Water suddenly became "milky" advise needed!

**MiamiCuse** · 05-18-2008, 10:48 PM

Hi I did a 50% water change today at noon.

Last water change was a week ago.

I did not do anything different. The only thing I did extra was I pulled off the top of the tubes from my UGF and inserted the hose for the water change all the way down there in an attempt to remove the junk from down there.

Then I feed the fish and left for a few hours. I just came back and the water is really murky almost milky. I have never seen this before.

The fish did not seen to be stressed, or at least there is none that I could observe.

I am going to do a water test now and then need to decide if I should change the water again.

Not sure what to do.

**Drip Loop** · 05-18-2008, 10:52 PM

Ive read that rapid changes in aquarium water can stress the beneficial bacteria in your tank and cause them to cloud up. I would do nothing for awhile and observe.

If I were to guess, the water you added must have been different than the water you had in there. Could be wrong, just a hypothesis.

**Drumachine09** · 05-18-2008, 10:53 PM

Bacterial bloom. Just keep doing small waterchanges every day until your bloom dies down.

In the mean time, you need a better filter. UGFs just won't cut it.

**Drip Loop** · 05-18-2008, 10:53 PM

Oooh, I didnt catch that. Yea, UGF are very outdated imo.

**MiamiCuse** · 05-18-2008, 11:08 PM

should I change that water now or hold off?

I just did a water test:

ammonia 0ppm
nitrite 0ppm
nitrate around 5ppm
ph 7.9

I am surprised at the nitrate being 5ppm I think I tested it twoi days ago and it was less than 5ppm and I have plenty of plants in there. How can I have more nitrate after a 50% water change?

Should I do anything? Will the fish be ok?

My tank was fully cycled weeks ago!

**Drumachine09** · 05-18-2008, 11:11 PM

Test daily. If your ammonia or nitrites pop up, do a waterchange.

The problem is with your filter. You need a decent HOB or cannister, depending on the size, and bioload of your tank.

**Drip Loop** · 05-18-2008, 11:11 PM

nitrate in that concentration is acceptable. If you have any plants in the tank (which I doubt you do considering you have a UGF) they would eat the nitrates up. However in your case, those readings all seem fine. I wouldnt do anything. (except to replace your filter)

**MiamiCuse** · 05-18-2008, 11:20 PM

Should I move the fish in that tank to another tank while I wait for this to "settle"?

I have plenty of plants, some planted in the gravel some floating and a bunch of java moss just hugging into rocks and stones.

**pinsonpa** · 05-19-2008, 11:22 PM

MiamiCuse,

Your UGF may be the culprit here and if it's not, theres a good chance it will cause problems soon enough. I know you've already heard this a thousand times (and not just in this thread) but IMO you really should start planning ahead now to upgrade your filter in the near future. I recall you doing some research on HOB (hang on back) filters not too long ago...what did you find out? The world isn't going to come to an end if you don't upgrade your filter, however, I can all but guarantee that it will make your life a lot easier with regards to your aquarium.

You still have a 10 gallon, right? For about $35 you could get an Aquaclear filter (example, not an endorsement) that would make a big difference in your tank. If you did it now you could leave the UGF in and just throw the new one on the back and you'll probably clear up the water in an hour or two. Then when you do take out your UGF, your new filter will already have plenty of bacteria in the filter medium.

I know you aren't crazy about having to change out your UGF (cause it's not the most fun thing to do in the world) but you could probably do it all in 45 minutes (remove half your water, take out your fish and plants, take out the UGF, replace the gravel, replant your plants, add in some fresh water with some conditioner, turn on your new HOB filter.)

I have a Penguin 125 Bio Wheel and while I haven't had any problems with it I've heard plenty of horror stories (bio wheels suddenly not spinning, etc.). When I upgrade I plan to buy one rated for a much bigger tank so when I upgrade to a 30g tank I'll already have a filter big enough to handle the job.

No pressure Miami, I'm just thinking out loud