# Cloudy A$$ water??



## cobrafox46 (Jun 2, 2008)

f*ck......I have been fighting this for a week now. My 125 just over one night started to cloud up and is progressively getting worse. I have no idea why or how as I have never had a problem before. Params are perfect and listed below? I added carbon today so maybe it will help. I tried a clearing agent and water changes with no luck. I mean it is crazy as cloudy as you can see in the pics. I am at the end of the tank in each one? There is no Algae on the walls so I have no idea. Anyone ran into this before? This is a first for me!

Params
Ammonia-0
Nitrite-0
Nitrate-1-2ppm.........barely shows up because of the plants.
PH 7.8.....always 7.8 so no jumps


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## Murphy18 (Oct 17, 2008)

I had the exact same problem few weeks ago, although it wasn't as bad as that. At first i thought it was because i moved some plants around and stuff, but it got worse over a couple of days. It was certainly a mystery to me also. I started doing small water changes each alternate day over the space of a couple of weeks, it cleared up alot better, but even now it is still not the clearest. I added microfilration pads also, to see if it would help. My water just has lots of litle tiny bits floating around, it is quite irritating, but it is GRADUALLY getting clearer. Maybe you should try doing the same, small frequent water changes, its certainly helped for me.

Sorry for blabbing on.


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## cobrafox46 (Jun 2, 2008)

Blab away bro.....anything to help clear it up. I have been doing water changes every other day for the last week and still nothing. Hopefully the carbon I added today will help. it makes no sense at all because I have changed nothing!! My other tank is perfect so it really is a mystery! I noticed my sump hoses have some buildup in them.....does anyone know if that could cause it?


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## FishermanCanada (Feb 12, 2007)

super clean the gravel, and make absolutely sure you have removed all food or the remains of any dead fish. I never ever get cloudy water, all i use are sponges in my filtration. I do water changes bi monthly never with any problems.

You have something fowl in your tank that might be under something or even in your filter. Have a good look.

good luck


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## cobrafox46 (Jun 2, 2008)

I never have any food particles or dead fish. There is only one fish in the tank (Armatus) and he swallows his food whole. I have went through every piece of the tank. I even vacuumed the sump out today of any small particles. I have found nothing out of the ordinary!! I do 2 water changes a week and gravel (sand) vac once. I take extremely good care of my tanks and like I said the other is perfect.


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## Blue Flame (Jan 16, 2006)

Maybe it's too clean, and needs to cycle again?

I had this happen a few times, over the years, and it was because I was over cleaning the tank.

Take some filter media from the other tank, and add some bacteria to the tank too.

Good luck!


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## cobrafox46 (Jun 2, 2008)

^^^I really do not think it is that.......the tank has been running for 8-9 months and I have checked for ammonia everyday and never had even a hint.


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## FishermanCanada (Feb 12, 2007)

im stumped, water source is all that comes to mind. by the way how many p's do you have in that fog patch of a tank.

hope you figure out the prob and keep us updated.


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## Blue Flame (Jan 16, 2006)

My water checked out fine too, the times I had it happen. I found that one water change a week, and only cleaning one filter at a time, kept the water crystal clear, and haven't had a problem since.

Good luck, I'm sure you'll find the problem.

Blue


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## cobrafox46 (Jun 2, 2008)

buzzz said:


> My water checked out fine too, the times I had it happen. I found that one water change a week, and only cleaning one filter at a time, kept the water crystal clear, and haven't had a problem since.
> 
> Good luck, I'm sure you'll find the problem.
> 
> Blue


I only clean half the sponge once a month and never clean the 4 gallons of bio balls so I do not see it being uncycled. 2 20% changes a week. I have never had a problem up until now. I guess I will have to wait it out! I am worried about the fish more than anything but he is still being a dickhead and fingerchasing......so I say he is fine!


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## Blue Flame (Jan 16, 2006)

> I only clean half the sponge once a month and never clean the 4 gallons of bio balls so I do not see it being uncycled. 2 20% changes a week. I have never had a problem up until now. I guess I will have to wait it out! I am worried about the fish more than anything but he is still being a dickhead and fingerchasing......so I say he is fine!


