# What is wrong with my tank???????????????



## mfuenffinger (Apr 13, 2012)

need to know whats wrong water cloudy tryed water changes did not work help ????????


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## AfricanLove (Jan 2, 2012)

Bacteria Bloom? Algae Bloom? How old is the tank? What kind of filtration? Is that real algae I see on everything or fake?


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## mfuenffinger (Apr 13, 2012)

everything is fake there is live plants on the right rear. no elge just cloudy water. tank a few mouths old. I did clean the hang on back filter cause of dead plant stuff inside it. the filter is for a 20 to 30 gallon tank.


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## GTZ (Apr 21, 2010)

Cleaned the filter in tank water or tap? The chlorine in tap water may have killed off some bacteria which may result in what's referred to as a bacteria bloom. Keep an eye on water parameters over the next few days. You may want to increase aeration until things return to normal.


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## 13razorbackfan (Sep 28, 2011)

Does the water appear more green or white in terms of cloudiness?


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## mfuenffinger (Apr 13, 2012)

It is very white no green color at all....


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## 13razorbackfan (Sep 28, 2011)

mfuenffinger said:


> It is very white no green color at all....


Have you checked your ammonia today?

This is what I would do:

Don't feed for a few days.
Vacuum the substrate really well.
Don't mess with your filters
Do a 50% water change

Wait 24hrs and test parameters again. Again...don't feed. Allow the bloom to finish on its own and keep checking ammonia and nitrites. Make sure to do water changes if you are getting spikes. if you feed the fish it will only add to the problem.

Also...you need to add more surface agitation. I would drop the water level a inch or so...so that the water from the filter is dropping into the tank. The heterotrophic bacteria will consume A LOT of oxygen both smothering your fish and your nitrifying bacteria.


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## Pizzle (May 24, 2011)

Seems like good advice.


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## mfuenffinger (Apr 13, 2012)

still not working it is the same put air stones in a did a 50% water change and all tests are in range


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## 13razorbackfan (Sep 28, 2011)

mfuenffinger said:


> still not working it is the same put air stones in a did a 50% water change and all tests are in range


Turn off lights for a few days and see what happens. What kind of lights are those and what is their wattage and color temp of the bulbs?

A bloom should only last as long as the nutrients are there to feed them. If you clean the gravel, stop feeding and do a water change then the bloom should die off unless you have another problem.


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## mfuenffinger (Apr 13, 2012)

they are t5 10,000 k daylight bulbs.


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## 13razorbackfan (Sep 28, 2011)

mfuenffinger said:


> they are t5 10,000 k daylight bulbs.


How long do you leave the lights on for? Also....is the tank at any point in the day exposed to sunlight?


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## mfuenffinger (Apr 13, 2012)

how long should I leave the lights on and I had two bulbs but took one out. and I do think it is alge I took water out and it had a greenish tint to it..how to get algae out???


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## rp-photo (Sep 22, 2011)

heres a random idea, try a internal uv sterilizer ?

looks like a Bacteria or Alge Bloom


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## 13razorbackfan (Sep 28, 2011)

mfuenffinger said:


> how long should I leave the lights on and I had two bulbs but took one out. and I do think it is alge I took water out and it had a greenish tint to it..how to get algae out???


You need to reduce the nutrients the algae are feeding off of mainly nitrates and phosphates. Reduce feedings, weekly water changes and gravel vacuuming, lights on for around 8hrs a day, no direct sunlight, UV sterilizer, etc...

It could be the lighting either bad bulbs or just too much. How many watts are those bulbs? Is it a dual t5HO light? How long again are they on for? Is the tank at anytime exposed to direct sunlight?


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## Bertz (Dec 7, 2011)

I would take out all decor and do a major water change, Then let the tank run for a few days without the decor, Try not to add any chemicals in there to rid the cloudyness.
Also checkout your decor some plastic ships have screws in the bottom of them they can rust and cause problems in smaller tanks.

If the tank doesn't clear up after a few days without the decor then its possible the colored gravel causing the issue.
From my own exp., I stay away from colored gravel and plastic toys, The plants should be fine.


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## mfuenffinger (Apr 13, 2012)

good news it cleared up dropped in and algae tablet it is fine now. moved palnt to cichlid tank well let just say they and a veggi treat lol


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