Cloudy water (Opae Ula) despite several water changes

[Trinitrophenol]

I need some help please! Recently my tank keeps getting cloudy even after 100% water change , cleaned/ boiled the accessories, 100% reset (new setup) doesn't works too..

1st setup was with Hamburg Matten Filter, lasted for a year or two before the water started to get cloudy and I decided to change the filter and setup, the problems started from then on.. No matter what I did, the cloudiness came back (After a week or so) . Adding/Not adding starter bacteria doesn't seem to make a difference.. What's going on with my tank??

Here's the pics
First setup with HMF


After a year++


Didn't took the 2nd tank change..It became cloudy after a week..
this is the third (I changed to sponge filter and boiled all accessories )


After a week.. its cloudy AGAIN


Changed entire setup , washed the tank , got new substrate , new filter, didn't add the starter bacteria this time


Guess what?

[Urban Aquaria]

Looks like the typical bacteria blooms when a tank is cycling (or re-cycling due to changes in parameters). It also indicates higher levels of ammonia (aka "food" for bacteria to feed on to grow and multiply).

Have you simply tried just waiting it out for a few days or a week? Most bacteria blooms will eventually clear up on their own once the bacteria run out of "food" to consume.

Water changes can be done to flush out the excess bacteria and ammonia too, which usually helps to clear up the cloudiness quicker.

I'd also assume that since it's an opae ula tank, the pH is on the higher alkaline side. Bacteria tend to grow much faster in such alkaline water conditions. Perhaps they react more quickly to spikes in ammonia levels, which may explain the constant bacteria blooms whenever you re-start the setups.

[Trinitrophenol]

Previous resets I gave it a few weeks, but nothing seems to be improving
Should I add the starter bacteria? I use Seachem Stability

[Urban Aquaria]

Previous resets I gave it a few weeks, but nothing seems to be improving
Should I add the starter bacteria? I use Seachem Stability

Perhaps consider using filters which can house more bio-media, like canister filters... i have noticed for my tanks with canister filters, they keep the tank parameters more stable and any bacterial blooms that do occur usually clear up very fast (sometimes clearing up on their own within just a few hours), mainly because the extra high amount of bio-media surface area allow a lot more bacteria to colonize them and effectively process the ammonia, so there are much less excess bacteria being suspended in the water column.

Basically if there is insufficient "home spaces" (bio-media) for the bacteria to live in, they will just tend to cloud up the tank when there are excess ammonia to process.

Those bacteria in a bottle solutions can help to kickstart the cycle, though if your tank is already getting cloudy bacterial blooms, growing bacteria isn't really any issue anymore, it's an indication you actually have too many of them.

[fireblade]

maybe you can add things one at a time... some deco cannot put in water as it might leach or melt .. especially clay materials...

[Trinitrophenol]

OK noted, maybe I try out those mini canister filters , thanks!

[tetrakid]

Lol, I too experienced the same thing thing when I first started keeping fish. In fact I was blaming the tap water for it.
As a beginner I had tried to change the water many times, whenever I see the water getting cloudy shortly after a complete 100% water change.
Then later when I learned about water cycling, I managed from then on to achieve crystal clear water which is the envy of my fish friends.

[MCE]

Try to have some Zeolite behind yr HMFilter or canister. It absorbs ammonia and clean the water.
Only thing to watch is adding salt to the water will release the ammonia back into the water.


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[Trinitrophenol]

Might wanna try purigen when I get hold of my canister

[Trinitrophenol]

Thanks so much for the recommendations!! Used Shibura XB303 + Purigen , amazing results !!

[Dscheng]

Seem like still a bit cloudy? Or just camera effect. By the way, purigen really make the water crystal clear. No doubt about that.

[Trinitrophenol]

It's the particles on the glass wall, think a scraper will remove that