Cloudy Tank -- Algae blooms?

JimsWork2

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Oct 10, 2001, 7:04:20 AM10/10/01

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We (my wife and I) are beginners at keeping tropical fish. We got
a 29 gallon tank a year ago, and learned a lot (the hard way) about
overfeeding, ick, overcrowding, etc.

We started with an under-gravel filter with a power head. This turned
out to be not so good, because too much goop got sucked under the
screen and caused nitrite/nitrate buildup eventually. So we moved
to Penguin Bio-wheel filters and took the under-gravel filter out.

One problem which we have not been able to solve in this entire
year is a continuous problem with cloudy water. We actually
are running TWO filters on the tank, when one should be more
than adequate. Our days of over-feeding and over crowding are
long past.

We tried water clarity agents -- they actually seemed to make things
worse. We've done 50% water changes every weekend for four
weeks and still the cloudiness remains. Despite the fact that
they can screw up the biology of the tank, we've done full water
changes, cleaning everything in sight, and the cloudiness returns
in about a week or two.

There is not a problem with nitrates, nitrites, or ammonia buildup.
We test for those things. PH is kept about 7.2, temperature about
76 degrees. We don't have live plants, just plastic ones. The
cloudiness seems to be independent of the number of fish in
the tank. Right now we only have two clown loaches, two
mollies and two guppies.

I am wondering if algae blooms are the problem. Someone suggested
keeping the light off for longer periods of time. Has anyone else had
this problem?

Sebastien Oung

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Oct 10, 2001, 8:17:09 AM10/10/01

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do the clouds look milky or green? if milky sometimes it can be minute air
bubbles

seraphine

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Oct 10, 2001, 9:33:16 AM10/10/01

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yes keeping the light on for over 8-10 hours could possibly cause cloudiness
and algae blooms. also if the tank is situated too near to a window, could
definitely cause this.

in a couple instances of this situation, ive noticed that actually planting
live plants in the tank will take the cloudiness out quickly. id imagine
that the conditions need to be just right for this to work however -
meaning, it might not work in all cases!

-seraphine

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Sebastien Oung

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Oct 10, 2001, 11:11:20 AM10/10/01

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for plants use duckweed--first they suck lots of nitate, second they block out
light, but doesn't work well if there's lots of water agitation

News & Views

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Oct 10, 2001, 1:02:34 PM10/10/01

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I will offer some options or possibilities....

1. I find with my plastic plant tank I have to wipe the glass with a scrub
pad ALOT or it seems to be frosted or cloudy....

2. Those minute air bubbles someone mentioned. They drove me crazy until I
went to the LFS and they had the same thing. I asked what are they and they
told me its minute air bubbles....They look like crud with the light
on....usually filling the tank more stops it....

3. Do you have any limestone type rocks? They can breakdown....

4. Keeping the light off might help from what I have read.....

Oddly enough, I am having more problems with plastic planted tank than the
planted tanks....I suggest a few easy to grow plants like Java Fern....they
really suck up the bad stuff inthe water....

Dave

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JimsWork2

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Oct 10, 2001, 2:25:00 PM10/10/01

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Milky brown

JimsWork2

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Oct 10, 2001, 2:26:44 PM10/10/01

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Seraphine wrote:

>in a couple instances of this situation, ive noticed that actually planting
>live plants in the tank will take the cloudiness out quickly.

But having live plants means I need
more light, doesn't it? Which could
then lead to further algae or bacteria
blooms?

Sebastien Oung

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Oct 10, 2001, 2:28:15 PM10/10/01

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odd--algae is supposed to be green; but plants will absorb pollution,
worth trying

JimsWork2 wrote:

> Milky brown

Frank/Kay

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Oct 10, 2001, 5:47:57 PM10/10/01

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If the water has a green color to it, it's an algae bloom. Too much light or
direct sunlite. Water changes won't help, not for long anyway. The algae
spores can be filtered out with a diatom or micron cartridges. An
ultraviolet sterilizer or a product called Acurel "E", eather one will kill
algae spores... Milky color water is most likely be a bacterial bloom, but
with a bacterial bloom, at some point, you would have an ammonia/nitrite
spike... Organic pollution - water could be clear, light yellow, or milky
color. A build-up of DOCs and POCs (dissolved and pariculate organic
compounds) from not enough gravel vac maintenance. A weekly 20% water
change, taken while doing a good gravel vac would solve organic pollution...
The only other thing it might be (that I can think of) would be the gravel,
sea shells, or rocks you have with-in the tank...........Frank
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