Hi

From the reading up I have done on this forums and other sites I think I am experiencing a bad bactierial bloom. The cloudy water has happened on a couple of occasions in the past when I have replaced some of the filter media but normally clears itself up after a couple of days... not this time. Two weeks ago I changed two of the four filter pads and added some more cermaic noodle to the media compartments.

From what I have schooled myself on it seems as though the bacteria are multiplying on excess Nutrients in the water Nitrate and Phosphate levels are very close to 0??

My setup is a 300L Planted Aquarium with Discus, Cardinals, Corys, Loaches and GBA's. I do a 30% Water Change every 1-2 days and in the weekends normally an 80% change. This water is aged in a large 80litre bin and I use aqua plus and adjust ph down and temp to match aquarium.

I add flourish excel at the recommended dose every second day (after double dosing in the hope to eliminate hair algae and accidently killing off my twisted val). I also add Nutrafin Iron supplement.

Any ideas of how to eliminate this cloudy water. My discus are still growing so although I have reduced feeding I am still managing 5 small feeds per day. I do not use carbon in the filter media... is this a good idea with large Cichlids?

Cheers

I really cant help you too much on the bacterial bloom, ive heard of them lasting quite a bit longer but im not sure why it would take so long seeing as you didnt do too much of a cleaning. Have you read the other thread on the bacterial bloom, that may offer some ideas?

Just wondering why you are adding ph down to the aging bins? IME and readings discus can do well in a pretty broad range of conditions despite their sensitivity and most of NZ has fairly decent water.

IMO carbon is not necessary but its a big debate. My tanks (including my discus tank) run very successfully without the aid of carbon. IMO carbon can mask a few things i would want to know about (smells etc), especially when keeping discus.

Try a UV filter. Someone else here has just had a problem with cloud water. They got a UV filter. now no cloudy water.

From simply discus

Cloudy water can be a sign that the biological cycle is impaired or can be a sign that bacteria are multiplying rapidly in response to an increase in ammonia and/or nitrite levels. It is called a "bacterial bloom." There are not enough bacteria growing on the filter media yet so the bacteria multiply in the water to the point that the water is not clear. This generally clears up on its own as the filters become adequately seeded.

Things to do:

Test the water daily for ammonia/nitrite to make sure levels stay low and do not harm the fish.

Do water changes only to keep the ammonia/nitrite levels low, don't overdue the water changes or the bacteria will not have enough ammonia/nitrite to grow with.

Make sure that aeration is adequate.

I think you are doing to many water changes at the moment. Before you buy a UV try what is in the above quote.

Somewhere on simply discus they said not to use carbon. Found it lol.

Don't use carbon in the filter (this can lead to disease in discus).

Like to know how, why?

I never use carbon. No need.

Frenchy

Thanks, I wondered whether you could have too many water changes but thought I had better keep up the clean water with the discus.

You have to keep the water clean. At the moment the tank isn't settled as such.

Frenchy

Just wondering if your cloudy water has cleared up. Two of my tanks seem to have developed something - the waters cloudy and the tops of the tanks look like they have a white layer of film of them. Is this what you also had.

I had a similar problem and extra filtration cleared my cloudy water.

Seachem Clarity is the BEST product I have used for cloudy water. Hollywood fish farm stock it, havent seen it elsewhere.

NOTE: The first time you add it, your water will have a blue cloud to it for up to a couple days.

Hi

No water has not yet cleared. I have been adding Nutrafin P Clear but still no joy.

Will cloudy water be stressing my fish out?

I have cleaned the foam pads from my filter with tank water (i must admit they were very clogged) a couple of days ago but the cloudy water still persists. I have also tried keeping the lights off for a day but that didnt seem to help either.

I was wondering whether having a heavily planted tank (with the likes of glosso and grassed growing well now) if the cloudy water is excess bacteria that normally would be getting itself established in the gravel but now has nowhere to go other than the water column??

Any other ideas?

Hi Jim

Was yours a planted setup. I have a 70G heavily planted discus tank filtered by a FLuval 404 Power filter

do you use aquatic mix for your plants?

Could be that its leaching out...

Yes I do use aquatic mix under my layer of silica sand as substrate. Maybe all the plant growth is allowing for constant leaching?

Possible

P clear doesnt work. Try Clarity in conjuction with a little filterwool (to collect it)

I currently have it still in two of my 4ft tanks and the other 2 are showing signs of it. I am fortunate that they are bare bottom tanks and this a.m. I wiped out the tank - you should have seen the chalk like silt it stirred up, however my tanks are starting to look better so will clean the filter sponges tomorrow morning. I haven't added anything to make it go away and I think its possibly from the new filter materials that I had in each cannister.

Heres a couple of pics to illustrate the cloudiness. I will limit my waterchanges to only 20% every couple of days. I wonder whether having such a densly planted tank if the excess bacteria in the water column is because they have nowhere to settle... e.g. Total Substrate surface?

Thats certainly what my tank looked like through the glass but did have a film, sort of plasticy looking on top and if you stirred it up went into bubbles that sat there, sort of like pvc bubbles on a glue pot. Where the water had evaporated left a white patch. Is it the same for you. I just went and checked, mine has improved more so yours may clear soon.

Just a thought.

I am more thinking that with all the plants in there, the bacteria have nothing to feed off.

Frenchy

Thats exactly the different thoughts I have been having today.

When I first started noticing the cloudy water almost 3 weeks ago I reduced feeding and up'd the water changes. At the same time I took three medium sized Discus from the tank which would have eased the load on the established bacteria in the filter. Nitrate levels are 0ppm. So obviously the plants are utilising any wastes from feeding and the fish.

What do you recommend I do. Increase feedings? I have some Nutrafin NPK which is suppose to establish the correct levels of Nitrate, Potassium and Phophate in the planted aquarium.