# Cloudy water help! (pics included)



## bmweiler09 (Nov 17, 2009)

Within the last couple days my water has become very cloudy. It looks kind of milky. I did a 40% water change last night and it helped for a little while but today it was back to looking cloudy.

The tank has been up for about a month and a half, it was cycled with the rocks and filters from an established tank. current inhabitants are 13 dems and 5 red zebras.

I have a couple thoughts, bacteria bloom? not sure why because the tank is cycled and the ammonia has always read zero.

Algae bloom? as you can see my tank is covered in algae, mostly due to my lighting (4 CFL bulbs). could it be the algae has just gotten out of control? I bought 2 plecos yesterday to take care of that.

All the fish seem to be doing fine so Im not sure what it is or what to do.

Any other thoughts???

Heres a couple pics:


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## bmweiler09 (Nov 17, 2009)

Forgot to mention I have a emperor 280 with filter floss in it and an aqua-tech 30-60 on the tank.


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## Malawiman999 (Feb 2, 2010)

Looks like a algae bloom to me. Cutting back on feeding and light might help. I would recommend researching and purchasing a UV sterilizer. Within 3-5 days... your water would be crystal clear. :thumb:

I had the same problem a couple months back. Excess phosphate in my tap water was feeding the algae. Water changes were adding to the problem and making it worse. I bought a cheap submersible uv sterilizer for my 120 and it cleared it up in 3 days. (back right corner of my tank)

It did the trick but I would reccomend spending the extra money for a nicer in line uv sterilizer. I am going to swap mine out soon for a in line and just run it once and a while.


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## Malawiman999 (Feb 2, 2010)

Looks like a algae bloom to me. Cutting back on feeding and light might help. I would recommend researching and purchasing a UV sterilizer. Within 3-5 days... your water would be crystal clear. :thumb:

I had the same problem a couple months back. Excess phosphate in my tap water was feeding the algae. Water changes were adding to the problem and making it worse. I bought a cheap submersible uv sterilizer for my 120 and it cleared it up in 3 days. (back right corner of my tank)

It did the trick but I would reccomend spending the extra money for a nicer in line uv sterilizer. I am going to swap mine out soon for a in line and just run it once and a while.


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## bmweiler09 (Nov 17, 2009)

hmm so thats what a uv sterilizer does :wink: 
Ill definitely look into it if it doesn't clear up soon. The lights are on about 12 hours a day so I could lower that.


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## LSBoost (Jan 21, 2010)

12 hours is way too much light. Only turn them on to view the fish for now.


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## mlancaster (Jul 24, 2009)

My friend had a really bad algae bloom and he actually covered his tank with a sheet for about half a week i think, it may have been a full week, cleared it up. I am not sure the effects this may have on your fish, his RD seemed fine, but i would at least not turn on the lights until it is cleared up.

Thanks,
Matt


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## smellsfishy1 (May 29, 2008)

I can't imagine instantly cycling a tank with just decor.
Are you sure that you have a completely cycled tank?(0 ammonia, 0 nitrite)
It just doesn't seem possible to have a full stock list by seeding this way.

I would do a 50% water change every other day until it is gone.
Also, cut back the lighting and feeding.
Who knows, they may start to eat the algae. :thumb:


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## bmweiler09 (Nov 17, 2009)

> My friend had a really bad algae bloom and he actually covered his tank with a sheet for about half a week i think, it may have been a full week, cleared it up. I am not sure the effects this may have on your fish, his RD seemed fine, but i would at least not turn on the lights until it is cleared up.
> 
> Thanks,
> Matt


Im not sure what you mean by this. he draped a sheet over the top of his tank? How exactly did that effect it? also whats RD?



> I can't imagine instantly cycling a tank with just decor.
> Are you sure that you have a completely cycled tank?(0 ammonia, 0 nitrite)
> It just doesn't seem possible to have a full stock list by seeding this way.
> 
> ...


How could a tank not be cycled if all the bacteria from an established (cycled) tank has been brought over?

yes, ammonia and nitrites are at 0.

