# Water cloudy........



## ASTYLIN (Feb 24, 2010)

Ok so we did our first poo cleaning off of sand..........It didnt go to bad.....Then I decided to add some lace rock to tank.....I boiled it first....Then scrubbed it with wire brush.......Also we finally got in our Cascade 1500 and put it in too (replacing the RenaXP3).....

We added a bag of carbonn with zeolite 2 wks ago........We took it out and added it to the Cascade.....Im not sure how long the carbon is suppose to last?

Our water is CLOUDY still cloudy...........Do you think it could be the carbon pack needing to be replaced? The new filter??? The Rock?? OR the Stirring up of water bc of sand?????


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## rgr4475 (Mar 19, 2008)

I think its the replacing of the filters. If you took out the xp3 and put in a fresh new filter, you took away alot of your beneficial bacteria that was living in the tank. This may have set you cycled tank awry. The cloudiness is more than likely a bacterial bloom, similar to what you get when you are first cycling the tank.

Have you tested your ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels? If so what are they? Ammonia and Nitrite should be at 0ppm. I am guessing with the cloudy water your ammonia is up.

I have never been around the lace rock, so I can't say for sure if that is your problem.

Carbon will do nothing for cloudy water. It is an absorber. Best to use it for removing medications that you put in your tank or to remove adverse smells in your tank. Its effectiveness might last a week if you are lucky. It's expensive and really not needed in your filter on a regular basis.

Hope this helped you out some. Post your water parameters when you get a chance. That will tell a lot.


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## ASTYLIN (Feb 24, 2010)

Well I dont have a test kit at home......The water was perfect yesterday bf we changed filter.....We did have a sponge in tank that we put in tank for bacteria.......Also have used stability....I have the ammonia quick dips....I'll try one.......I can get my water checked 2m.........Im just wondering if it is the sand??? This is our first time dealing sand and we stirred it up alot...............I know when we first put in tank it took a couple day for it to clear but we wernt running filter just powerheads.......


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## ASTYLIN (Feb 24, 2010)

Ok I did the qucik dip.....There was some ammonia but in the safe....Im still gonna take it and get checked tomorrow..........Also I forgot to mention that we added a spray bar too......Could that have an effect on the water??? Thx


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## moto_master (Jun 23, 2006)

I haven't used sand, so I'm not certain, but I think that if you stir it, it can make your water cloudy again. Also, what kind of sponge are you using? if it's a cellulose sponge (like a kitchen sponge) they will start to decay after a few days and will make your water cloudy, and possibly kill the fish.

Keep us informed on what happens...


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## ASTYLIN (Feb 24, 2010)

No its a cascade bacteria sponge........We had a extra one from our other filter so we stuck it in the tank for a month bc we knew we wernt going to use the xp3.........


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Was the water clear before you cleaned the sand and cloudy immediately after? If yes then it is the sand and stirring/filtering will eventually clear it or you can remove/wash the sand properly if that takes too long.

I would not think it was the filter unless the filter is pouring water on the sand so strongly that it is stirring it up (making a hole down to the glass for example). And again, that points to dusty sand.

If the water was clear after you cleaned the sand and it turned cloudy or cloudier later then I'd go with a bacterial bloom from that ammonia.


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## ASTYLIN (Feb 24, 2010)

The water was clear bf we cleaned......After we cleaned and stirred it around it got cloudy.......No the spray bar isnt making holes its not making that many bubbles bc we put water high.......The fish seem to be ok just looks like ****.........Thx for checking out.......Makes me feel better about bacteria and ammonia since things were perfectly


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## ASTYLIN (Feb 24, 2010)

The water was clear bf we cleaned......After we cleaned and stirred it around it got cloudy.......No the spray bar isnt making holes its not making that many bubbles bc we put water high.......The fish seem to be ok just looks like ****.........Thx for checking out.......Makes me feel better about bacteria and ammonia...........


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## KaiserSousay (Nov 2, 2008)

Your not alone.
A short search will bring up a metric ton of posts on "Cloudy Water".
One of the most simple ways others have got their tanks clear again is water changes.
A bunch of them.
A bit of labor, but not much other cost involved.
Good luck.


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## ASTYLIN (Feb 24, 2010)

oops....didnt mean to double post.........I got up this morning and its clearing up yay..........Do you know how often your suppose to change the Carbon bags out?


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## STANGDUDE (Dec 17, 2008)

Yeah bacterial blooms just just have to run there course. As for Carbon it should only be used to remove meds, and only for 30 days max. If you you tank to stay clear, regular water changes, depends on your bio loads. Clean your filter media with aquarium water only. Hopefully you have more then one filter, that way you can clean one and do the other one next water change. No more bacterial blooms. Instead of using Carbon try using Purigen by Seachems, that will make your water crystal clear.


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## ASTYLIN (Feb 24, 2010)

I thought when you have a canister filter you should put carbon bags in there and take them out when you are using meds....Then replace when your off of meds.......We use the carbon with zeolite in other tank and its crystal clear........This one was to untill we cleaned, replaced rock, and added spraybar.....Just wondering how often you should change the carbon bags? Like changing the dirty sponges......


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## rgr4475 (Mar 19, 2008)

ASTYLIN said:


> I thought when you have a canister filter you should put carbon bags in there and take them out when you are using meds....Then replace when your off of meds.......We use the carbon with zeolite in other tank and its crystal clear........This one was to untill we cleaned, replaced rock, and added spraybar.....Just wondering how often you should change the carbon bags? Like changing the dirty sponges......


Carbon is not necessary unless removing meds or odors. Activated carbon is an absorber and doesn't do anything to keep your water clear. If you feel you must have it, they loose there effectiveness after a week or 2. So cracking open your canister filter once every 2 weeks is not that fun, but if you want to, then go for it.


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## ASTYLIN (Feb 24, 2010)

K thx.....isnt the zeolite suppose to help with ammonia?


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## rgr4475 (Mar 19, 2008)

ASTYLIN said:


> K thx.....isnt the zeolite suppose to help with ammonia?


This was taken from fishlore.com

_*Zeolites can also be used in chemical filtration. Zeolite removes ammonia from your aquarium water and can be a fish life saver if you have high ammonia levels. Many first time fishkeepers mistakenly add too many fish to a new aquarium before it has cycled and experience the disappointing loss of their fish. Using zeolite during the cycling process in your aquarium filter can help prevent this from happening but it has the side effect of lengthening the time it takes to complete the aquarium nitrogen cycle. *_


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## newforestrob (Feb 1, 2010)

just to add, you shoudn't need to replace filter sponges, just rinse in tank water(not inside your aquarium)and you should be fine :thumb:


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