Depending on how long the lights are on, it could be an algae bloom.

You should be good then.......weird!


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## cobrafox46 (Jun 2, 2008)

The water does have a greenish tint to it. I guess it could be an algae bloom.


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## Blue Flame (Jan 16, 2006)

Kill the lights for a week then.

LOL......I need to go to bed. I edited out my own post.


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## cobrafox46 (Jun 2, 2008)

I will give it a shot.....Thanks


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## roccov12345 (Sep 26, 2008)

Algae bloom for sure, usually starts off as cloudy water followed by the green tint, leading ultimately to pea soup if not corrected. If you have live plants, you may see some adverse effects from the lights out technique after a week. If you're going to take that route make sure there is NO light entering the tank. Cover it up with black garbage bags if you have to. If you're looking for a quick turn around and you have the cash, buy a UV sterilizer. Will clear it up in two days. I was dealing with the same problem and after 4 weeks I gave up and bought the UV. Best decision!

BTW, I noticed water changes did help in short term but did not help long term. You have to wait out the time period for the nutrtients in the water to balance. Are you fertilizing? There is an excess of some nutrient which the algae is feeding off of. This process will not stop until your plants can regain the power they once had........


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## cobrafox46 (Jun 2, 2008)

The light thing is not going to hurt the plants as I only have hornwort in the tank. No ferts ever. I will look into a UV sterilizer tonight and may order one. Basically this wil not effect the fish correct?


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## roccov12345 (Sep 26, 2008)

cobrafox46 said:


> The light thing is not going to hurt the plants as I only have hornwort in the tank. No ferts ever. I will look into a UV sterilizer tonight and may order one. Basically this wil not effect the fish correct?


If you have the patience then just wait out the "blackout period." If not pick up UV sterilizer that has a pump built in, otherwise you'll have to mate up a pump (powerhead) to get the water flow. No will not effect the fish.....

The other thing to take into consideration is, if it is truly an algae bloom, which if you see any tint of green most likely is, what happened to cause the bloom and how can you control it from happening again? What type of lighting are you using? Did you recently stir up the substrate, leaving the lights on too long, overfeeding, overly dirty filtration, would be some questions to figure out how it started.......

Algae blooms in my eyes are probably one of the longest sustained water clarity issues there is, it is so persistant and annoying that the 125 bucks to clear it up was way worth every penney as opposed to no longer seeing my fish for the next month or however long it takes to balance.

Diatom filters are another way to go but are more costly, only remove the floating algae not kill it like the uv sterilizer, and seem to be a little more hands on. The UV you just plug in and enjoy the fact that you've beat the green bastard !!









If you're going to go that route, you'll have basic decisions as UV bulb wattage and water flow, hence my opinion to buy a sterilizer with a pump and comparing the wattage to the size of your tank.

Something along these lines.....

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod...fm?pcatid=19643


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## cobrafox46 (Jun 2, 2008)

Can I run a UV sterilizer in my sump return line?


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## roccov12345 (Sep 26, 2008)

cobrafox46 said:


> Can I run a UV sterilizer in my sump return line?


I wouldn't see why not as long as the GPH rating of the sterilizer is close to your pumps output and the inlet outlets on the sterilizer are the same size in diamater, or close to it........


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## maknwar (Jul 16, 2007)

Try some seachem purigen in your filter. It makes my tank crystal clear.


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## cobrafox46 (Jun 2, 2008)

roccov12345 said:


> The light thing is not going to hurt the plants as I only have hornwort in the tank. No ferts ever. I will look into a UV sterilizer tonight and may order one. Basically this wil not effect the fish correct?


If you have the patience then just wait out the "blackout period." If not pick up UV sterilizer that has a pump built in, otherwise you'll have to mate up a pump (powerhead) to get the water flow. No will not effect the fish.....

