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Thread: cloudy water in new tank

  1. #1
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    cloudy water in new tank

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    hello

    My new 4 ft tank is still cloudy after 2 weeks. When I set up my 2ft, it took only a day to clear up. Is 2 weeks long or is it a norm, and I am just plain lucky for my 2ft. How long should I expect a tank to clear up.

    So far, I have tried GEO Liquid and stuffing my canister filter with more fine cotton media(fine but not those that would rot into the water).
    It has'nt helped much. Turning my filter full-blast does not help as well.

    I have approx 290l, and my filter is Atman 900l/hr. No water column fertilisers yet, just base JBL fertiliser, covered on top by at least 7 cm of gravels. I have no drift wood yet

    I thought the following may be the possible cause of cloudiness ...

    1. bacteria bloom, but I am not sure why its still blooming after 2 weeks.

    2. My sand is not thouroughly cleaned enuff ( I rinsed abt 5-6 times). Can I expect my filter to do the job slowly if this is the case?

    3. Java ferns "substrate". Not sure I would call it substrate, but when I bought Java ferns from capricon(lor halus), it came like a bunch on a small base of "substrate". I tied the entire on a rock and put them in the tank.

    4. White spots. I saw many small suspended particles under the bright light. I have about 4 fishes infected with White Spots. Can these particles be white spots, and alot of them cause the cloudiness.

    Sorry for putting everyone thru' such a long message, appreciate ur comments.

    bennyp

  2. #2
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    Is your 2 ft tank still around? If yes, then perhaps you can place the used cotton filter of your 2 ft into your 4ft. I think this will help promote bacteria growth whcih will then clear the tank.

    I cleared my tank within 6 days via this method.


    Hoep this helps.

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    Hi
    that was really a fast reply.

    I still have my 2ft.

    But can you advise how introducing bateria from matured tank help to clear up the water? If the water is due to a bacteria bloom, how would adding more bacteria elevate the problem.

    bennyp

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    Benny,

    You want the bacteria to grow in the filter media rather then in the water. Take some of the filter media from the old filter to replace some of the media in the new filter. This will kick start the bacteria colony in your new filter.

    What other types of media do you have in the filter?
    Vincent - AQ is for everyone, but not for 'u' and 'mi'.
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    Oh yeah,

    4. No, the germ that causes white spots on fish does not cloud the water.
    Vincent - AQ is for everyone, but not for 'u' and 'mi'.
    Why use punctuation? See what a difference it makes:
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  6. #6
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    My previous experience with my tank was that it was cloudy for 2-3 weeks, then suddenly just cleared up in 1-2 days...

    The likely causes are as you mentioned bacteria bloom, particles in the water, and if you're really sway, green water.

    In the case of the first 2, it will rectify itself... once the bacteria in your filter media gets fully running the bacteria bloom will go away. As for particles, once your filter gets slightly clogged, it will start to trap smaller particles which are now in your water.

    As for green water, just do a quick check... when you look through the side of your tank, is the cloudiness whitish or greenish?
    Allen

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    thanks for the replies

    Vinz, I am currently using white cotton/sponge, black sponge, and ceramic rings in the filter.

    Allen, can't say its greenish or whitish looking from the side, but more like reddish (maybe becos of my wall or sand)

    I will put the filter media from my matured tank this weekend.
    Just curious, how would an established bacteria colony in the filter help to reduce the bacteria bloom in the water column? Is it something like similar things attract each other, and the bacteria in the tank get attracted to the filter?

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    OK a short summary then...
    Code:
    Fishes ---> Output Ammonia
    Ammonia---> Provides food for some bacteria ----> breaks down to Nitrite
    Nitrite---> Provides food for another type of bacteri ---> which results in the more harmless nitrate.
    As you can imagine it takes time for the bacteria colony to get large enough to handle the amount of ammonia and nitrite being produced. By using old filter media, it is assumed that the bacteria colony there is already established (lots of bacteria) and thus able to break down the ammonia and nitrites more effectively. For more info, search the web for information on the nitrogen cycle.
    Allen

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    hi Allen, I understand the nitrogen cycle.

    But I still don't comprehend how a cycled tank (or an accelerated cycled tank for that matter) can clear off cloudiness, unless I presume the bacteria bloom in the water column has a inverse relation with the bacteria in the filter.

