# HELP!!!! Aquarium water suddenly cloudy



## HeatherO1229 (Jul 16, 2014)

I have a 120 gal. show tank, which I have two chocolate Oscars, two white Oscars and two Parrot fish. I had a small canister filter and an under gravel filter and had no problems with the water clarity until I changed the media in the canister approx. 1 month ago. Convinced that my canister filter had somehow bit the dust, I purchased a larger one, that is supposed to accommodate a tank of my size, however, it has not eliminated the cloudy water. I have since done a complete water change and within two days, the cloudy water has returned. All test results, ph, ammonia, nitrates, etc. are perfect. I am stumped. Any suggestions? :fish:


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## Iggy Newcastle (May 15, 2012)

Welcome to the forum Heather.

What are your exact readings for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate? What kind of test kit are you using?

When you changed media, did you save any sponges /pads from the filter?


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## HeatherO1229 (Jul 16, 2014)

my ph is at 7.4 0 nitrates and 0 ammonia. I am using an Aquarium Pharmaceuticals brand fresh water master test kit. I also forgot to mention that I have two plecos that are around 10" long, all four oscars are at 4" (all added at the same time) and the parrot fish pair was added last and are at 2" long. I installed brand new pads when I changed canisters and the media contained within the chambers are: bottom: 2 course pads and 2 fine pads, chamber 2: 5 "filstars" that were included with the filter, a separation plate and 15 bio-balls and chamber 3 is a bio-chem bag that was included with the filter separation plate and then a extra fine filter pad. All of the pads were included with the filter, with the exception of two that I bought at the same time as the canister filter.


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

Zero nitrates is almost always a sign that the tank isn't cycled completely. How long has this tank been set up?


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## HeatherO1229 (Jul 16, 2014)

I did a full water change about seven days ago.


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

Did you transfer any of the media to the new filter or are you also still running the old filter at the same time?


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## sumthinfishy (Jan 26, 2013)

mini cycle due tolack of bio from changing media


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## HeatherO1229 (Jul 16, 2014)

no, I am not running any of the old media, I will do a mini cycle, thank you for the input. Any more will be greatly appreciated....this cloudy water has become a huge irritant....


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## Cichlidman14 (Jul 17, 2013)

It might be due to that the tank is way overstocked. The oscars alone are to much.


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## HeatherO1229 (Jul 16, 2014)

that is overstocked for a 120 gal tank?


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## Iggy Newcastle (May 15, 2012)

You're definitely experiencing a bacterial bloom as the tank cycles. Perform daily water changes, and be sure to treat the entire tank volume with a product like Seachem Prime(detoxify ammonia).

What are the tank dimensions?


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## HeatherO1229 (Jul 16, 2014)

48 X 32 X 18


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## Iggy Newcastle (May 15, 2012)

32 high or wide?


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## sumthinfishy (Jan 26, 2013)

its high. the 120s are usually 48x24x24 or 48x18x30 i believe


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## MonteSS (Dec 8, 2008)

As said it is not cycled. Dont touch the media and do a 25% water change every 2 days till you show some nitrates.


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## HeatherO1229 (Jul 16, 2014)

The person that I bought it from told me that the tank was hand made and it measures out to be different than the mass produced tanks and it holds 120 gal. To answer your question, it is high.


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## Iggy Newcastle (May 15, 2012)

That is a tall tank! My hobbit arms would never reach the bottom...

Once the oscars start putting on size, which is going to happen fast, you'll find that your tank only really has room for one. If two of them pair off, the remainder will have nowhere to hide from their aggression. I'd suggest keeping the nicest one, or maybe see if you could keep a pair. The large plecos will produce a lot of waste and you'd be better off with one, especially during this tricky time cycling the tank.

Also, having filtration that can deal with these messy fish will be key. I'd be looking to turn the total volume of water over at least 5 times an hour, but preferably more. There are 2 sticky articles at the top of this forum about Oscars, and worth the read.


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