Cloudy water over a month now.

Danroo

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Feb 22, 2021
Messages
504
Reaction score
366
Location
USA
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Good morning to everyone.

I’ll start with my tank being 6 months old now it’s a 20 gallon FOWLR tank with only a hob filter for the filtration. My parameters the last week I checked were

salinity: 1.022
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 2
Phosphate: 0.03
Temp: 78F
Calcium: 390
Magnesium: 1260
Alkalinity: 8.2

test kits: salifert

livestock: 2 clownfish, 2 Bengai cardinals, orchid dottyback. Cleaner shrimp. Red brittle star. 3 trochus snails. 3 hermit crabs.

Feeding: only rinsed mysis shrimp once a day which would be gone in 3-4 bites.


I started with dry rock and live sand. My nitrates and phosphates have been constant after I have replaced 2 HOB filters after my tank has been cycled. Both were aqueon one was more powerful than the others.

I was replacing cartridges which also brought in the cloudiness. Would be constant after that because of the removal of beneficial bacteria

3 weeks ago I gave in with the removal of this cartridge and bought a tidal cause I also needed the surface skimming. The beneficial bacteria did form on the matrix but I feel like it’s not enough to get outcompete the cloudiness and ordered fritz turbo ( will arrive on Tuesday).

It has been a month since I did a water change due to phosphate and nitrate being constant and yesterday I added filter floss.

so my question is. Is there a lack of biological filtration?
 
OP
OP
Danroo

Danroo

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Feb 22, 2021
Messages
504
Reaction score
366
Location
USA
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Did you wash the carbon first?
The carbon was on the aqueon cartridge which I did with RODI water the tidal has matrix and a blue sponge which both came with the filter. I added filter floss yesterday.
 
Upvote 0
OP
OP
Danroo

Danroo

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Feb 22, 2021
Messages
504
Reaction score
366
Location
USA
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
As with most things....I'd recommend upping WCs. That load on an HOB might benefit from a more aggressive WC schedule. WC support more than just nitrate/phosphate removal.
I tried the water change method a month ago. It would be slightly clear for one day and then go back to being the same cloudiness the other day.
 
Upvote 0

One Breath 808

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Apr 22, 2021
Messages
37
Reaction score
98
Location
Woodbridge
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I’m not sure anymore. The cloudiness is constant I haven’t done any water changes only topping off. The only equipment I keep changing in these months is the HOB filter haven’t even touched the inside of the tank.
When I first cycled I started with fritzzhyme 9 and a shrimp left the shrimp for 6 days to get nasty and then removed. I did a water change each week and it only took my tank 2 weeks to cycle.

K contstantly had cloudy tank and it did not go away until I used a UV Sterilizer. See if you have any reef friends nearby that can let you borrow one to see if that helps. You can try Clarity from Seachem as well
 
Upvote 0

Quietman

2500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
May 14, 2017
Messages
3,246
Reaction score
10,851
Location
Indiana - born and bred
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
So don't know what your WC schedule was a month ago. But I meant 10-20% every 2-3 days for a week or three. Then start to back off gradually till you find a good routine.

If it slightly cleared up..that's a positive sign to me. And it'll be cheaper than UV/Skimmers.
 
Upvote 0
OP
OP
Danroo

Danroo

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Feb 22, 2021
Messages
504
Reaction score
366
Location
USA
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
When I first cycled I started with fritzzhyme 9 and a shrimp left the shrimp for 6 days to get nasty and then removed. I did a water change each week and it only took my tank 2 weeks to cycle.

K contstantly had cloudy tank and it did not go away until I used a UV Sterilizer. See if you have any reef friends nearby that can let you borrow one to see if that helps. You can try Clarity from Seachem as well
I was thinking about clarity.
 
Upvote 0
OP
OP
Danroo

Danroo

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Feb 22, 2021
Messages
504
Reaction score
366
Location
USA
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
So don't know what your WC schedule was a month ago. But I meant 10-20% every 2-3 days for a week or three. Then start to back off gradually till you find a good routine.

If it slightly cleared up..that's a positive sign to me. And it'll be cheaper than UV/Skimmers.
Just worried about dino showing up while my tank is only producing 2 nitrates and 0.03 phosphates.
 
