White Cloudy Water

[Morgan]

I'm setting up a new tank and I'm having a very hard time clearing the water it has a milky cloudy look. I rinsed the new gravel before I put it in, but I didn't rinse the gravel that I took from my established tank. I have done several water changes and nothing has really helped, What should I do?

[fishmommie]

Hi. Did you move established filter media to your new tank from your old? is the new tank larger than the old tank? if so, your tank is most likely going through a new cycle to catch up to the larger bio load and what you're seeing is a bacterial bloom. If so, it will eventually go away on it's own as the bacteria colonizes in your filter.

This answer is a shot in the dark. More information on your new tank would help. like the size, if you did move media, if you started from scratch, if you have fish in it etc.
Please provide some specifics and we can be more helpful.
also - what are your water perimeters? ammonia? nitrites? nitrates?

[Morgan]

like the size, if you did move media, if you started from scratch, if you have fish in it etc.
Please provide some specifics and we can be more helpful.
also - what are your water perimeters? ammonia? nitrites? nitrates?

My established tank is a 20 gal and the one I'm setting up is a 40gal. I am using the filter media from the old tank and there are no fish in the 40 gal.
I need to restock my testing kit before I can test the water, I will add the perimeters later today.

[fishmommie]

How long ago did you move the old filter media to the 40 gal? Are you feeding the media ammonia to keep it alive until you add fish to the tank? If it's been more than 48 hours since you moved it and if you're not feeding it you may be experiencing a bacteria die off. Not saying that's what's causing the haze but if you aren't feeding it, and it's been a while since you moved it, you're going to be starting your cycle from square one. can you clarify a little bit more what's happening in the tank with that info in mind?

[Morgan]

Its only been 48 hours since I moved the media over.

[fishmommie]

Its only been 48 hours since I moved the media over.
Hopefully it's not too late but ....do you have a plan to feed the BB? Would hate to see you lose your cycle.
If you have some pure ammonia (doesn't foam or bubble when you shake the bottle), I'd feed 1 or 2 tsp to the tank. then check your parameters tomorrow. If you're still showing 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite and some nitrate, you're probably okay. If you don't have any ammonia, feed it some fish flakes. Better yet, if you have some fish you can move into the tank, even temporarily, they will produce enough waste to keep the media alive.
but I wouldn't wait any longer if you want to save the BB.

[Morgan]

I moved a couple of my platys over and gave them some fish flakes. I'm so new to this thank you for your fast response! There is so much contradicting information on cycling your tank on the internet!

[wgoldfarb]

I moved a couple of my platys over and gave them some fish flakes. I'm so new to this thank you for your fast response! There is so much contradicting information on cycling your tank on the internet!

I am a newbie myself and I agree, lots of conflicting info out there -- but you can not go wrong by listening to the people on this forum. Everyone here is extremely knowledgeable (well, except me! :hmm3grin2orange: ) and they are eager to help.

[Morgan]

We all have to start somewhere :)

[fishmommie]

we all DID start somewhere and have been in the same boat.

The platies will help keep things going if the BB didn't die off. Keep in mind that your biological filter will grow to sustain the amount of stock you have. So 2 platies is not going to cause the bacteria to grow very rapidly or to create a large colony of beneficial bacteria or to keep the BB you have alive in the volume it was before. You might want to add a couple more fish.

Do check your ammonia, nitrites and nitrates asap. (preferably with an API liquid master test kit as it's the most accurate). Any ammonia and or nitrite reading that goes over .25ppm means you have lost your BB in your media. The fix for that is to start doing water changes on any day you get a reading above .25 on Ammonia or nitrites. Daily water changes won't last forever but you need to protect your fish until the BB recolonizes.

Again - I wouldn't worry too much about the cloudy water. It will go away in time.

Quick question - did you by any chance rinse your established media in tap water? If so, you killed your BB and are definitely starting over.

I am also assuming you left some of the media in your 20 gallon? If so, be prepared for a mini cycle in that tank simply because the biological filters will have to rebuild BB to bring it up to a level to once again accommodate your stock. you may see some cloudy water in that tank as well if and when you get another bacterial bloom. it's all good and will go away. just watch the water parameters on that tank as well to make certain you don't experience an ammonia spike. if you do - again - water changes will take care of it.

continue to ask questions especially if any of this confuses you :o) we are all here to help

[Morgan]

No I did not rinse the gravel from the established tank I didn't want to wash the good stuff away. The established tank is empty now I only had my platys and a couple guppies in it, I will get the API test kit soon.

