cloudy water !

[sherchoo]

Sorry cbph,

But I strongly recomend anyone from using anti-algae solutions in a planted tank. No matter how desperate please don't use them. There is always a way out or a method to solve any of the problems in a planted tank. The main ingredient would be patiences IMO.

[bclee]

I also discourage use of such chemicals.

It is a quick fix without curing the root cause.

BC

[vinz]

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On 9/7/2002 9:08:21 AM

Hiz vinz

I had 4 types of plants but only one is riccia i know the name the rest i dun noe their names. I intend to increase my light intensity. Right now my riccia can still pearling at the bottom of 4ft tank and i quite surprise too with only 72w of light. There is only abt 10 tetras inside now. And i never do much change to my tank before its turn cloudy or after. Juz normal weekly 1/3 water change and DIY CO2 every two weeks and i not changing 2 bottles of CO2 at the same time. I only have base fert. I have algae on my foreground plant tat y i on my light only 7hrs to control algae boom. The water is whitish.
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Pepsi,

I think your problem is similar to lip's. Lack of light and excess nutrient. You're getting algae for the same reasons. You need to get your plants to start growing faster so that they will use up the nutrients in the water. Your filter may not be doing a good enough job... consider an external canister filter or plant heavily with at least 30% fast growing plants and give them as good a growing environment as possible. Moderate fish load.

[lip]

hi vinz, can confirm that i have nitrite, ammonia and phospate overload in my new tank. did the tests over the weekend. can only laugh at how pathetic the tank is.......[]

definately a case of excess nutrients and organic matters. ok patience patience. have added co2 and increased timing for lights, and will do 20% water change everyday.

PEPSI, btw, sorry to have hijacked your thread. hope you dun mind too much. I would also suggest that you do the tests on your cloudy water so that you know for sure what is wrong with your tank. I would have pinpointed my problems earlier if i have done so myself.

Good luck with your tank!

[vinz]

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On 8/30/2002 3:59:45 PM

4ft tank ;
2x36 watt FL (7hr/day);
DIY Co2
Top filter with rainbar attached and place 2-3cm below water surface ;
Temperature around 29 degree ;
Ammonia/Ammonium tested safe with test kit ;
pH value not tested ;

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Pepsi,

If the tank has been up for a while already, you will not get any ammonia/ammonium readings. Test for nitrates (NO3) and phosphates (PO4).

[lip]

Hi all, I have done daily changes of water (about 15 to 20%) for the past 2 weeks. I just check the perimeters of my tank and found them to be almost acceptable.

Nitrite - about 0.025 ppm
Nitrate - about 10 to 20 ppm
NH4 - 0, i think
Phospate- 0.5 to 1 ppm

However, my tank is still cloudy, although the condition is much better.

My question is, do i still need to do daily changes of water? What else do i need to do to rid my tank of the cloudy water? (I have not feed my algae eaters in the tank at all).

Many thx for your help.[:]

[vinz]

Looks like your tank is close to completing the cycling. What filter are you using and what media do you have inside? Size of tank? Have you increased the light and added CO2?

If your plants are healthy and growing fairly well then the blackout method may work.

[lip]

Hi vinz (btw, your tank very nice). I am using the eheim 2028 and the usual media recommended for this filter.

plants are growing fine. new shoots of hairgrass already growing.

so i guess there is no need for daily change of water rt? I am thinking of changing water only twice a week until the cloudiness clear. dun wanna disturb the bacteria culture too much.

as for the blackout, pardon me, but why huh (blur)? what is it exactly that i am dealing with?[]

[Simon]

blackout method for cloudy water? green water i agree, but cloud water is mainly due to the colonization of bacteria rite?

[lip]

sorry vinz, forgot to reply you on the following:

1. tank : 4 (L) x 1 1/2 (w) x 2 (H).
2. lights 7 hours (still 4 x 36 W PL)
3. CO2 added - about 8 hours (1 bubble per sec)

cloudiness is whitish.

