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Retirement and forum shutdown (17 Jan 2022)

Hi,

John Howell who has managed the forum for years is getting on and wishes to retire from the role of managing it.
Over the years, he has managed the forum through good days and bad days and he has always been fair.
He has managed to bring his passion for fish keeping to the forum and keep it going for so long.

I wish to thank John for his hard work in keeping the forum going.

With John wishing to "retire" from the role of managing the forum and the forum receiving very little traffic, I think we must agree that forum has come to a natural conclusion and it's time to put it to rest.

I am proposing that the forum be made read-only from March 2022 onwards and that no new users or content be created. The website is still registered for several more years, so the content will still be accessible but no new topics or replies will be allowed.

If there is interest from the ITFS or other fish keeping clubs, we may redirect traffic to them or to a Facebook group but will not actively manage it.

I'd like to thank everyone over the years who helped with forum, posted a reply, started a new topic, ask a question and helped a newbie in fish keeping. And thank you to the sponsors who helped us along the away. Hopefully it made the hobby stronger.

I'd especially like to thank John Howell and Valerie Rousseau for all of their contributions, without them the forum would have never been has successful.

Thank you
Darragh Sherwin

Cloudy water in 3 year old set up

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01 Mar 2011 23:12 #1 by Fran (Fran Crowe)
Hi my name is fran and i am new to the site. I am hoping that someone can help with a problem of cloudy water in my tank. I have been keeping fish for 3 years now (community tank) and about 3-4 weeks ago decided to give the tank a good cleaning. However i think i went too far and may have removed too much good bacteria and as a result the water has been cloudy/milky since despite having added extra stress zyme,acu clear, and filter wool to try to overcome the problem + a 40% water change, but to no avail. i have tested the water myself and all seems good and i also had it tested in my suppliers who verified my results.I thought it would settle by now but looking at it tonight it doesnt seem to be improving at all. THe fish all look fine and are behaving normally so im wondering is there anythig else i can do as the tank looks awful.Sorry for being so winded on my first post,i would be grateful for any advice ,thanks,Fran.

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02 Mar 2011 00:35 #2 by stretnik (stretnik)
Replied by stretnik (stretnik) on topic Re: Cloudy water in 3 year old set up
Three things can help and welcome to the Forum btw, one is poly filter, it's expensive but I swear by it, second is safe start, it eats up nitrates while your tank gets back to normal and third is Easy Life Fluid Filter Medium.

Kev.

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02 Mar 2011 09:47 #3 by Fran (Fran Crowe)
Thanks for the reply Stretnik,will follow your advice and see how i get on. I need to get this sorted because the tank looks dreadfull at the minute and its been like that for the past few weeks.

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02 Mar 2011 11:08 #4 by JohnH (John)
Welcome to the Forum Fran.
From your description you have summed up the situation pretty well.
In doing your 'Spring clean' you probably decimated, if not eradicated, your filter bacteria.
Subsequent large (40%) water changes haven't helped either.
Stretnik's suggestions are worth following, but really what you need is a period of stability for the bacteria to become re-established.
My suggestion, along with Kev's would be to not feed your Fish, well perhaps the tiniest little 'pinch' every few days - they'll do fine without daily food for well over a fortnight - and keep up water changes but no more than 10% every two to three days.
This should soon see your water back to crystal clear condition.
Good luck, let us know how it goes.
Johh

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N. Tipp

We're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl - year after year.


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It's a long way to Tipperary.

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02 Mar 2011 12:16 #5 by Fishowner (Gavin fishowner)
Nothing to add to the lads suggestions but to cut back the size of the water changes.
Keep an eye on the water parameters also over the next week or so.

Gavin

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02 Mar 2011 12:59 #6 by dar (darren curry)
i personally wouldn't go buying anything for that, although kevs input is bang on and will clear it up pronto, i'd stick with small water changes and smaller feeds (that's just because the dust in my wallet aggravates my allergies). "wat can i add? eh let one think for a brief spell" keep your filter cleaning schedule away from your water changes, do it once a month mid week between changes

welcome to le forum

darren (but friends call me henry)

Check out the angling section, it is fantastic

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02 Mar 2011 18:51 #7 by Fran (Fran Crowe)
Lads thanks very much for the friendly advice,i've bought some "safe start" so i will procede with caution and let you know how i get on.

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02 Mar 2011 18:53 #8 by andrewo (andrew)
welcome to the forum and hope all goes well for you there mate

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02 Mar 2011 19:13 #9 by stretnik (stretnik)
Replied by stretnik (stretnik) on topic Re: Cloudy water in 3 year old set up
Don't worry if some of the Fish appear to be eating the suspended granules, they are harmless and will cause no ill effects.

Kev.

