melrick1 Posted October 20, 2013 Report Share Posted October 20, 2013 Hi there guys. I have a four foot tank, external filter, planted with silica sand. Only has about 20 tetras in it but is continuously going merky... I have never had issues in the past with this and with cobtroled feeds and no sun exposure. Any tips from anyone? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaxxnz Posted October 20, 2013 Report Share Posted October 20, 2013 vacuum gravel, 50% water change, more current flow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingart Posted October 20, 2013 Report Share Posted October 20, 2013 Gréen, brown or white murky? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrienne Posted October 20, 2013 Report Share Posted October 20, 2013 murky - as in white cloudy, brown cloudy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melrick1 Posted October 20, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 20, 2013 Its more a white merky at the moment, but a few weeks back i had to do a 70% water change as it was a thick green soup. There is high water flow with internal filters and i have been doing regular water changes. Iv had this tank for years and not done anything different which is strange. Do i have to spend up large and get a uv pump?... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrienne Posted October 20, 2013 Report Share Posted October 20, 2013 White cloudy water is often known as 'new tank syndrome' and will eventually clear away, however eventually can range from days - weeks - months as your tank balances itself again. It can be exacerbated by rotting leaves and left over food. Vacuuming and small regular water changes can help it but if you can not bear to wait you can purchase a flocculent from your LFS, which binds the small algae particles which the filter/vacuum can not pick up, into larger masses which are more easily removed. This is sold as water conditioner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F15hguy Posted October 20, 2013 Report Share Posted October 20, 2013 give it a really good gravel siphon/water change and keep waiting. floculants are effective but can gum up your filter during your cycling stage making the overall process longer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melrick1 Posted October 21, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 21, 2013 Thanks for the advice guys, I was doing small regular water changes which were making no difference. Yesterday I did a 50% water change and added some algae killer chamical to the mix - seems to be clearer and fish are still happy. Will do another small water change after work today and just keep ontop of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melrick1 Posted October 22, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 22, 2013 OH NO! I have 2x dead silver sharks and 3x deal blood fin tetras :-( I am so upset with myself, I dont know what I am doing wrong. All the tests are comming back OK. I hope the tap water doesnt have too much chemicals in it, thats all I can think it is... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sophia Posted October 22, 2013 Report Share Posted October 22, 2013 Is it something like the sand is getting stirred up slightly by the current? I find it does that when settling, but if your current is good then it might do it normally too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquaboy1 Posted October 26, 2013 Report Share Posted October 26, 2013 Please tell me your getting rid of the chlorine from the tap water? if you are sounds alot like an algae bloom to me uv steriliser is good never do a 50% water change that was probably what killed your fish not the chem or murky Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F15hguy Posted October 26, 2013 Report Share Posted October 26, 2013 50% WC's are fine, just ensure the temps close enough (+/- 2 degrees) I regularly do 50% changes with no issues, quite often up to 75% if im doing anything in the tank. Fish love fresh water, its like escaping outside from a stuffy room for us. get a full water analysis done at your LFS, and monitor your basics (NH3, NO3) for any changes at home if you can until it settles down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrienne Posted October 26, 2013 Report Share Posted October 26, 2013 How long has the tank been running? Where did you get the silica sand from? Okay tests? What exactly are the results? Are they your own test kits? What brand algae remover did you use and did you follow the instructions exactly? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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