cloudy water question #2

roghib

AC Members
Oct 26, 2006
51
0
0
61
Central Oregon
Ok, I am a touch confused and hoping someone can enlighten me. I don't quite understand why this is happening. I understand that the water clouding is an inbalance in the water chemistry and should clear up in time. But why is it clear in the morning but turns cloudy (white not green) by mid day and by evening hard to see back glass. The only thing I know that is happening is at night my lights and pressurized co2 shuts down. Is the co2 a catalyst in making the bacteria bloom...and is it possible this bacteria dies off during the down time at night? I did notice this cloudiness coincided with the point at which I have the co2 adjusted to now. I have yet to achieve the "green" zone but getting close ( Overflow filters suck with co2....at 3 bubbles per sec and still not there yet :( )

Water parameters:
Temp 76
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 20
ph 7-7.2
kh 3-3.5
90 gallons
4x65 watt bulbs (2 - 10k, 2 - 6500)
Lights on from 6am to 8:30pm
 
I don't know if this is your cloudy problem, but having your lights on 14 1/2 hours a day is way to long. About 10 hours a day is a proven time frame.

Hope you get some other ideas from the good folks here on the forum.
 
Another thing to look is is tank placement. Does direct sunlight shine into the tank at anytime during the day?
 
Direct light

Tank certainly isnt in any direct light. But seeing the direction you guys are headed...are you thinking this is a algae situation and not bacterial?
 
My tank got real cloudy with just water and gravel after i added a bacerial supplement, but as soon as i put live plants that came with some free snails the cloudiness was gone within a day.
 
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