I can't see through........

[tank3544]

I know this is like beating a dead horse but I've read all the things that came up in search and I'm not satisfied with what I read. My situation is slightly different so I thought I'd ask the experts.

My water is EXTREMELY cloudy. So much so that I can hardly see the filter hanging down in the back. I guess it was a few weeks ago and it started to cloud up a bit. Nothing too extreme but it was like blurry eyes looking into the tank. So I did a 20% water change and put in some water clarifier. It didn't get crystal clear but it was better. A couple days later it was worse than it originally was when i did the first water change.

At this point I decided to do a 50% water change. I stopped putting in plant food and the fish are being fed sparingly once a day. But it's continually getting worse up to today. It's so bad, like I mentioned, I can barely make out the filter in the back of the tank. The water change made so little of a difference you could hardly tell I had done a water change.

I'm afraid to do another water change. The first water change I did my gravel vac like normal to pull up extra food and poop. The second water change I REALLY dug around with it to suck up anything I may have missed the first time.

So this is where I stand now. What the heck should I do?

[Roan Art]

Well, first we have to know if it's green or white cloudy :)

Roan

[tank3544]

white .. no algae here

[Jay]

Tank are you sure it is white? Put some tank water in a white coffee cup and check it out. It makes a big difference in how we help.

Tell us as much about you water conditions as possible. GH KH pH etc.

How old is the tank? What is the substrate?

Buck up, this is a common newbie problem we just need information :)

Jay

[CatLover]

Do you have any decorative rocks/wood/non-traditional aquarium decorations?

Good luck!!

[Watcher74]

I've had tanks that with the aquarium light on, it is a white cloudy, with the lights on the tank off, but the lights in the room on...it's a greenish cloudy.

Algae or bacteria bloom either way. Either wait a week and it will clear up or, if that doesn't work, try to shade it from indirect sunlight in some manner. The bloom will not hurt the fish. Mainly just an eyesore.

[tank3544]

ok i just put some of the water in a clear glass .. and well the water looks clear in the glass .. not green or white

to be honest tho like watcher said when i turned off the lights it does look like it has a greenish tint to it .. i did have some algae on the glass about 2 weeks ago but i cleaned it off and i'm treating the water for algae .. in fact i just stopped that treament 2 days ago

the tank has been up since early december .. the substrate is partial gravel, partial flourite clay .. the clay being under the gravel

the only decorations are store bought and were cleaned before putting them in ..they've been in for a month or more

the water conditions are normal .. ammonia, nitrates, and all that are where they are supposed to be but the PH is a little low .. 6.5 i believe

thanks for the help!

[Roan Art]

Did you add the algae kill before or after this problem started?

Most of that algae killer will also kill off your biofilter, which could account for the bacteria bloom.

Roan

[tank3544]

well right after i did the first water change a like 2 weeks ago i noticed the algae and put the stuff in .. and i've been putting it in every few days

if that's the case then man that sucks .. since my bio is all gone should i just go ahead and replace my bio wheel and filter?

should i let this run its course or keep doing water changes every day?

any idea how long it'll take to clear back up?

[tank3544]

ok so here we are almost a full week later .. it continually got worse so i finally had enough .. i did a 50% water change 2 days ago if not more

i pulled all but the healthiest plants, removed their new decorations and put the ones in from the old tank when it was clear

after the what change it looked better .. still pretty milky but at least i could finally tell what paper i had up in the back of the tank

now today its getting bad again .. i can't take this .. what should i do?

[budrecki]

What are youe exact reading, ph,nitrite,nitrate,ammonia?

Its either bacterial bloom or algae bloom, but to help you I need the numbers.

[Watcher74]

Within two weeks of you doing absolutely nothing, one day you will notice it all almost completely gone. The next day after that it will be beautifully clear.

I promise.

[tank3544]

so if i stop doing water changes and just let it go it'll clear up?
cause its been like this for 2 weeks or more already and its getting old

have i been making it worse doing water changes?

[Watcher74]

They could be feasting off of the nutrients in your tap water. If you stop feeding them fresh water they will die off very rapidly after a while. Usually in less than two weeks. Doubtfully as long as three.

I have experienced this several times.

[tank3544]

are there enough nutrients in gallons of spring water to have the same effect? if not i think i may pick up 10 or so gallons tomorrow

[Watcher74]

Bottled water is actually under less regulation than tap water in the USA. So...well I have no idea if "spring water" is better. That spring water may very well be just some tap water from somewhere else. It is a complete unknown.

Try it if you want to. But if you want to have some control over the situation just wait a couple of weeks. I promise that the fish will not completely fall apart because you skip a week or two on water changes. Unless the cycle is messed up in some way and ammonia levels are a factor.