FishProfiles.com Message Forums

Hmmm yeah the water shouldnt be cloudy considering those numbers. According to those test results you're done cycling, and can start increasing the stock. Just be sure that it happens slowly to allow your biofilter to catch up to the load you're adding by increasing the stock.
What filter are you running on it?

^_^[hr width='40%']"Has someone taken your faith? It's real, the pain you feel.
The life, the love, You die to heal.
The hope that starts, The broken hearts...
I’ve got another confession my friend, I’m no fool.
I’m getting tired of starting again, Somewhere new."

cloudy water is often cause if the bacteria are not fully developed in the filter wich COULD mea u are cleaning the fiter too often plants would make a substancial difference and believe or not it is posible to obtain bi-vale moluscs from the L.Aq.S. which filter feed and could come in handy if it turns out to be particulat clouding/:'

I really have no idea what my light isIt has no numbers on it, and is a single long light. It is very bright,and goes the fiull legnth of the hood. Other than that, I have no idea(it doesn't look likt that light that you showed me)
I washed the filter cartrf=idge in the removed tanks water, and I was supprised at how much dead looking algea came out!All is fine now...and I get my honey gourami tomorrow!

Yes, sorry WPG are watts per gallon.
If they're florescent tubes its' fairly easy to tell even if it's not written on the tube (check to see if it is). Otherwise for the most part length = wattage. For instance a 2' tube will be 20 watts, 3' tube 30 watts ect. If it's not a florescent tube and is just a regular bulb screw in incandescent bulb, switch it with a compact florescent screw in as incandescent lighting hasnt got the right kelvin rating for plant growth.

Screw in florescent bulb easily found in most stores as an "energy saver" bulb.
A few things to keep in mind with lighting for plants. The bulbs will last much longer than is benificial for the plants. You'll generally want to replace them once a year or so. They'll still put out light, but it loses a bit of what the plants really appreaciate. Also when looking for bulbs you want ones that are rated as "daylight" and have a Kelvin in the 5500-6700K range which is generally accepted to be the best for plant growth.

Yes the mulm will accumulate in the filter media...quick rinse in the tank water you've removed during regular maintence is your best option as it'll preserve some of your bacterial colonies. Then if you have house plants or a garden water them with your tank water they'll love you for it :88).

^_^[hr width='40%']"Has someone taken your faith? It's real, the pain you feel.
The life, the love, You die to heal.
The hope that starts, The broken hearts...
I’ve got another confession my friend, I’m no fool.
I’m getting tired of starting again, Somewhere new."[/font]

WPG=watts per gallon?
I don't really know what kind of light I have It was the same one I used for a 10g a few years ago, but I don't remember what the light was. Yeah, I'll just wash the filter out. It's just that the flow is a little interupted by all the mulm in the media....

Hmmm those plants are on the lower end of light requirement. Refresh my memory, how many WPG?
Generally for plant growth you want around 10 hours a day, but that's of course dependant on the plant load and how much they're able to consume.
If @all possible you dont want to replace a filter cartridge but instead rinse it out in used tank water when doing regular maintence as replacing it will remove a large portion of the biofilter thus causing a minicycle.

^_^ [hr width='40%']"Has someone taken your faith? It's real, the pain you feel.
The life, the love, You die to heal.
The hope that starts, The broken hearts...
I’ve got another confession my friend, I’m no fool.
I’m getting tired of starting again, Somewhere new."

..I've got a question....Since the light has been off for three days and I'm turning it on today, will five hours be too much? I'm leaving the phosphate filter media in, but can the algae come back with five hrs. of light? Plus, tomorrow will be the last day for a 10% water change. Should I do anything about the algea after that, or just leave the tank as it is? (I need to replace the filter cartridge, but I'll wait a few days for that.)
I figured I'd ask since this post is still around! Thanks again for all the help guys! I'm soooooo happy with my nice new clear tank!haha

Yeah, after testing my tap water, my LFS found that there were some phosphates in my tap water. So they gave me a phosphate clearing filter media, and told me to do 10% water changes for 5 days. (and also to keep the lights off for three.) I've done this for two days, and already I can see the filter intake at the back! (It was also my food....I fed wardley foods, and supposedly those are crap.) I got new food and everything seems to be fine. The water changes aren't affecting my chemestry, so all is well! Thanks for all your help! You've all been so kind and helped my through! I'll have to seed pictures of when it is all clear!
Thanks again guys! Now I can get some honey gouramis!!! YAY!!