[Longshot]

I believe what she wanted t0 kn0w was whether 0r n0t y0u rinsed anything 0ut 0f y0ur filter with tap water. The gravel will h0ld a small am0unt 0f BB, but the majority 0f the c0l0ny lives inside 0f y0ur filter. Rinsing the media in tap water (unless y0u have well water) will usually wipe 0ut BB due t0 the chlorine that the water pr0vider adds t0 the supply.

[Morgan]

Oh ok no I don't rinse the filter media, all I did was change the charcoal hoping it would help clear the water. I did rinse the charcoal before I put it in though.

[fishmommie]

Okay - let's make sure we're talking about the same thing. what are you referring to as 'filter media'?

[Morgan]

I have a Fluval power filter that has space for a sponge, charcoal, and a bag of bio balls on top. Im referring to the sponge and bio balls as the media in the filter.

[fishmommie]

that's what I hoped you were talking about. I think I know why you have the cloudy water.
If you tossed the charcoal, even though it was old and most likely not doing anything for your water clarity, there still would have been some BB on it and the cartridge fiber that held it so you threw away some of your BB with the charcoal. When you replaced it with new charcoal, new BB started to grow and caused a bacterial bloom.
For future reference, it doesn't hurt to leave the old charcoal and cartridge in your filter. Most here on the AC don't bother with charcoal unless they are attempting to remove medication from the tank.
Hopefully, if you watch your water parameters as we previously discussed, and do W/C's if you see ammonia or nitrites, you'll be back on track shortly.

[Morgan]

29433
The tank does seem to be clearing up some more, How often should I be testing the water while its cycling?

[fishmommie]

that definitely looks like a bacterial bloom.
you should test your water daily before feeding. to recap: if ammonia and or nitrites go over .25ppm do a 50% W/C using enough conditioner to treat the entire 40 gallons. once you see 0 of both then you can drop back to weekly water changes (as long as your nitrates stay around 20 or less) and cut back to weekly water testing as well. once you're certain the tank is stable (consistent 0 ammonia and nitrite readings which means the tank is cycled) you can test your water only occasionally as long as you're making your weekly water changes and your nitrates are staying low.
once it's cycled, you can start adding more fish -- but only a few at a time and no more often than monthly is a good idea. this gives your BB a chance to grow to accommodate the new stock. you should also test your water a week or so after adding new stock to make certain you're not having a mini cycle which could cause an ammonia spike. If so, then do extra W/C until ammonia goes back to 0. make sense?

I don't want to confuse you more ... but - IF your tank turns out to be NOT cycled (like the BB did die off because you didn't feed it for 48 hours and you're getting ammonia readings) then during this cycle stage don't vac the gravel. Don't clean the filters, don't touch anything in the tank. You want your BB to grow on every possible surface during the cycle stage. Only after the tank is fully cycled do you want to start cleaning the gravel on a regular basis. make sense?

And food for thought - IF it turns out that your BB died off which means the tank isn't cycled because you're getting ammonia readings, those 2 platies in a 40 gal tank are not going to produce much waste so very little BB is going to grow. You might want to consider returning them to the fish store and doing a fishless cycle. It's simple and so much faster and easier than doing multiple water changes for several weeks.

It would simplify this so much if we knew what your water parameters are so we could deal with your specific situation instead of trying to provide multiple fixes depending on whether you're cycling or not :o(

Nice tank BTW. have you considered adding a background to hide the electrical cords? Also, some driftwood and more plants would fill it out nicely.

[Morgan]

It has been a very busy week!! I tested my water daily and I did notice a spike in ammonia and nitrites but they never got over .25ppm. The water is totally clear now and my ammonia and nitrites have been reading 0 for the past 2 days. Iv been waiting to buy plants until I found more wood, I did get some Manzanita branches today and I'm going to get some black poster board for the back.

[Morgan]

Manzanita just doesn't want to sink!!

[Morgan]

29579
Finally got it to sink! I still need more plants but that will come in time.

[fishmommie]

Yea! The tank looks really good. Some type of a background fixed to the outside back wall would hide the cords and add some definition. Blue or black generally show off your fish the best.
Keep those photos coming :o)l

[Morgan]

I still haven't made it to the store for a background but I did score a bunch of plants for free off craigslist! Cant wait to see it all filled in!!
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[Morgan]

29881
cute new bristlenose pleco!!

