Cloudy water

[dhernandeztwo]

I have 3 juvenile discus (plus tankmates) in my 180L tank running on a CF1000 AquaOne canister filter. I have mechanical filters on the top layer (a blue and black sponge), bioballs in the middle layer, and ceramic noodles on the bottom layer. The tank has been running well for two months but two weeks ago I started to have a cloudy water problem.

I know what caused it (I think) – but I don’t know how to fix it. On the tank’s second month, I cleaned the mechanical (sponge) filters (on advise from a book). I rinsed it using water from the tank and gave it a mild squeeze and placed it back. I did not fiddle with the ceramic noodles or the bio balls (aside from lifting them out from the filter temporarily for a few seconds). One thing ‘extra’ that happened was I did my filter cleaning under direct sunlight (for around 2 minutes), then realized this could hurt the bio filters so I immediately went back to a shaded area. Not really sure if this has got something to do with it but I’m mentioning it anyway.

From then on, I have cloudy water in my tank. I put Prime, Cycle and Discus Buffer on every water change. I checked ph, ammonia and nitrite levels – all are okay! It’s really just the cloudy/murky water. Discus plus tankmates (1 loach, 16 neon tetras, 2 glass catfish, 2 ottos) are all okay. I do a 50% water change and two hours later it’s back the way it was.

Appreciate any comments/suggestions on how to deal with this problem.

[Merrilyn]

Sounds like your tank has a bacterial bloom. That causes the water to go cloudy. Eight weeks after set up is the time I would expect to see it.

It's all part of the maturing process of the tank. Your tank will still be cycling, in other words the bio filter is not fully functional yet. It could take another month for that to happen.

And before you ask, Cycle is a help to maturing the tank, but it's not the whole answer. It still takes three months for your tank to fully cycle. :P

How do I know, well in the last thirty years, I've used just about every product on the market :P

Okay, two things you can do - invest in a UV unit for your tank. It will deal with your bacterial bloom in a few days, keep your water pristine, and your fish healthy. Good UV units range in price from $100 upwards.

The other thing you can do, is increase your water changes to 50% daily, cut down on your feeding, add some fine filter floss to your canister filter, and wait it out.

Good luck.

[dhernandeztwo]

Thanks for the info.

I'll go with the 50% wc for the meantime, the UV filters are expensive.

Will this cloudy water harm the Discus? I'll do a wc as often as I can - but most probably it'll be every other day.

Also, should I stop putting in Cycle (the water additive) in my water changes - since it's adding bacteria to the water?

[Merrilyn]

The cloudy water isn't harmful, it just looks unsightly.

I think you could stop adding the cycle now. Do you happen to have a nitrate test kit, or can you tell me the readings of your ammonia and nitrite. That will give us an idea of the stage of your aquarium cycle.

[dhernandeztwo]

Hi ladyred,

Thanks so much for replying to my questions. That's why I never look at other forums, because this site have fantastic advisors!

On to your question... my ammonia and nitrite are zero; and it's been like that since week 5. My ph is 6.4 and my temp ranges from 28 to 29 degrees celsius. I turned off the heater today due to the heat wave in Sydney.

Unfortunately I don't have a nitrate test kit. I don't think it'd be that expensive so I'll try to get one next time I'm in the shops.

If, let's say this problem goes away after 2 weeks when my filter is fully cycled, is there a chance the bacteria bloom problem can come back? Based on the reply to this question, I will consider in investing on a UV filter.

Thanks once again!

dhernandeztwo

[dhernandeztwo]

Hi Merrilyn,

It's definitely bacterial bloom. I stopped adding Cycle in my water changes, and that cut down the cloudiness in the first two hours. However, after 24 hours the cloudy water is back.

I looked around for a UV filter and found a $65, 9W, fully submersible UV filter that can handle upto 200L. I just installed it yesterday and everything looks okay now. I have crystal clear water again!

Thanks so much for your help.

dhernandeztwo