Well, quick fixes are often not a real answer...and you're likely to have issues with the same problem again if you do use "quick fixes" without addressing the main problem.
High phosphates, unless your tapwater contains a lot (you'll know after the LFS visit) will come from photsphates in the fish food. I know first hand that it doesnt take much "overfeeding" to cause phosphate issues. Combined with the green water issue you may have success with more frequent water changes. Now that you're done with the cycling process careful tank maintence and water changes, without overdoing gravel cleaning may likely take care of the issue for you.
If it turns out you do have high phosphates in your tap water there are a number phosphate removing media that you can use in your filter. I've used Seachem's phosguard before.

^_^ [hr width='40%']"Cause you can't jump the track,we're like cars on a cable
and life's like an hourglass, glued to the table
No one can find the rewind button girl,
So cradle your head in you hands
And breathe, just breathe..."

I took my water to the LFS, and they said that my Phosphate level was high. They think this comes from my tap water, so I'm going to bring in some tomorrow. From there they will tell me what to to, butI'll just have to wait. I cut down the ammount of light today, so hopefully that will help.
I can't believe that people want their tanks to look like that! It is so bad!
I was just looking around on the internet for green water remedys. I found this product that goes in your filter called Algone. It seems to work....has anyone had any expieriences with this? If My LFS doesn't tell me anything useful and quick, I will buy that stuff....

Last edited by fairynr at 27-May-2005 20:24

Hi,
Actually...would you believe some folks actually grow tanks
of green water for their fish? Yup! It's true. It makes
great food for small baby fry.

Your plants will do fine with a photo period of 10 hours.
Any more in your situation will simply agravate the problem.
Follow the directions on that site I gave you and your
Green Water will disappear... over time. The only ways to
immediately get rid of it is to purchase a diatom filter,
or purchase a Ultra Violet light system (UV system) both
are expensive.

Frank


-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

My plants are: two Cryptocoryne x willisii
one Anubias barteri var. nana
I think these are the plants, but since the store owner didn't write their names on the bag, I kinda forgot and just tried to match the pictures on a site...
Supposedly, those plants don't need much light, so should I turn off the lights early?(I leave the lights on for about 12-14 hours a day....a lot)The water in my tank deffinetly is the same as the "pea soup" described in the article(thanks frank!).
It seems really hard to get the algea away. Is there an easier way?
And, about my filter cartridges. The filter media and carbon are all together in one plastic cartridge. (the foam is on the outside and attatched directly to the plastic cartridge, so I can't take it off and clean it.) Would there be some cartridges like yours, babelfish, that would fit in my filter? They seem the better way to go.
My fish are perfectly fine.....I'm just upset about the water. I'm thinking about going to my LFS and asking them about green water. UGH! I hate it!]:|

Last edited by fairynr at 27-May-2005 14:53

Hi,
Now that the tank is cycled, lets look at the green, cloudy,
water. It is a common occurance and one that can be "fixed"
quite easily (the good news).

This link will take you to a very good site that explains
what it is, how it occurs, and how to rid yourself and your
tank of the problem:
[link=http://www.otocinclus.com/articles/greenwater.html]http://www.otocinclus.com/articles/greenwater.html" style="COLOR: #FF00FF[/link]


Frank


-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

That filter is fine...I ran a style similar to yours (still running it actually) on my 10. Yes the directions say to replace the entire insert every 3 weeks (brilliant marketing strategy there ). Since I decided it was just plain stupid I didnt . Mine was designed as a floss sleeve that goes over a plastic frame that is then filled with the carbon. Not only did I quit with the carbon (personal reasons) but the floss sleeves actually last quite a long time if you're careful when you rinse them in used tank water. If you do run carbon it's a simple thing to shake it out of the insert then swish in the used tank water when doing a water change to get all the remaining bits out.

Green cloudy is different than white cloudy. Green usually signifies an type of algae bloom. How long do you leave your lights on a day? How many, and what type of plants?

^_^ [hr width='40%']"Has someone taken your faith? It's real, the pain you feel.
The life, the love, You die to heal.
The hope that starts, The broken hearts...
I&#8217;ve got another confession my friend, I&#8217;m no fool.
I&#8217;m getting tired of starting again, Somewhere new."

fairynr
I'm running a cascade 80 (outside filter). Should I get another filter, because since the filter cartridges need to be thrown away every few weeks,

I do not know that filter at all.
What has got me concerned who/where told you to replace the filter every few weeks. This will cause problems at every replacement.

Most if not all can be rinced in the old tank water when you are doing a water change. And you can also add a Bio Starter (several brands) to replenish your good bacteria to its origional state.

