Tank Dimensions (LxWxH, specify units): 60 x 40 x 45 cm
Lighting Intensity(No of Watts) : 24 watts
Number and type of Lighting (FL/PL/MH) : 4 T5 HO
Age of light bulbs : 6 weeks
No. of hours your lights are on :8 hours
Type of CO2 (DIY/Cylinder) : Cylinder
Method of Injection (e.g. Diffusor/Reactor) : Diffusor
Liquid fertilisers Used (Product name. E.g. Seachem Flourish) : Ferka Aquatiliser, Ferka Balance K.
Fertilization regime (Frequency and amount per dose) : 1 pump each daily
Type of Filter (overhead/internal/canister, Product name/model if possible) : External - Eihem 2222
Age of setup (i.e. since initial setup or last major re-do ) : 6 weeks
Bioload (Number and type of fish and plants)
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5 x harlequin rasboras
4 x chocolate gouramis
Anubias var. Nanas
Rotala sp.
Rotala Macandra
Mayaca
Micranthem Micranthemoides
Glosso
Riccia
Ludwigia Arcuata
Describe your problem (sorry for the long post):
----------------------
My new tank has been set up for 6 weeks. Water was a little cloudy at the initial set up but for the past 2 weeks it got worse and worse until I cannot really see the background plants and fish clearly. Here is what happened:
1. After the initial set up, I was changing 30% water half weekly as I was dosing EI. The water was always a little bit cloudy.
2. Then I got a case of green dust algae about 3 weeks ago, where each time I wipe the glass of tanks after each water change, it comes back again after 2 days. The GDA was also on the filter tubes inside, the glass diffusor, everywhere. Water then started to get more cloudy. I thought it is also because of the green dust on the glass I could not see the plants and fish.
3. Two weeks ago, I opened the filter and saw that the top fine cotton wool pad is very dirty. So when I did a WC, I washed the pad clean. I also added another new cotton wool, in the hope that it may aid in clearing the cloudy water. The extra layer of wool does not help.
4. Last weekend, I couldn't stand anymore and scraped clean all the green dust, wash clean all the filter tubes inside the tank, diffusor etc, and did a 90% WC. I added water slowly, and boy, the tank is nice and clean and water is clear. My lighting hours were previously 10 hours, now after the mjor WC I cut back to 8 hours. I do not want GDA to re-appear.
5. The next day, water is slightly cloudy and days after that it got more cloudy until I could not properly see the background plants or fish.
Is this a bacteria bloom? Green water (but when I take out the water it is not green)? My Eihem 2222 is not sufficient? I am so getting frustrated at this, what should my next course of action be?
Also, when I take out some of the water to do the NO3 etc tests, I notice that there are some fine white particles floating in the water. I wonder what the particles are....
Other info:
Using ADA Aquasoil so cannot measure CO2. I have tweaked the CO2 until the level is just before the fish swim up to gasp for air.
NO3: 10mg/L
Nitrite: 0
Ammonia: 0
PH: about 6.3 - 6.5 in the morning before lights on. I only got around to measuring PH after 7 hours into photoperiod and the PH measures 5.3.
In addition to the Ferka fertilisers, I dose 1/4 tsp KNO3 twice weekly to ensure that nitrate level is not low, and 1/8 tsp KH2PO4 twice weekly.
I used to have this mysterious sort of cloudy water too.
Is your tank heavily planted? I notice the more plants your tank has, the clearer the water is. Also, your tank is just maturing, you could wait it out because according to the conventional nitrogen cycle, every tank will turn cloudy.
It should be a bacterial bloom.
I agreee.
It might be a bacterial bloom.
Perhaps you should stop with the fert dosing. Just maintain the tank using the bare minimum, filter and light, for a few days.
Also, if you're using fine filter media, you'll have to clean it often for this period of time. You shouldn't wash it in tap water, use aged tank water instead.
Rgds,
Drew
Do not do water change for two weeks, and keep other things constant. I always get this problem when using AdA soil. Somehow if i show impatience and keep changing water, it get worse. Guess after all it is bacteria settling down.
