hi again ..as you know i am new to all this and have just set up a 190ltr tank .. i have spent a lot of money this week on water treatments ..some for helping the filter .some for putting in bacteria ..but i cant seem to get the water anyway clear..my ph is just over 6 and allthe other level's look to be ok ..my fish seem happy ..well the ones i get a peep at when they come up to the glass .. i am only feeding them once a day ..just a tiny amount and i removed about 12 litres night before last and replaced with water treated with easylife ? i have amonia remover and carbon in my filter aswell as polishing pads and bioball thingy's ..i dont know what to do ..do i just leave it for a while or should i replace more of the water ? i am using the 6 in 1 test strips at the moment but if i can afford it ..this weekend i will buy the full testing kit ..what are the most important things to watch out for regarding water levels ..i am a worrier at the best of times ..just dont want to loss my fish due to ignorance ..thanks guys

Hi Suki,

It sounds like a bacterial boom in the tank. How long has your tank been up and running? assuming the tank has cycled completly, you just need to keep an eye on your nitrate, nitrite and ammona levels.

you can get a bacterial boom in your tank, causing it to go very cloudy if you add a lot of new fish at the same time, or if the filters are not mature enough to handle the load (ammount of fish in the tank). hope this is of some help to you.

-Brian

Twelve litres is perhaps not enough of a water change for a 190 ltr tank, but if your fish seem OK then something isn't right regardless of that.
A couple of questions:
Did you thoroughly wash your substrate before putting it into the tank?
Are you introducing replacement water gently - ie into something like a clean cup sitting in a saucer?
The filter medium and carbon should remove whatever is in suspension.
When you say you are only feeding a small amount daily, is this a very small amount - I know I harp on about this, but could it be possible that you aren't the only one feeding the fish? (I ask because, as I've said before, this has happened to me in the past - and it wasn't just one 'surreptitious person' doing it, either!).

I personally was never a fan of the 'dip strip' tests, although I'm assured they can give a good idea of how the water is...if you can afford it, get a proper kit, they are a good investment over time. But, if your fish seem fine then it might be worth doing a 20% water change daily, or as often as is convenient - but always a larger percentage than now.
I'm a bit confused as Easylife is supposed to clear cloudy water - any other suggestions, lads?

I hope this sorts itself out quickly for you.

John

i have this tank set up just over a week but squeezed out a dirty filter from my smaller tank to add and speed up the process..is this cloudiness good or bad ? does it mean things are well ? and how long would i expect it to last for ?there are 6 small tetra ..2 swoard tails ..6 danio's and 4 rainbow fish in there ..i have about another 10 small fish in my small tank that i will transfer when i get the new tank under control ..should i do small water changes daily to get rid of the coudiness ? thankyou for the help.

i thought removing a lot of water would mean that your taking away the bacteria needed ? i am sure no one else has been feeding my fish but i have told them here just now that they are not to do it !! i will buy the test kit this week and am also thinking of trying the organic aqua ..if i can get some locally ..i will change 25 litres tonight when i get back from shopping and get the rascels to bed ..thanks guys ..ber ..just a question ..could it be a faulty filter ? or maybe something that was in the filter ..as i bought it second had ? i washed the sand and gravel very well yes ..

It its only set up a week, i personally would not have even consided putting any fish into the tank! i would have left the tank for a minimum of 3, or 4 weeks before starting to introduce the fish, even with seeding the new filter with an old one. i would think that the filter is having a hard time handling the ammount of fish in the tank, as it is so new. i would say to do some big water changes (at least 1/4 of the complete tank volume) every 2-3 days for the next week or two.

As john said, invest in a propper test kit, and monitor the levels very closely. although the filter medium and carbon will remove anything in suspension, they will not clear a bacterial boom in the tank instantly. This will clear as the filter matures, and is able to cope with the load on it. for now, i would suggest plenty more water changes!

-Brian

I think, as Brian has told you, you may have a bacterial bloom - I hadn't grasped that the tank was only set up for a week.
Could you move your fish over to your existing tank for a couple of weeks until the water cycles properly? Using mulm from an existing filter will have helped the process, but wouldn't turn it into an overnight job.

Water cycling can be a real pain, but I don't think there are any short cuts around it (step up OA fans).

Your concern for the well-being of your fish is heartening though. My advice would be to get as many of the fish from your new tank into your other one, maybe leaving the Danios to help the process - and keep up the water changes.
Oh, the answer to that question is that changing 20% of the water, even daily, will not appreciably slow down the production of bacteria in your filter...just as long as you are treating the replacement water with a dechlorinator.

John

Hi Suki,

i'm also new to this hobby too but must say i'm falling in love more each day with it.
I also had what your describing after a few weeks setting up my tank.
I was using aquasafe and this was happening and now i have switched over to a product called PRIME its abit smeely once you open it but thats ok.
I did 25% water changes in my case 50l treating the replacement water with this prime and bringing it to same temp as tank and using an airstone for airation every second/third day and after 2/3 changes it was ok.
Hope you find this helpful check out my earlier post Bacteria bloom its in begingers section and have a read through it as i got some great advice here.
Martin

JohnH wrote:

I'm a bit confused as Easylife is supposed to clear cloudy water - any other suggestions, lads?

Easylife lfm can cloud the water for a day or so if you add the recommended monthly dose to a tank.
If it is used as a dechlorinator you would be using less and it would cloud the water slightly but not for long.
Double check the instructions so you know if this product is causing the cloudiness.

There you go then - your Easylife might just be the cause of the cloudiness, although if you are only changing - and treating - a little over 8% of your total water then perhaps not...but you never know.
John

cut out feeding while the water is cloudy. this will reduce the bio load and the fish will be fine without food for a few days.
also as john mentions gravel can cause cloudiness. i added gravel (cleaned but not cleaned enough) to an established tank recently and it looked like milk for a few days.