[Byron]

The most inexpensive but effective background is a sheet of plain black construction paper. Depending upon the tank size, one or two sheets will do you, and you just cut it and tape it on the back. I have found this about the most effective background, as it is not shiny and being black the rear tank wall sort of disappears, creating the illusion of more space. And fish and plants and wood looks very nice against black. This will make a vast difference...and be appreciated by your lovely new pleco.

Byron.

[Morgan]

its been awhile since ive been on here! as you can see I don't have cloudy water and I have a few more plants thumbs2:
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[fishmommie]

looks really good. The plants are growing nicely
how's that gorgeous pleco doing?
I can't tell if you have a cave in there but your pleco would love you if you bulit him one out of flat rocks. Doesn't have to be big. My ABNP has a cave I built from 3 slate like rocks no more than 4 - 5 inches across. Just stacked then solidly so there is a hollow for her to fit into and surface space she can hang onto upside down. mine often sleeps in her cave hanging upside down on her rock - sometimes she falls asleep so hard her suction lets go and I'll find her on her back on the substrate. Scared me have to death the first time I found her that way because I thought she was dead :o)

[Morgan]

When I get paid I'm going to get a couple of the ceramic breeding caves :)

[gronlaura]

Your tank looks very nice. Only thing needed is a black background to hide the wall behind and make everything "pop" more. Black poster board would work nicely.

[Morgan]

I do have one but I removed it so that it wouldn't get wet while I was cleaning the tank :)

[fishmommie]

I wouldn't mess with those ceramic caves. YOu surely have some rocks around somewhere that would look more natural (your tank has such a natural beautiful look going). Or buy some pieces of slate from you LFS or even home depot or someplace like that to make a natural looking cave.
Just my opinion :o)

[gronlaura]

I wouldn't mess with those ceramic caves. YOu surely have some rocks around somewhere that would look more natural (your tank has such a natural beautiful look going). Or buy some pieces of slate from you LFS or even home depot or someplace like that to make a natural looking cave.
Just my opinion :o)

I agree - ceramic anything would detract from the natural look of your tank. If you can't find any at your LFS, try landscape companies or stone/gravel supply. Take a little bottle of vinegar with you so you can test the rocks/slate (the vinegar should not bubble).

[Morgan]

I do have some slate tile, do I just glue it together into a cave like thing? what glue would I use?

[gronlaura]

You would use aquarium sealant, available at your LFS or Petsmart.

[fishmommie]

I do have some slate tile, do I just glue it together into a cave like thing? what glue would I use?

you can use aquarium safe silicone glue. Most LFS will have it. Or plain clear jell calk like they use around bathtubs etc.. Or you can just stack carefully, make sure they are secure and do it that way. Seriously, mine is just one flat rock leaning on another rock but it's very solid as I don't want it falling on the pleco :o) She can go in or out either side but she thinks no one can see her :o) There's only about 1 1/2 inches clearance at the high side from the substrate so it's nice and snug just the way she likes it. They seem to like nice tight places. And this way, I get to see her all the time. That's why I know she falls asleep and ends up flat on her back on the substrate completely unhooked.
Here's a photo I caught of her after falling off the driftwood sound asleep. It's a bad photo but it;s all I've got.
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[gronlaura]

you can use aquarium safe silicone glue. Most LFS will have it. Or plain clear jell calk like they use around bathtubs etc.. Or you can just stack carefully, make sure they are secure and do it that way. Seriously, mine is just one flat rock leaning on another rock but it's very solid as I don't want it falling on the pleco :o) She can go in or out either side but she thinks no one can see her :o) There's only about 1 1/2 inches clearance at the high side from the substrate so it's nice and snug just the way she likes it. They seem to like nice tight places. And this way, I get to see her all the time. That's why I know she falls asleep and ends up flat on her back on the substrate completely unhooked.
Here's a photo I caught of her after falling off the driftwood sound asleep. It's a bad photo but it;s all I've got.
30841

That is way, way too funny! I can see how you would have panicked seeing her like that.

[Morgan]

I can see why you thought she was dead!! I'm paranoid about it falling so I will probably glue the rocks together.

[fishmommie]

I can see why you thought she was dead!! I'm paranoid about it falling so I will probably glue the rocks together.
Even though it's driftwood in the photo, I wanted to show you how they hang upside down. So don't make your cave ceiling too high just in case she or he falls :o)