# cloudy water=\



## xiiutao (Jan 8, 2006)

Recently, I took off the tinfoil from my lights so that all the light shows into my tank. My water has been cloudy white for 2 weeks since I took off the tinfoil. I thought it was high nitrates in my tank, but my nitrate is never over 40ppm(I change my water if I test 20ppm and I test thursday and sunday). I started to change my water 25-35% 2 times a week even if I tested lower then 20ppm nitrate9since the cloudy water has been around) and the water is still cloudy today. Also, I have noticed this white build up on the inside of my tank on the glass. an example of what It looks like is dried water on regular glass but its inside my tank(underwater). I assume it's just slime and I have been wiping it off but it comes back every 2 days. Is this normal for a tank with full lighting? I think it might of always been there I just never noticed it cause the dim lighting. any advice or help will be good thanks =D

I only dose tap water conditioner. Nothing else goes in my tank besides food.;p

Water Parameters
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrite 20

That was today before water change.


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## rchan11 (May 6, 2004)

Has your tank been cycled? Cloudy water is usually bacteria bloom. Use carbon to clear up the cloudiness.


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## xiiutao (Jan 8, 2006)

hehe ya my tank is cycled it;s about 8 months old. hehe I have carbon, but I took it out last night.


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## rchan11 (May 6, 2004)

The carbon is probably old, put a new bag in.


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## xiiutao (Jan 8, 2006)

2months old?


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## rchan11 (May 6, 2004)

xiiutao said:


> 2months old?


Depends on your water quality, the carbon might be spent.


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## boontje (Mar 27, 2005)

you're not having any food leftovers that you missed?
do you regularly clean the substrate?
do you clean the mechanical filter media?


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## Guest (Sep 2, 2006)

I have no idea what that can be.

Sometimes my water is cloudy if the fish eat something messy like earthworms or they tear into a big minnow. Eventually the filter clears this all up.

What kind of filtration system are you using and how large is your aquarium?


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## xiiutao (Jan 8, 2006)

I clean up all left over food that I miss. 
I clean my substrate every week, sometimes twice a week if I do 2 water changes.
I clean my sponge and charcoal/carbon filter once a week.
I have a 55 gallon with a Aquaclear 110 power filter.


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## boontje (Mar 27, 2005)

xiiutao said:


> I clean up all left over food that I miss.
> I clean my substrate every week, sometimes twice a week if I do 2 water changes.
> I clean my sponge and charcoal/carbon filter once a week.
> I have a 55 gallon with a Aquaclear 110 power filter.


you clean the sponge in tank water, right?

I'm not too familiar with those power filters. are you sure it is sufficient (I mean does it have room to hold enough biomedia?)

I would also replace the carbon with biomedia. You don't need carbon (well except if you're trying to remove leftover medication,etc., but not under normal conditions). Maybe the carbon helps against cloudy water, maybe it doesn't. I have no idea, but I'm sure that even if it helps, it's just masking the real problem.

oh and of course don't over feed your fish


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## xiiutao (Jan 8, 2006)

I clean my sponge in a tap water faucet. I'll start doing it in tank water though. =D if that helps.


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## Guest (Sep 3, 2006)

xiiutao said:


> I clean my sponge in a tap water faucet. I'll start doing it in tank water though. =D if that helps.


Well, you don't actually want to clean it IN your tank. That would make a mess.

What you do is put the water your taking out in a bucket and squeeze the sponge out in there. This will help keep the beneficial bacteria alive on your sponge.


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## xiiutao (Jan 8, 2006)

Bullsnake said:


> I clean my sponge in a tap water faucet. I'll start doing it in tank water though. =D if that helps.


Well, you don't actually want to clean it IN your tank. That would make a mess.

What you do is put the water your taking out in a bucket and squeeze the sponge out in there. This will help keep the beneficial bacteria alive on your sponge.
[/quote]

I'll start using tank water in a bucket if it stops my water from beign so cloudy all the time.;p

What do I do about the white slime on my glass? I use to only have to clean it once a week now its every 2 days. Anything I can do beside keep wiping it off?


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## assclown (Dec 12, 2005)

you are doing everything right, but one......your water is hard.

do you per chance have well water? if not, you might want to install
a water filter (in line) with your water supply under your sink.

Case in point, my friend calls me up and complained about the same thing,
cloudy water.....his perams were dead on. he cleaned, water changed, added
chemicals from the advise of a local fish store.......you know the one.....








anyway, i talked to him about his water and told him to take out some of his
slate for decore.

we then checked if he had a water filter under the sink, he did but it was old.
he installed a new filter and he never had this problem again......

BTW........is your tank getting any sunlight from a window too?

the white build up you are seeing is calcium, its normal, but comes
from hard water.......runs rampid here in Pac North


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## xiiutao (Jan 8, 2006)

assclown said:


> you are doing everything right, but one......your water is hard.
> 
> do you per chance have well water? if not, you might want to install
> a water filter (in line) with your water supply under your sink.
> ...


Thanks for the advice I'll look into the filter. There is no sunlight on the tank my window is much higher then the tank. and I have city water, and its hard(i assume because we have a water softener) but that doesn't do anything to the parameters of the water it's still hard(I think) for a fish tank.


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## Guest (Sep 6, 2006)

I don't know about Assclown's hard water theory.

If this was always true, any aquarium with very hard, alkaline water like African cichlid aquariums and saltwater aquariums, would always be cloudy.


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## assclown (Dec 12, 2005)

depends on the make up of the water, where you come from etc.


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