I should be working not posting
On the outchance it's not bacteria bloom, do you have any cories or bottom dwellers that like to mess with the Aquasoil. My 7 C julli's gave me a one month of cloudy water till i fished some of them out.
HTH
Stan
You can if you dare to fail - Stan Chung
Just leave it alone for 1 week and if possible add one more canister filter. Overfilteration helps a lot. Remove as much algae. Change water after 1 week and add fertilliser and pump CO2.
It's not just "Step1: Add Water, Step2: Add Fish" If everything else don't work, add plastic plants and fish
Hmmm...ok, I should grin and bear with it for at least one week and not do any water change. So should I continue with the fert and on the lights or I should just leave the tank be for 1 week without any light, CO2 or fert? Will the plants die?
My tank is heavily planted as the plants I have listed in my first post cover all the space of the Aquasoil. I clean the filter media with the water from tank when I did the WC. And I do not have any cories or bottom dwellers.
if it is not green water, i would leave the lights on, and other things as they are. Just be patient. Look at my tank (Paradis terrestre) and see how cloudy and muddy it is. It is now clearing up, and i guess in one week, it will be clear.
aiya! i think i got greenwater. the water is green and cloudy today.
what's the quickest and best way to treat greenwater. seems there's a few method here and there: blackout, UV steriliser, greenwater clumping agents etc. anyone knows what's a proven effective way?
i dont understand how i could have gotten a case of greenwater. i thought that greenwater is caused by excessive ammonia. but i always tested for ammonia and it is almost always zero or extremely low. i don't think i have a lot of fishes and i dont overfeed. i have chocolate gouramis in my new tank and they are one of the most sensitive fishes, so if i have high ammonia or poor water quality, they would have died a long time ago.
i don't think it is a case of overfertilisation, is it?
Again, be patient, I do not think you are getting green water. Post a picture, it will help.
It is normal (at least to me) that the water turn light greenish when you are using ada soil.
hi AquaObsession, saw your Paradis terrestre tank before. My water a few days ago looked like the water in your first picture, after you uprooted all the plants. water all milky. Now add light greenish color. Will try and post a picture soon.
But looks like your tank clears up ok after you put in the rummy nose.
This is a picture of my tank two and half weeks after my new set up. the water cloudiness is not bad at all. now you can't see the plants if you look from one end of the tank to the other.
This is not a case of GW. Be patient. It will go away. Do not do too much W.C at start, let the BB multiply, if your setup is new.
By the way, care if you are burying the rhizome of the nana in the substrate.
Regards,
Christophe
I've more leaves in my tank!
Can you manage to get a current pic so that we can see whether you are really getting GW?
ok here are some pictures. so is it GW? it looks very GW to me.
Front view:
Side views:
In spite of the frustration, am so amazed that my anubias nana flowered underwater:
I should be working not posting
Looks like green water. Aquasoil does release some NH3 into the water.
You can if you dare to fail - Stan Chung
If you want, try doing a 100% water change. Risks involved though, mostly livestock related.
There is a good way to clear it up once and for all: buy a UV filter and run it (90% success rate).
I should be working not posting
Other than the green water, why are there large bubbles on the water surface? Looks swampy.Is it too turbulent?
I suggest a large water change[with aged water] to reset. and check if your filter is clogged.
The glosso has carpet the ground but the anubias doesn't look healthy, your tank is still very young at 2.5 weeks.
Terence suggestion of using a UVS is good.
You must take action because green water IME doesn't go away on it's own, not with normal routine.
You can if you dare to fail - Stan Chung
now that you mentioned it, it looks kinda swampy. the bubbles are from the airstone i'm running. while waiting to get the UV, i turned off everything for 2 days and ran the airstone for the fishes (the light was turn on for the benefit of photo-taking). thus, the swampy look.
yeah, the anubias doesn't look good coz i had all these fuzz algae growing all over the leaves. today when lights are turned on i saw that the fuzz algae has largely been reduced. i have run the UV for about 10 hours now and i can see that the tank is a little less cloudier although water is still yellowish green. cross my fingers that it is not just my imagination.
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