Keith

Near enough is not good enough, therefore good enough is not near enough, and only your best will do.
I VOTE DO YOU if not WHY NOT?
VOTE NOW VOTE NOW

I'm running a cascade 80 (outside filter). Should I get another filter, because since the filter cartridges need to be thrown away every few weeks, doesn't that start another mini-cycle every time(the filter bacteria is thrown away)? I was thinking about that today as I read some of my aquarium books.
Also, my water has somewhat of a green tint to it. Not alot, just alittle. This could be because of the light reflecting off the plants, but I'm wondering if it's something else. I was thinking of calling my LFS and bring them a water sample to see if they can figure out what is wrong. Again, my water quality is fine, so I can't see any problems with that. I'm so confused!

I've had my ten gallon tank for about a month now. I have three tetras, two guppies, two danios, and two corries. No plants yet, but I will get them in a few days. But the one problem.....my water is somewhat cloudy! What causes this and what can I do to clean it up? I siphoned off some of the debris today and took out about 20% of the water, but it didn't help much. Please help!

I think the cycle may be close to over! I just tested yesterday and here are the results:
Ammonia:0ppm
Nitrite:0ppm
Nitrate:10ppm
I was VERY happy when I found that my nitrites were 0! I also moved most of the fish out of the tank, so that will make it easier. But the water is still cloudy. How long may it take for ths to clear up? It seems quite hopeless now, and I'm afraid that the water will never be clear! Also, some of the water has evaporated. Is it okay to add some? My tap water is from a well, and is amazing, so there are never any problems there.
At this point, I'm just somewhat depressed that the water is so cloudy! Will it get better? :#(

Hi,
First, I assume you have read, and understood the link
that Babelfish gave you on the nitrogen cycle. If not,
go back and read it. Cycling a tank can take "forever"
for someone who has expected to purchase a tank, dump in
the gravel, pour in the water, toss in the fish, and then
sit back and look. It simply does not work that way.

Actually, you probably have too many fish in the tank to
start with. In a tank that size two guppies would have
been fine.
Feeding the fish too much, too much fish waste
products, and the lack of helpful bacteria has given
you the cloudy water.
What you are seeing is normal, for the circumstances.
To make matters worse, every time you change the water,
you dilute the "soup" and delay the length of time it
will take for the tank to cycle.

Your readings indicate that the cycling process is
beginning. The Ammonia has dropped to zero, which is
great. The nitrite is 2 (Keep an eye on this, it can be
as dangerous to fish as ammonia), and the nitrate is up
to 20. Now, simply cut back on the amount of food you
are feeding, and continue to test the water. The nitrite
will continue to fall, and the nitrate will rise.
When, and IF, the nitrates exceed 40, then and only then,
do a small water change of say 10%. Just enough to reduce
the nitrates to below 40. Soon, the water will become
crystal clear.

You have to give the bacteria that has started growing
in the gravel and filter, time to establish themselves.
There are three different groups of bacteria and each takes
time to appear, and then grow to handle the amount of waste
products that are in the water.

Your LFS is correct in his approach. He/She is erring on
the side of caution and trying to show you the "natural"
way of cycling a tank. To give someone the chemicals that
were mentioned works, and the tank will cycle faster, but
you miss out on the "chemistry lesson" that will help you
through years and years of successful fishkeeping.
In short, the chemicals work, but you learn a lesson...
any time something goes wrong, or you want to change
something in the tank, you do it chemically, instead of
naturally. This can lead to some horrible mistakes in the
future.

Relax.
Watch your feeding habits. Feed slowly.
(Instead of "dumping" a couple of pinches of food on the
surface. Feed slowly, a little at at time so that the fish
get most of it before it hits the bottom.)
Watch the nitrates... When/if they go over 40, change
just enough to bring it down below 40.

Your tank will become crystal clear, in time.

Frank


-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

Hey!
I was away at a all-state music festival this weekend, so I haven't had time to reply!
Because I was away, my mother had to take care of the tank for three days. Well....when I got back, the tank was so cloudy that I couldn't even see the fish in the back of the tank! I did a water change, and all is better now(but I got quite a scare!)
I bought some plants today, and tested the water. Here are the results:
Ammonia:0ppm
Nitrite:2ppm
Nitrate:20ppm
Is this good that the nitrites are dropping and that the nitrates are rising? I was told by my LFS that I should not do anything and wait for the cloudyness to go away. Should I do this? They don't sell the products that you suggested(they say that it doesn't work.)