If you read my tank profile you'll see all the fish weren't added at one time. started with the same amount of fish I had in my old tank, then gradually added more so the bacteria was able to keep up.

none of the food makes it to the bottom, so I dont think its that.

I think I'll keep changing the water like you suggested, seems to be the only thing that clears it up.


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## morgan123 (Feb 25, 2010)

uv sterilizer seems very useful product. I have seen it's effect in the last posts. It really works.


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## bmweiler09 (Nov 17, 2009)

My tank is starting to get much worse now.. I cant even see to the middle of the tank from the side. Im starting to get concerned. Does everyone still think this is an algae bloom? I left the lights off all day and did a 50% water change last night. Is this harmful to the fish???


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## mlancaster (Jul 24, 2009)

bmweiler09Im not sure what you mean by this. he draped a sheet over the top of his tank? How exactly did that effect it? also whats RD?[/quote said:


> My friend's tank was in a place where it recieved natural light, So he threw a large sheet over the entire tank to black out the natural light and kill the algea bloom. The fish in the tank was a Red Devil ("RD").
> 
> I am not postive it is an algea bloom going on in your tank, when it happend to my friends there was a grean hue to the cloudiness, Yours looks white to me. Do you see any sort of green hue?
> 
> ...


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## bmweiler09 (Nov 17, 2009)

I see what you are saying now but my tank does not receive hardly any natural light. I understand that water changes will not harm the fish. What I was really concerned about is if this unknown cloudiness will harm the fish.

I took a sample of the water to the LFS and he said everything looks great but he doesnt have a test for phosphate which could be the problem. but then he told me that changing 25% of the water a week was too much because the water is "too clean" which obviously isnt true, so I dont know what to beleive.

The cloudiness doesnt really have any green tint to it it is mostly white. could phosphate really be an issue?


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## bmweiler09 (Nov 17, 2009)

I see what you are saying now but my tank does not receive hardly any natural light. I understand that water changes will not harm the fish. What I was really concerned about is if this unknown cloudiness will harm the fish.

I took a sample of the water to the LFS and he said everything looks great but he doesnt have a test for phosphate which could be the problem. but then he told me that changing 25% of the water a week was too much because the water is "too clean" which obviously isnt true, so I dont know what to beleive.

The cloudiness doesnt really have any green tint to it it is mostly white. could phosphate really be an issue?


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## mlancaster (Jul 24, 2009)

Hi *bmweiler09*,

Sorry I miss understood the question, I am not sure if your cloudy water is harmful to your fish (keep and eye on them for any signs of heavy breathing, stress, or inflammation of the gills)... Yes it sounds like phosphate could be the issue from what i have read, I do not have experience but have read that water changes can increase the problem as the phosphate is likely coming out of your tap. I am sure others have had this problem, search the forums and see if you can find some way to deal with it. In the mean time you should get a phosphate test kit and test your tank water and your tap water (pre and post conditioning after letting it sit for a little while). Again wish i could be of more help.

Thanks,
Matt


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## Malawiman999 (Feb 2, 2010)

The fish are fine... it is a algae bloom and will not harm your fish.

I guarantee a uv sterilizer would take care of your problem in 3-5 days. I have seen and dealt with the same problem you are going through. You most likely have phosphate in you your tap water. Water changes are just adding to the problem.

Trust me... uv sterilizer will fix the problem. :thumb:


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## KaiserSousay (Nov 2, 2008)

*my water has become very cloudy. It looks kind of milky.*

I agree with the bloom part, but think it to be bacterial.
You have an imbalance between load and ability of existing bacteria to process it. Excess food prompted an explosion of new bacteria to consume it.
The main Ã¢â‚¬Å"clueÃ¢â‚¬Â


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## bmweiler09 (Nov 17, 2009)

Yeah a UV sterilizer is a little out of my price range right now, especially if there are other ways to fix the problem. The bloom is definitely white not green, so I agree that it is some sort of bacteria bloom. the only thing confusing me is that the more I change the water the worse it seems to get. Im keeping the lights of except maybe a couple hours a day now and I've cut back on feeding.


