View Full Version : H2O looks like there's talc floating in it
I had a happy 10 g tank, but got snails (from plants). Couldn't get rid of them with "HAD A SNAIL", so I went wacko and started the whole thing over again. Ever since, my water's been cloudy, and I can see what looks like tiny chalk dust floating all throughout the water. I did a partial, it went away, then came back after 4 days and progressively worsens.
All the fish are fine, nobody's lethargic or bouncing off anything. Everyone's eating. What is going on and how do I fix it?
wetmanNY
03-02-2003, 10:29 AM
We need to know your KH or alkalinity, which you can get a test for at the lfs. It may be high.
Probably you have put a "conditioner" or two into the water: which ones? a pH adjuster? a "flocculant" or water clearer? Give us brand names so we know what's in there?
Cloudiness goes away when microscopic plankton balance their populations naturally. One morning you get up, look at the aquarium, and *ping* it's clear as crystal!
We'll help you get there!
I started my tank with "STRESS COAT" and am supplementing with "PROQUATICS bacteria starter".
Thanks for responding so quickly.
wetmanNY
03-02-2003, 8:29 PM
I don't have a clue yet...
125gJoe
03-03-2003, 4:38 PM
You may want to look into getting a Diatom Filter such as a Vortex D-1. This filter will clean out extremely small particles (even Ich). Another way to put it is this filter "polishes" the water super clean. :)
wetmanNY
03-03-2003, 5:30 PM
Well, a bacteria product should provide you with a founder population of bacteria. Then they should get established. A product that you're "supposed" to keep adding to the system isn't successful. Your bacteria-in-a-jar have already worked. Or they haven't. Either way, don't add any more.
So, your tank is cycling, then. Some cloudiness is to be expected. You aren't seeing minute "flakes" of precipitates, then. ("Talc" gave that impression.)
Get a big plastic jug (PolandSpring etc.), and fill it for water changes. Let it stand for a full day before you use it. Don't fill more than to the "shoulder" of the can. Lots of water surface eh. Give it a slosh sometimes when you go past it.
Does your utility use chloramines? Or just chlorine? Get the plainest dechlorinator you can find, and save your Stress Coat for when you're feeling stressed. See whether some of its mix of ingredients are contributing to the cloudiness.
Which beginner's book are you reading? (I like David Boruchowitz' book.)