The other thing to take into consideration is, if it is truly an algae bloom, which if you see any tint of green most likely is, what happened to cause the bloom and how can you control it from happening again? What type of lighting are you using? Did you recently stir up the substrate, leaving the lights on too long, overfeeding, overly dirty filtration, would be some questions to figure out how it started.......

Algae blooms in my eyes are probably one of the longest sustained water clarity issues there is, it is so persistant and annoying that the 125 bucks to clear it up was way worth every penney as opposed to no longer seeing my fish for the next month or however long it takes to balance.

Diatom filters are another way to go but are more costly, only remove the floating algae not kill it like the uv sterilizer, and seem to be a little more hands on. The UV you just plug in and enjoy the fact that you've beat the green bastard !!









If you're going to go that route, you'll have basic decisions as UV bulb wattage and water flow, hence my opinion to buy a sterilizer with a pump and comparing the wattage to the size of your tank.

Something along these lines.....

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod...fm?pcatid=19643
[/quote]

I may wait to get the UV sterilizer when I get my 550 done. Will it help balance it out if I add more plants? It has already cleared a bunch since I have had teh lights off today. I can actually see over halfway through it. Thanks


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## roccov12345 (Sep 26, 2008)

cobrafox46 said:


> The light thing is not going to hurt the plants as I only have hornwort in the tank. No ferts ever. I will look into a UV sterilizer tonight and may order one. Basically this wil not effect the fish correct?


If you have the patience then just wait out the "blackout period." If not pick up UV sterilizer that has a pump built in, otherwise you'll have to mate up a pump (powerhead) to get the water flow. No will not effect the fish.....

The other thing to take into consideration is, if it is truly an algae bloom, which if you see any tint of green most likely is, what happened to cause the bloom and how can you control it from happening again? What type of lighting are you using? Did you recently stir up the substrate, leaving the lights on too long, overfeeding, overly dirty filtration, would be some questions to figure out how it started.......

Algae blooms in my eyes are probably one of the longest sustained water clarity issues there is, it is so persistant and annoying that the 125 bucks to clear it up was way worth every penney as opposed to no longer seeing my fish for the next month or however long it takes to balance.

Diatom filters are another way to go but are more costly, only remove the floating algae not kill it like the uv sterilizer, and seem to be a little more hands on. The UV you just plug in and enjoy the fact that you've beat the green bastard !!









If you're going to go that route, you'll have basic decisions as UV bulb wattage and water flow, hence my opinion to buy a sterilizer with a pump and comparing the wattage to the size of your tank.

Something along these lines.....

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod...fm?pcatid=19643
[/quote]

I may wait to get the UV sterilizer when I get my 550 done. Will it help balance it out if I add more plants? It has already cleared a bunch since I have had teh lights off today. I can actually see over halfway through it. Thanks
[/quote]

Oh I didn't know you were working on a 550, lol f the UV sterilizer and get that tank done!! Wait out the "lights out" period....


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## roccov12345 (Sep 26, 2008)

How did you ever make out?


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## cobrafox46 (Jun 2, 2008)

It did not. It was still horrible yesterday and I could notr take it anymore!! I changed all the water out, took the substrate out(I have been wanting to change it to regular sand for a while), rinsed and cleaned the tank out and flushed the sump. I hope that solved it. I made sure to not touch my media and added a little extra from another tank to be safe. It is nice and clear now......but for how long? LOL!


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## roccov12345 (Sep 26, 2008)

cobrafox46 said:


> It did not. It was still horrible yesterday and I could notr take it anymore!! I changed all the water out, took the substrate out(I have been wanting to change it to regular sand for a while), rinsed and cleaned the tank out and flushed the sump. I hope that solved it. I made sure to not touch my media and added a little extra from another tank to be safe. It is nice and clear now......but for how long? LOL!


Persistent SOB!


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## Plowboy (Apr 9, 2008)

Hopefully it works out for you this time. The algae/bacteria blooms can be some maddening sh*t


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## sandman503 (Feb 10, 2009)

mine wasnt a tenth as bad as yours but i used american pharmasudicals algae fix and it cleared up a day later.


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