cloudy water

[skoom]

Dear fellow hobbyists,

I have trouble keeping my water clear.

The fish are growing and eating well with no major health issues. This is more a fish appreciation issue. I can't see my fish in cloudy water.

Water parameters:

I have a std 4' (55g?) with 6 discus, 1x bristlenose and 1x Siamese algae eater.

Ammonia 0ppm
Nitrite 0ppm
Nitrate 10ppm
pH 7.0
Temp 28C
WC 25% daily
Bare bottom, no plants.
AquaOne 1000l/h canister filter & sponge filter


I have tried cleaning out the filter, pipes and motor, and replaced the cotton wool. Does not seem to help. The same batch of wool is used in other tanks with crystal clear clarity.

My hypothesis is there is a problem with my feeding. I feed the fish colorbits and home made beefheart mix. I feed about 4-5 times a day, takes them about 15min to gobble up....I notice the fish eat and then spit out smaller food particles that become suspended in the water. Can this cloud my water? I have tried feeding beefheart and colorbits together, beefheart only and colorbits only. The result is still cloudy water. Should I reduce my feeding??? If it is a feeding issue then what feeding regime do other hobbyists recommend?

The only way i can clear the water is to do massive water change (75%), which i know is not good for fish and the environment. After 3 days the water becomes cloudy again.

I have tried chemicals to clarify the water (Aquasonic 'Magna Clear') but only seems to make problem worse.


Thanks for any suggestions.

skoom

[chris]

How Often do you clean your filter pads etc :?:

[jim from sydney]

Hi Skoom
the problem is the beefheart. it depends on how you have made the food as sometimes the food breaks up rather quickly in the water resulting in very small particles staying in suspension for a long time. Most discus are mainly bottom feeders hence the suspended particles stay afloat a long time. I feel you are using too much beefheart in your feeding technique.
I feed my discus beefheart in the morning only and frozen bloodworms midday and night. Sometimes colorbits as a bonus (on weekends or so) when i am around more. I have crystal clear water. Try reducing the beefheart or better still dont use it for a few days and bingo......you will be very happy. Your water parameters and filtering are fine...
I dont believe in chemicals, you dont need them
lets know how it goes.....Jim.

[Merrilyn]

Cloudy water is usually caused by a bacterial bloom.

Now something has to be feeding that bacteria, and in this case, I think you may be over feeding. Try to cut back on the amount you feed, and do daily partial water changes for a week, and see what happens.

[pitchblack]

whats in your filter media. Ive just discovered that the reason my water was getting cloudier was due to some pouches that I brought to get rid of my phostphates were causing my problem.

[skoom]

thanks for quick reply.

i just washed out my sponges in the filter, and that is usually done on 3 monthly basis. The materials inside the canister are bioballs, ceramic noodles, substrate, sponge and cotton. Nothing fancy.

I think i'll revise on my feeding regime. Thanks.

By the way, how do you make home beefheart without the cloudy water problem? Is it too much beefheart or i've processed it too fine...i.e. into sludge.

what are you views on a UV steriliser? Apart from killing off floating bugs, can it also clear my water if it is a bacterial bloom?

Thanks again.

skoom

[Merrilyn]

UV will turn your water crystal clear. I have never had such clear tanks since installing UVs on all my big tanks.

You do need to replace the globe about every 10 months, so make sure you can get spares if you go ahead and purchase one.

[jim from sydney]

what size UV are you using for what tank size and how long do you leave it on????? where to buy???? any danger to discus????