[vinz]

Oh, ok. I thot it was early stages of greenwater. In that case, black won't work.

Will UV work? If yes, then you can borrow my UV filter for a while. I'm not using it at the moment.

[lip]

Thx a million for the offer, vinz.

I believe that u have to connect the UV sterilizer after the filter and before the water outlet rt? In that case, it may be inconvenient for you to disconnect. I would also have to cut the tubes in my setup as well. So i guess i may just have to buy my own (was thinking of it, but kiv-ing until i am richer. hahah). Most grateful for your offer anyway, vinz.

But, would a UV sterilizer work for this situation? anyone knows?



If the white cloudiness is due to bacteria culture, is it the good bacteria establishing themselves? If it is, then perhaps I should just leave it be?

[vinz]

You shouldn't use a UV sterilizer on a planted tank long term. Mine isn't connected and I have some extra tubing which you can use temporarily.

The UV unit will kill waterborne bacteria. Not sure if the waterborne bacteria is the same as those that we want in the tank, but if those in the water is killed, then they won't compete with those we want and allow them to establish themselves.

I'm not sure about the effectiveness of the UV here... hope someone else can shed some light on this.

[bclee]

My tank was cloudy when I first started. I took about 1 month to become crystal clear.

If you are seeing the cloudiness improving, you should be in the right direction. You can probably cut the feeding to once every 2 or 3 days. Continue to do your weekly water changes. You should see the results soon.

BC

[David Loh]

I was recently hit by this cloudy water also. My 3 footer has been up and running for about 2 months and used to be crystal clear. All of a sudden, it turns cloudy. I did not over feed my fishes. Tried changing my filter media and do frequent partial water change. At one point I did a 80% water change but the condition still persists. Have also tried Geo Liquid for planted tank but no help. My Ammonia/ammonium and nitrite levels are ok.

I have been doing frequent water changes (3-4days)for about 2 weeks already. The situation is still the same. Any comments whether I should be more patient and carry on doing water changes or built every thing from scratch ? Does adding those liquid bateria solution (Cycle) helps. I only used those initially when I setup my tank.

I am still giving them a weekly dosage of those liquid fertilizers in addition to Gold 7/E15/V30.

[bclee]

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On 9/23/2002 1:38:19 PM

... My Ammonia/ammonium and nitrite levels are ok.

...I am still giving them a weekly dosage of those liquid fertilizers in addition to Gold 7/E15/V30.
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NH3/NH4 and NO2 levels are ok = zero?

Have you checked the water against a white background? If not, please do so. It will confirm if it is GW or bacteria bloom. Then you can follow the steps discussed previously.

I think you should stop the Gold 7. This may promote the bacteria bloom. At the mean time, you can total stop feeding the fishes for the next few days.

Just to check, prior to this, do you have any fish deaths?

BC

[vinz]

Did you check your nitrate and phosphate levels?

I think at this point Cycle won't make a diff.

Changing your filter media will likely set you back to square one cos the bacterial in the filter is gone. I'm surprised your ammonia/nitrite levels are still ok, unless you only did a partial change.

[lip]

Thx, bclee and vinz.

Unless someone else can pin point the problem, I guess i will do a twice weekly partial water change from now on and see how it goes. No point fumbling in the dark and possibly creating more problems along the way []

[David Loh]

It is not Green Water. I scope some water with a white bowl. The water is not green though. I have tested my Nitrite and Ammonia/ammonium to be near zero. Not too sure about the Nitrate and Phosphate though as I do not have those test kits. Prior to that, my fishes all are healthy and no deaths whatsoever. Guess I have just to be a bit more patient, do frequent water changes, stop feeding for a few days, stop fertilizing as advised.

Thanks for the feedback.

[vinz]

Whatever I can find so far with regards to bacteria bloom points to overfeeding. The commone advice is to stop feeding for a few days and let the problem resolve itself. Some water change helps. Be a good idea to suck out some of the detritus too.