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## KaiserSousay (Nov 2, 2008)

Just a thought,
What do you use as a dechlorinator?


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## Cichlidude (Feb 7, 2010)

bmweiler09 said:


> Yeah a UV sterilizer is a little out of my price range right now, especially if there are other ways to fix the problem. The bloom is definitely white not green, so I agree that it is some sort of bacteria bloom. the only thing confusing me is that the more I change the water the worse it seems to get. Im keeping the lights of except maybe a couple hours a day now and I've cut back on feeding.


Just though I would let you know, you can get a 9W UV sterilizer for only about $32 on eBay.


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## bmweiler09 (Nov 17, 2009)

> Just a thought,
> What do you use as a dechlorinator?


I use prime.



> Just though I would let you know, you can get a 9W UV sterilizer for only about $32 on eBay.


that's not bad, but I would still rather wait it out if its not harmful to the fish. What about clarifying chemicals? Would they help?


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## Cichlidude (Feb 7, 2010)

> Just though I would let you know, you can get a 9W UV sterilizer for only about $32 on eBay.


that's not bad, but I would still rather wait it out if its not harmful to the fish. What about clarifying chemicals? Would they help?[/quote]

I would rather use a UV light then chemicals any day.


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## Dj823cichild (Mar 30, 2009)

Just a thought bmweiler. When you are doing your water changes are you rinsing your filter pads or sponges in the water you removed from your tank? I had this same issue the other day with cloudy water and that's what I did. My water was crystal clear in 2 days. I hope this may help you and your problem gets better! Good luck.


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## bmweiler09 (Nov 17, 2009)

I changed some of my water tonight and used a 5 gallon bucket along with the python to speed up the process. When I got the water in the bucket, it looked MUCH greener than it does in the tank. Maybe it is an algae bloom? What do you guys think?

heres a pic:


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## Dj823cichild (Mar 30, 2009)

Wow from that more like algae BOOM! Man that water is green scrub off those rocks brotha asap!


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## bmweiler09 (Nov 17, 2009)

I put two plecos in a couple of days ago, almost all the algae is gone already. Should I keep changing the water and wait it out?


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## bmweiler09 (Nov 17, 2009)

Anyone? Is this a harmful level of algae in the water?


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## smellsfishy1 (May 29, 2008)

It isn't harmful but is unsightly.
Water changes will help clear it up for sure but you have to figure out how you will keep the lighting down.
It will come back quickly if you can't find a way to prevent it.


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## bmweiler09 (Nov 17, 2009)

I plan on cutting the lighting down to 10 hours once this goes away.. if thats still too much Ill go down to 8.
Will the plecos help with the algae blooms?


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## smellsfishy1 (May 29, 2008)

No, the algae is in the water column.
Water changes will do the trick.
I would do 1/3 to 1/2 w/c's daily or every other day.

If you don't have plants, 10 hours is too much, 8 hours is too much in my opinion.
I wouldn't leave the lights on than more than a couple of hours.
They just don't need lighting like that.


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## bmweiler09 (Nov 17, 2009)

*** been doing wc's (40-50%) the last couple days and it hasn't really been helping. it looks better at first, then the next day its back to cloudy.

I know the algae is in the water column, but if the plecos have almost completely removed the attached algae from the rocks and glass do you think it would help?

I understand they dont _need_ the light, but if I can control the algae is there a problem with 8-10 hours?


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## Dj823cichild (Mar 30, 2009)

I may have missed it but are you rinsing your sponges and filter pads during these water changes?


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## bmweiler09 (Nov 17, 2009)

> I may have missed it but are you rinsing your sponges and filter pads during these water changes?


sorry I forgot to reply to that.

I dont clean the pads every time I change the water. I rinse the pads usually about once a month and change the filter floss every couple weeks.


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## Dj823cichild (Mar 30, 2009)

There's your problem bro. Think about it, all the bad stuff your filters pick up is going in the pads hence all the algae build up I bet if you rinse them in the changed water from your tank they will be green as anything. I had this problem when I changed my sand and the tank was really cloudy. I took out my sponges from my AC and they were brown and saturated from the sand I rinsed them everytime I did a water change and my water is crystal clear now!