Upvote 0
OP
OP
Danroo

Danroo

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Feb 22, 2021
Messages
504
Reaction score
366
Location
USA
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
This a recent picture with both lights I only use the white to see the cloudiness
 

Attachments

  • 8BC9B4B5-A07B-4425-BB45-CE4BE18E0A7A.jpeg
    8BC9B4B5-A07B-4425-BB45-CE4BE18E0A7A.jpeg
    137.1 KB · Views: 47
  • BDE2DE7E-A3A0-4EE2-B8A3-25A36BA8B61F.jpeg
    BDE2DE7E-A3A0-4EE2-B8A3-25A36BA8B61F.jpeg
    157.6 KB · Views: 48
Upvote 0

Aqua Man

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Jan 19, 2020
Messages
1,376
Reaction score
1,831
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
C46CA275-C2C2-4917-9FC6-A30D20BD96BF.jpeg

could get one of these. If it’s a bacterial bloom will help clear it up. I picked this unit up for a Dino issue in my 20gal. It worked well.
 
Upvote 0

Quietman

2500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
May 14, 2017
Messages
3,246
Reaction score
10,851
Location
Indiana - born and bred
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Sure...cou
Just worried about dino showing up while my tank is only producing 2 nitrates and 0.03 phosphates.
Sure could happen, but you do have measurable nitrates/phosphates so I'd address one thing at a time. I don't think too low nutrients precludes doing WC and in fact might allow to you feed more. That's a big load on an small tank HOB. You didn't say what size HOB you have. In my setups with HOB only on smaller tanks is to get the biggest HOB that fits on the back of the tank and load it up with media AND then plan on routine weekly 25% WC.

Is that addressing the exact cause? Maybe not, but if easy and relatively cheap WC works...who cares?
 
Upvote 0

Aqua Man

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Jan 19, 2020
Messages
1,376
Reaction score
1,831
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
This a recent picture with both lights I only use the white to see the cloudiness
To rule out your sand, take a Hand full and pick it up and drop it. About 3 inches up from bottom. There should be very little clouding if the sand is clean.
 
Upvote 0
OP
OP
Danroo

Danroo

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Feb 22, 2021
Messages
504
Reaction score
366
Location
USA
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Sure...cou

Sure could happen, but you do have measurable nitrates/phosphates so I'd address one thing at a time. I don't think too low nutrients precludes doing WC and in fact might allow to you feed more. That's a big load on an small tank HOB. You didn't say what size HOB you have. In my setups with HOB only on smaller tanks is to get the biggest HOB that fits on the back of the tank and load it up with media AND then plan on routine weekly 25% WC.

Is that addressing the exact cause? Maybe not, but if easy and relatively cheap WC works...who cares?
Sorry about that it’s a seachem 55 tidal which supports up to 55 gallon tanks.
 
Upvote 0
OP
OP
Danroo

Danroo

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Feb 22, 2021
Messages
504
Reaction score
366
Location
USA
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
To rule out your sand, take a Hand full and pick it up and drop it. About 3 inches up from bottom. There should be very little clouding if the sand is clean.
My sand does get shifted a lot when I did my weekly water changes last month. Didn’t create much cloudiness and was gone after the water change was completed. I’ll try the 2-3 water changes in a week. Cause I really don’t want to add any equipment want to keep it as natural as I could.
 
Upvote 0
OP
OP
Danroo

Danroo

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Feb 22, 2021
Messages
504
Reaction score
366
Location
USA
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
This is after 1 hour with a 5 gallon water change.
 

Attachments

  • 81D287A7-34A0-4762-BF05-6B7A773ECCFA.jpeg
    81D287A7-34A0-4762-BF05-6B7A773ECCFA.jpeg
    149.6 KB · Views: 46
  • 51633237-5A7A-4263-B542-A4F2E6B40695.jpeg
    51633237-5A7A-4263-B542-A4F2E6B40695.jpeg
    140.6 KB · Views: 41
Upvote 0

Mastering the art of locking and unlocking water pathways: What type of valves do you have on your aquarium plumbing?

  • Ball valves.

    Votes: 73 51.8%
  • Gate valves.

    Votes: 72 51.1%
  • Check valves.

    Votes: 36 25.5%
  • None.

    Votes: 31 22.0%
  • Other.

    Votes: 9 6.4%

New Posts

Back
Top