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02 Mar 2011 23:24 #10 by bull (keith madden)
Welcome to the forum mate hope you get your cloudy water sorted soon.
Bull

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02 Mar 2011 23:38 #11 by A1_aquarist (Aidan Dalton.)
Hi,Don't mix too many products at once Fran,can be dangerous for fish,accu clear turns water cloudy at first,but clears in about 2 hours. Did you add any new decor?(in case its dissolving into water)Is ur filter operating properly? Soak filter sponge in "new start" bacterial culture,will speed up bacteria population in filter. Good luck.

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03 Mar 2011 00:46 #12 by stretnik (stretnik)
Replied by stretnik (stretnik) on topic Re: Cloudy water in 3 year old set up
Don't worry Fran, it's exactly as Johnh said, you inadvertently reduced your beneficial Bacteria to levels below those that are necessary to consume your Fishes waste, don't panic, as Dar said, small water changes that are conditioned and addition of more beneficial Bacteria. If you know anyone with a problem free , established setup, you could scrounge some filtrate from their Filters and add directly to your Aquarium, this would contain many times the Bacteria found in bottles of cycle etc in your LFS. It will cause a brown residue to coat everything in the Tank but it will be gone within one or two days.

If there are no hobbyists near you and you live close to Glasnevin, I'll happily give you some.

Kev.

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03 Mar 2011 21:26 #13 by Fran (Fran Crowe)
Thanks for the many welcome guys, I have started with the small water changes and the easy start, so i'll see how it goes over the next day or so.

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03 Mar 2011 22:22 #14 by Andrew (Andrew Taaffe)
I am in a similar situation too at the moment Fran :crazy:
Though my water is looking green when I siphoned it into a clear c

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03 Mar 2011 22:25 #15 by Andrew (Andrew Taaffe)
I am in a similar situation too at the moment Fran :crazy:
Though my water is looking green when I siphoned it into a clear container and cloudy when I peer into the tank from above.
I guess I also squeezed my sponges too much when doing a water change recently though the green hue is a bit mystifying - any opinion guys?
Andrew

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03 Mar 2011 23:07 #16 by stretnik (stretnik)
Replied by stretnik (stretnik) on topic Re: Cloudy water in 3 year old set up
If it's definitely Green I would say it's an algal bloom due to over abundant nitrates in the Water, it's when you get your water perameters right, a balance of Light, nitrates and good Bacteria that Algae is kept in check, when these get out of balance , Algae growth or appearance increases due to the fact there is more food for it to consume, small water changes help to remove the excess while the Filter works on growing more de-nitrifying bacteria.

Kev.

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03 Mar 2011 23:12 #17 by Fishowner (Gavin fishowner)
Reduce the lightening perhaps, the increased daylight hours at present may be contributing. Is it in a positon near the window ? Just a wild guess Andrew, or else Im reading the question wrong but it sounds like it may be an algae issue and the water is going green due to the algae. Cut the lights for a few days and see how the water goes. If its near a window then you will need to move your tank or eliminate the sunlight hitting the tank.

Do either of these apply to your tank Andrew? What hours have you got the lights on at present?

Gavin

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03 Mar 2011 23:38 #18 by Andrew (Andrew Taaffe)
Lights are on from 12.30 to 10.30 and the tank is situated beside a window, though the side that can get some sunlight is covered and the filter box occupies the corner. The glass doesn't or isn't covered in any green algae and it's been in the sane spot for almost 3 years.
I'll switch the lights off, take a squeeze from the filter sponges in a clean and clear larger tank after a small water change tonight. Thanks guys - will update in a few days

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04 Mar 2011 00:10 #19 by A1_aquarist (Aidan Dalton.)
Hi Andrew. I found JBL filter boost a brill product for eliminating algae,if ya wanna try it,it can be placed in filter or sprinkled over gravel. Cheers. :)

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04 Mar 2011 00:39 - 04 Mar 2011 00:42 #20 by Andrew (Andrew Taaffe)
Nice one A1
I've just finished doing a small water change with a squeeze from another tanks sponge for good measure. The tank as stretnik says above looks mucky but that should clear in a day or two. For the moment my timer is turned off for the lights so here's hoping mother nature takes care of it.
BTW tests are normal , nothing off the scale
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Last edit: 04 Mar 2011 00:42 by Andrew (Andrew Taaffe).

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16 Mar 2011 21:51 #21 by Fran (Fran Crowe)
Just want to say a big thank you for all suggestions. I tried the easy start but it didnt really make much difference,i also did small water changes but still no luck. I did however get my hands on a uv emitting/pump and lo and behold it seems to be working. Has anyone else used this type of pump before?

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16 Mar 2011 21:57 #22 by stretnik (stretnik)
Replied by stretnik (stretnik) on topic Re: Cloudy water in 3 year old set up
Looks like it was a Bacterial bloom and the UV sorted it, yes, uv Pump/Filters are really good where Blooms of Bacteria are concerned and particularly if the flow rate matches the Tank size as the success depends on how slowly the water passes the UV unit. These units are only good as long as your Bulb is renewed when necessary.

This reply, both yours and mine will no doubt generate a lot of theories on their use but if it worked in your situation, then, GREAT !!.

Kev.

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