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## KaiserSousay (Nov 2, 2008)

Your answers to all the normal questions seem to be, well, normal..
And you still have unexplainable bacterial activity keeping your water from going crystal clear, the next step would be a UV unit, if it were my tank.
I had the same happen to me. Went over all my procedures and could not find where I was causing any disruption in the system, still don`t know what it was.
Found a really good buy on a UV. Set it up and 24-48 hours later, my water sparkled.
Kept it running for a while and just to see what would happen, removed it.
Guess what, the water stayed clear.
Can`t explain it, it just worked.


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## bmweiler09 (Nov 17, 2009)

Well..
I caved in to chemical additives.
I saw a $2 bottle of API algaefix and couldn't resist.

I read a bunch of reviews that said it didnt harm the fish or plants and that it worked immediately.
I used a half dose last night and this morning its crystal clear!

I think I've pinpointed the bloom to the fact that I had 4 15W CFL bulbs running 12 hours a day. With 18 fish the algae started growing really quick on the rocks and I liked the look of it, but I guess it just got out of control.

I'll continue to search for a inexpensive UV sterilizer for when this happens again.

Thanks everyone!


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## bmweiler09 (Nov 17, 2009)

Heres a pic from this morning:










should I be adding algae wafers for the plecos since almost all the algae is gone?


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## Dj823cichild (Mar 30, 2009)

Wow big difference!


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## Front keeper (Feb 28, 2010)

wow that is good fairplay, I think I will look to see if API do one for bacteria blooms, my tank is the same as in your pics (milky) I also didn't want to go down the chemical route but when it's been milky for about 2 months and nothing else has worked, I gotta try it. Although I didn't know that a UV would help so will get one of those aswell to help in the future.


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## ian6216 (Feb 19, 2010)

i had this problem with a new tank and it was nitrite and amonia....tried to treat any and all ways i could.i had to take all the fish out clean tank clean the gravel and sand too much.lol.and then let it cycle again for almost a month before putting them back...i was told not enough filtration and or oxygen too...im goin thru a similar problem now with a 35 with 2 julies.idk if its cloudy cause there almost no gravel or too much light..*** changed and checked the water every other day and still murky water :x


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## ian6216 (Feb 19, 2010)

i had this problem with a new tank and it was nitrite and amonia....tried to treat any and all ways i could.i had to take all the fish out clean tank clean the gravel and sand too much.lol.and then let it cycle again for almost a month before putting them back...i was told not enough filtration and or oxygen too...im goin thru a similar problem now with a 35 with 2 julies.idk if its cloudy cause there almost no gravel or too much light..*** changed and checked the water every other day and still murky water :x


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## Front keeper (Feb 28, 2010)

Nightmare ian mate,

I dont have any sign of ammonia or nitrite in my tank and haven't since cycling it, I have now decided stop feeding my fish for at least 3 days then only feed small amounts everyday till it is under control and if this dont work UV's seem to be the next step. I have however thought of buying two internals with built in uv's, this way I wont have to cut my pipes on the externals and possibly effect the bacteria in my current filters.


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## JShelby (Oct 7, 2006)

We just had the same problem. It all started with an alge bloom that killed all of or 3 week old baby jewels. We cleared that up and the water was really hazy. We decided to completley redo the tank and after cycling the tank and adding fish it went cloudy again so we got something called accu-clear made by API. We added it to the water and in a matter of hours everything was crystal clear. So far its been 2 days and everything looks great.


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## Front keeper (Feb 28, 2010)

cheers shelby I will have a look for that.


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## ian6216 (Feb 19, 2010)

but on my 40 gal i have the same but worse problem now i did a 95% change . put on an OTB filter for extra and still murky milky water..theres a foam on top of my water that i can pick up like a snowball..i just started changing the water everyday my ammonia was 8.0 or higher..i tried amo lock and vacuming gravel/water change and filter change.i tried leaving it go.adding circulation taking away circulation.adding fish taking away fish.lol. idk whats up ( im about to go change the water again now.. (


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