good for now tho so don't panic.

Is your tank cycled, and for how long has it been?

 

[Snailguy101]

Can it be algae?

 

[mlee0332]

if it's a milky white color, most likely bacteria bloom. It'll clear up after a while.

Edit: is the heater submersible or HOB?

 

[Mollybreeder]

The tank has been set up for a year...it is a cloudy white but my test results are 0 ammonia...0 nitrates...0.05 nitrites...so im good there and the heater is HOB

So i cant use distilled water?

 

[mlee0332]

well, you can, but they wont thrive. They'll be fine if you use it. U can add a little salt (aquarium) to replace the electrolytes lost. The .05 nitrites is a sign the tank is cycling and most likely all it is is a bloom of bacteria.

Is the heater cap out of the water or under water?

EDIT: PLEASE DON'T ADD SALT IF YOU HAVE SCALELESS FISH!!!

 

[Mollybreeder]

The heater cap is out of the water and i do add aquarium salt. I do not think the tank is cycling as this has been my normal reading for 5 months now

In the tank include:

2 glo lite tetra...used to be more but died of swim bladder disease The two left are life companions and i do not think i need more

6 guppies 2 males...they have been thriving in the tank and yes i know about their breeding capabilities but the tetra keep that under control

1 African dwarf frog...im positive its a dwarf

1 zebra clown pleco...longest living member of the tank...and i know how big they get, hes here until he grows up...on an inch now

 

[mlee0332]

What size tank???

 

[pica_nuttalli]

using bottled water adds up, but it is rather convenient. i used to use bottled spring water in my tanks; if you live in the US, all water that is labled "Spring Water" must retain the exact chemical make-up of its source. which means it has to have the same minerals and chemicals as the stream, just none of the icky germs.

don't use distilled water, which will do bad things to your fish's tissues (osmosis). and don't use mineral water, which can contain any number of minerals toxic to fish but not people (like low level copper). and don't use flouridated water! (that one should be obvious )

1 zebra clown pleco...longest living member of the tank...and i know how big they get, hes here until he grows up...on an inch now

how long have you had him? young plecos typically grow fairly quickly; if you've had him over six months and he's barely an inch...odds are good you've already stunted him. but i'm not familiar with "zebra clown" plecs, so you may want to ask about this in Catfish.

 

[mlee0332]

wtf is flouridated water??? I've never heard of that...

 

[Mollybreeder]

ok ill start to use spring water once i use up my six gallons of distilled wateri have left )

 

[Teelie]

You can use distilled or R/O water if you add back the minerals, electrolytes, etc taken out. There are lots of supplements out there for that kind of specific problem.

 

[pica_nuttalli]

wtf is flouridated water???  I've never heard of that...

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have you ever seen tiny water bottles marketed at children or "baby water"? both of those are flouridated distilled water. much like much of the American water supply, these types of bottled water have added flouride to "help protect teeth". which is really a load of crap. flouride is a poison; ingesting it is just a superstitious way of getting around cleaning your teeth.

so unless you want to add dechlorinator or EDTA to your bottled water, don't buy flouridated.

 

[Mollybreeder]

Well the only mineral i have is aquarium salt which i add to the tank after doing water changes and i dont know how i could have stunted my plecs growth. He is the happiest fish in my tank and he costs the most too. My lfs said they only get around 4-6 inches which is too big for my 10 gallon once he gets older and plecos grow slowly. This morning my water is looking ALOT better than it used to and all the fish came to the top for feeding...not alot i can do but i hope that the salt i add to the water will make distilled water ok for my tank?

Thanks alot you guys I can always find help on this site

Jeremy