    Pardon me, I am not trying to be difficult, but just trying to satisfy the 'little child" in me.
    Appreciate all your comments.

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    When the bacteria in your filter gets establish, it will deprive the bacteria in the water of the ammonia/nitrite. To help the process, use UV filter to kill the bacteria in the water or the cheaper alternative is to make a few water changes.

    Remove the black sponge in the filter, it's suppose to act like activated carbon, which is not good for a planted tank. Consider getting sintered glass for your filter. BioHome is a good choice, but a bit expensive.
    Vincent - AQ is for everyone, but not for 'u' and 'mi'.
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    hi its me and my cloudy tank again

    I am going into the fifth week of my tank.

    Tank has shown little progress in terms of clarity.

    Tried GEO-Liquid several times.
    Tried transferring a filter media from an established tank (10 days ago)
    Tried changing water 20-50% twice weekly *very siong for 4ft*

    Is UV the only soln now? Or you guys have similar experience where the tank just eventually clear up. My patience can stretch for another 2 weeks, as long as I know it will clear up eventually. Really hate the idea of having to reconnect my filter again to accomodate UV installation.

    any comments?

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    Benny,

    Go to Allen's recent post "UV light and liquid fert". There was a good discussion on it.

  13. #13
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    Forget about geo-liq.

    How cloudy is it? I have ppl who told me their tanks were cloudy and it turned out to be quite slight and normal for the start up. Does it get cloudier each day?

    What are you doing with the tank now? Fertilising yet, etc?

    The last time my 6ft tank got bacteria bloom, I left it alone and it cleared in a week. But then it was already a few months old. Do you use anti-chlorine when you change water? If you change such large amounts of water, the chlorine could kill off the bacteria in the filter.

    I'm just wondering if it might just clear up by itself if you leave the tank alone.
    Vincent - AQ is for everyone, but not for 'u' and 'mi'.
    Why use punctuation? See what a difference it makes:
    A woman, without her man, is nothing.
    A woman: without her, man is nothing.

  14. #14
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    I almost left my tank alone except for the part on GEOliquid.
    Yes I changed with only Anti-chlorinated water.

    Been waiting for 5 weeks for it to clear, but not yet. I have to say its only slightly cloudy, not terribly cloudy

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    interesting
    i've never seen cloudy water after my first tank
    i use compacted filter floss in my canisters
    water is crystal clear

    *shrug*

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    hello benny,

    seems like you have done quite a lot to clear the water but it didn't helped.

    why not you just leave everything alone.

    just do the routine jobs like changing water weekly and getting the CO2 right and plants to grow well first.
    it might clear.

    i read that if carbonate hardness is too high and if you dose too much iron, you get cloudiness.....

    hope this helps.
    wahboy


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    agreed.

    Try leaving your tank alone for the moment. Do 20~30% water change weekly to allow the filter bacteria to colonize. Maybe this way, the cloudiness will clear by itself.... good luck!
    Cheers!!

    Sherwin Choo
    [email protected]

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    I bought a 9W UV (fix it to filter) to solve the clody water problem for my 4 ft tank. Within a day, water turn crystal clear!

  19. #19
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    bennyp, before you buy UV filters or anything more, is your cloudiness only apparent when your
    fish tank lights are on?

    Reason why I am asking is that my tank looks greenish if the lights are on but clear when they
    are off. The floating particles/sediments are also clearly seen when lighted and as such the
    tank might look particularly cloudy.

    What I have done so far is change my filters to a more mechanical nature (more compacted fine
    floss) and its clearer but still has the green tinge. The tinge is natural I believe since
    most large tanks in the LFS has it as well.

    I think you can really check if your tank has a real cloudiness issue by scooping the tank
    water into a large clear container and look through it against the light, artificial and
    natural (this will eliminate any tinging effect from the glass).

  20. #20
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    hi wyrmbait

    Yes, the water looks more cloudy under light, but not greenish. When I looked closely, I saw clouds of very small particles floating on the upper section of the tank. These particles don't seem to move, but "hang" there.

    when I took out the water and look under light, the particles are not quite apparent, almost non-existent.

    What do you think is these small particles? They are so small that I wonder it can be filtered off, and they are not even moving, let alone be filtered off.

    Is this bacteria bloom?
    Would putting more compact filter media works?

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