I have a 54 gal freshwater tank that I set up 4 months ago and have not been able to clear the tank up. It stays cloudy to the point you can not see the few fish I have in it. To start off with, I have an Eheim ecco filter and a emporer power filter running. Temp 78 degrees. I have maintained water changes weekly, added water conditioner etc,. Ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, all neg. PH 7.0. I have algone in the filter as well but it won't clear up this tank! I first thought it is a bacterial bloom and will fix itself but I am to the point now of tearing down this whole set-up. I only have 2 cory's, 1 large angel, and 3 german rams in the tank but they are surviving somehow. Pretty much, you can do a large volume water change and the water will go from milky looking to green in just a few days. I don't believe it is lighting because right beside this tank I have a 72 gal cichlid tank that stays crystal clear. It receives the same amt of light etc,. Any ideas what to try next short of dumping this tank?
This is a tough one
- Thread starter teresa33
- Start date
Does this tank have live plants?
What I am thinking is, Nitrates at 0 = Plant life / algae using it. And you mentioned that the water will turn green right after a water change... Have you checked the tap water? Also consider the possibility of Phospahtes in the tap water - that's pretty common.
What I am thinking is, Nitrates at 0 = Plant life / algae using it. And you mentioned that the water will turn green right after a water change... Have you checked the tap water? Also consider the possibility of Phospahtes in the tap water - that's pretty common.
Do you run Algone in the other tanks as well?
I see by reading more that Algone removes Nitrates, so that could be why you're reading zero on that. Water changes remove Nitrates as well. It also reduces ammonia, which really shouldn't be necessary - your tank has been running long enough to do that quite well on its own. My question would be, what is it doing with the ammonia and nitrates? (suspicious)
But I saw no mention of Phosphate when I was trying to read up on Algone.
Another member had a similar problem and he used Phos-Zorb and had significant results in less than 24 hours. I think your tap water probably supplies the phosphates for the algae to bloom green after a water change.
I see by reading more that Algone removes Nitrates, so that could be why you're reading zero on that. Water changes remove Nitrates as well. It also reduces ammonia, which really shouldn't be necessary - your tank has been running long enough to do that quite well on its own. My question would be, what is it doing with the ammonia and nitrates? (suspicious)
But I saw no mention of Phosphate when I was trying to read up on Algone.
Another member had a similar problem and he used Phos-Zorb and had significant results in less than 24 hours. I think your tap water probably supplies the phosphates for the algae to bloom green after a water change.
That member would be..me!
I had similar issues, not quite as severe though. My tank has been cycled for a long time now, I had consistantly cloudy water with 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites and 0 nitrates..
20% water change every week, vacuumed the gravel every other day or as often or not it needed cleaning.
I decided to just leave the tank alone fully for 3 weeks and the water turned CRYSTAL clear to my surprise. I figured something had to be off balance greatly while it was cloudy and it would probably be safe for a water change. Within 24 hours of a water change, the tank got slightly hazey and eventually got rather cloudy again. Water Parameters were excellent too.
Many other Tropical Fish forums suggested I was going through mini-cycles and insisted my test kits were failing to give proper readings. So after investing $40 plus on duplicate test kits, Phos-Zorb was suggested to me and in less than 24 hours the tank cleared a signficant amount. I figure it might take another day or two and it'll be crystal clear again.
I had similar issues, not quite as severe though. My tank has been cycled for a long time now, I had consistantly cloudy water with 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites and 0 nitrates..
20% water change every week, vacuumed the gravel every other day or as often or not it needed cleaning.
I decided to just leave the tank alone fully for 3 weeks and the water turned CRYSTAL clear to my surprise. I figured something had to be off balance greatly while it was cloudy and it would probably be safe for a water change. Within 24 hours of a water change, the tank got slightly hazey and eventually got rather cloudy again. Water Parameters were excellent too.
Many other Tropical Fish forums suggested I was going through mini-cycles and insisted my test kits were failing to give proper readings. So after investing $40 plus on duplicate test kits, Phos-Zorb was suggested to me and in less than 24 hours the tank cleared a signficant amount. I figure it might take another day or two and it'll be crystal clear again.
Dan06 said:
Hey - I noticed you said your tank had been cycled for awhile, yet you were getting reading of all zeros including NitrAte. Did you ever figure out why you were getting zero for the NitrAtes??
The reason I am asking - I recycled two of my tanks and used old nasty filters to start the cycle up again. And 4 weeks later I still have zero reading everywhere. I have also bought duplicate API tests thinking my other tests were wrong but I got the same readings.
Thanks!!
Since I was involved in the thread we were referencing, I'll go ahead and answer this one. It seems that the Nitrates were being used by algae. The tank didn't look green, it looked just generally cloudy, but when Dan06 put some tank water in a white container, he was able to see just the slightest tinge of green. Since the tank has a very light bio-load, and nothing else worked, phosphates in the tap water were suspected as a nutrient source other than Nitrates. That's why he tried Phos-Zorb. Looks like it might be the answer - he seems to be getting results.guppygal said:
Phosphates in tap water is becoming more and more common.
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Thanks for everyones help. I am going to try phos-x and see what kind if any results i have. My other tanks stay crystal clear so i have had a hard time trying to figure this one out. I have a 72gal bowfront beside this tank that houses 20 cichlids and 2 lace cats. It is quite overstocked but the fish are thriving and beautiful. I have a Fluval 404 and Aquaclear 110 on this tank and it is always crystal clear.