# newer tank is cloudy need some help new on cf and lost.....



## ckkmgreen (Sep 9, 2014)

i have a 5 foot 120 tank that is cloudy not horrible but not show quality. here is what i have bare with me i am explaining it all btw i'm new here....
120 gallon tank filtration
marineland c-530 twice the factory media 
two marineland emporer 400's with cartridge and i stuffed the grey cages with poly-fill
substrate is black blasting sand
rocks are just (riff-raff) like you would find around a pond 
24 small mbuna in tank including 2 African cats.
i feed fluval fish food only what they can eat before it hits the bottom
25-30% water changes twice a week and clean up poo off the bottom with vac.

tank has been up and running 6-8 weeks with no change in water its cloudy..... i cant seem to figure it out water chemistry is good with ph a little low at 7.6 but it is constant..... i am over lost on why it is staying cloudy bacterial bloom just doesn't make sense any ideas or Knowledge would be great thanks!!


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## smitty814 (Sep 27, 2012)

Welcome ckkm. How did you cycle your tank?


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## ckkmgreen (Sep 9, 2014)

well that's good question the c-530 came from another my other tank and i ran it on the new tank with my new substrate. but it set for a little while before i put it on the new tank some things came up and it got put to the side did that kill the beneficial bacteria in it?


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

Can you post your water test results for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate? If you don't have a test kit, please get one.

Is your water whitish, greenish or just lots of tiny bubbles cloudy?


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## stalefish83 (May 22, 2014)

BB will live for about 48 hours without a source of ammonia. If it sat longer than that then yes, all the bacteria died off and your tank is not cycled.


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## smitty814 (Sep 27, 2012)

ckkmgreen said:


> well that's good question the c-530 came from another my other tank and i ran it on the new tank with my new substrate. but it set for a little while before i put it on the new tank some things came up and it got put to the side did that kill the beneficial bacteria in it?[/quote
> 
> Probably did kill off the bacteria. What you're describing sounds like a tank that isn't cycled. It seems as though you have a test kit because you stated that your water chemistry was good. So I would say to do more frequent water changes if your ammonia climbs. Other than that, now that this may be a fish in cycle&#8230;.do water changes and ride it out.


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## Iggy Newcastle (May 15, 2012)

stalefish83 said:


> BB will live for about 48 hours without a source of ammonia. If it sat longer than that then yes, all the bacteria died off and your tank is not cycled.


I would disagree with this. The bacteria goes dormant. I've kept filters with established media running on empty tanks for a couple weeks and then add fish with zero water problems.

But if the filter was not running, then you are most likely starting from scratch, as smitty said.


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## ckkmgreen (Sep 9, 2014)

i have done it before iggy with it just fine so im really not sure of the problem.... it seems to be a cloudy white with lots of little stuff floating around.... when i feed the mbuna they go crazy and stur up even more junk just makes it worse. yes i do have a test kit ammonia nit nat are 0


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## Iggy Newcastle (May 15, 2012)

0 nitrate indicates a tank that just had a 100% water change or a tank that is not cycled.


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## ckkmgreen (Sep 9, 2014)

thats not good ill check it when i get home tonight and report back


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## ckkmgreen (Sep 9, 2014)

ok iggy nitrite 0 nitrate 20


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## Iggy Newcastle (May 15, 2012)

Did you wash your sand thoroughly?

Do you indeed have 0 ammonia?


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## ckkmgreen (Sep 9, 2014)

yes 0 ammonia sand was washed but i personally only washed half of it my wife wanted to help so i cant say if she did the greatest job.... :-?


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## smitty814 (Sep 27, 2012)

So if the tank is cycled. Your water parameters are within specs. Not a bacterial bloom? Did you over clean your filters? Fish food maybe? Do you feed flake. Flake food sometimes clouds water. Sand&#8230;.I'm not a fan of blasting sand as a substrate. Phosphate or silica in the blasting sand? :?


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## Filet O Fish (Apr 26, 2012)

Try 12 ml of API Accu-clear and see what happens.


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## hisplaceresort1 (Mar 10, 2014)

both my new tanks did that... and a little bit of aquarium salt cleared both of mine up...


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## ckkmgreen (Sep 9, 2014)

i feed pellet fluval and hikari gold pellets, if i stir up the sand it doesnt make to much difference it settles and still the same..... i did last night notice on my glass a million little white stringy things that move with water current.....


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## ckkmgreen (Sep 9, 2014)

how much salt for roughly 100g of water


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## hisplaceresort1 (Mar 10, 2014)

Because I had catfish that don't do to well with the aquarium salt over time, I used about 75% strength for 2 weeks, and now I use about 20% of what the box recommends. 
I use API Aquarium salt, and on the box it says to use one rounded tablespoon for every 5 gallons. 
Whatever your box says, use up to that amount if you don't have catfish. If you do have catfish, I would use less, and then decrease it after 2 weeks.


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## Iggy Newcastle (May 15, 2012)

Aquarium glass needs to be scraped periodically. Try doing that and see what the tank looks like. I like a Magnum Float.


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## BillD (May 17, 2005)

If the blasting sand was clean, it will not in any way cloud the water. It does tend to be dirty when you acquire it, but, if well cleaned the water should be crystal clear from the start. If the cloudiness is not caused by the substrate, the logical culprit is a bacterial bloom. They usually clear up on their own after a time. You can speed it up with large water changes in either case.


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## ckkmgreen (Sep 9, 2014)

lets go on a wim and say it is the substrate whats the solution?? keep mixing it up i have filter floss in all 3 filters


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