Water Cloudiness

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kittyhazelton

I eat sushi
Aug 15, 2005
198
0
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39
Hartford, VT
elfwood.lysator.liu.se
OK, I've been doing water changes regularly, well, at least every other week. But recently seem to have a problem with cloudy water. I orriginally thought it was just microbubbles from my skimmer and/or soot from my sand, but to test out the bubble theory I turned my skimmer off overnight just to see if the cloudiness would go away. It made no differnce. Right now the tank is a 55 gallon fowlr. I've tried two types of water clearers, have changed my filter media out, etc. Currently in my tank I have 1 lawnmower blenny, 1 Choc. Chip star, 1 maroon clown, 1 yellow tang, 1 neon goby, and 1 green mandarin dragonet, along with a a small assortment of hermit crabs. (I used to have a few snails, but it seems that crabs have killed them all. I didn't have enough to begin with) I also have about 50-60lbs of live rock.
What should I do about the cloudiness? I've been feeding my fish sparingly, and they seem to eat it all up pretty quick so I don't think there's been much (if anythinging) left over. All water parameters seem to be in check, and the fish seem to be quite happy. I'm quite amused by the little kissy marks on the edges of the tank where the blenny has sucked off the algae.
 

OrionGirl

No freelancing!
Aug 14, 2001
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Poconos
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Sheila
How old is the tank? What kind of substrate? That's quite a few fish for a 55--what are the actual test results?
 

kittyhazelton

I eat sushi
Aug 15, 2005
198
0
0
39
Hartford, VT
elfwood.lysator.liu.se
Don't remember the exact numbers right off hand. (I'm better at remembering the color) I checked it yesterday morning, and everything seemed OK, no noticable changes in results for the past few weeks. The tank itself is fairly new, a few months old. (Don't yell at me about the mandarin, an ignorant friend gave him to me, besides he's eating prepared food regularly)
I had a bit of an algae spike a couple weeks ago, but the blenny has eliminated almost all traces of algae. When I do do water changes I've been changing about 10gallons at a time. Do you think it would be OK to do a very large (60-75%) water change? Or would I be risking side-affects? Not to mention rapid PH/Nirtate/amonia fluctuations. I was thinking of preparing the water well ahead of time before doing this.
 

OrionGirl

No freelancing!
Aug 14, 2001
14,053
342
143
Poconos
Real Name
Sheila
Water changes should always be done with matching parameter water--as close as on the non-waste, readings, anyway. A larger water change shouldn't impact the bacteria at all--they are not free floating in the water. I'd probably go with a large water change, then see if it comes back. Anything else would be pre-emptive at this point, and maybe counter productive. Cloudiness tends to be harmless, just unsightly.

And I do recall about the mandarin--the friend owed you moolah, and bought the fish as repayment, I think, right? Not a big deal--as long as it has a rounded tummy, and is eating. :)
 

FloridaBoy

AC Members
Jan 10, 2005
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Kitty, those numbers you cannot recall could be critical here, please take a water sample to your LFS and have them check for ammonia and nitrites.
Persisitent cloudy water indicated a filtration problem, what is your current filtration exactly? Massive water changes can create shock issues with temp and/or PH so proceed with caution.
 
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kittyhazelton

I eat sushi
Aug 15, 2005
198
0
0
39
Hartford, VT
elfwood.lysator.liu.se
perhaps I just overreacted about the cloudy water. I did a normal sized water change and stirred up the substrate a little to help clean out some of the gunk, and the water seems to be clearing up quite a bit. In the mean time as I was doing this, I also discovered my two neon gobies that I thought had dissapeard for good. (the substrate moved around disturbed the entrance to the little cave they had made under one of my pieces of live rock) Perhaps my tank was just a bit dirty. (Plus i questioned my BF and he had been feeding the fish more than I though he was.) So, I think it's going to be OK, though I am thinging of doing something extra about the filtration system. Right now I have a 10gal (homemade per friend of mine) sump with bioballs, and filter fiber to help keep the tank clean, not to mention the 6olbs of live rock. But I'm wondering, would a decent sized hang-on filter help out a bit? I already have a protien skimmer as well. I don't want to go overboard if it's not nessesary. I'd hate to have a whole lotta junk hanging off of my tank.
 
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FloridaBoy

AC Members
Jan 10, 2005
375
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The thing you need to determine is the turnover rate.
The volume of water being moved/filtered/skimmed per hour is very important and will reflect on the overall health of your system, water clarity, efficiency, etc. Did you have your water tested as I suggested?
 

kittyhazelton

I eat sushi
Aug 15, 2005
198
0
0
39
Hartford, VT
elfwood.lysator.liu.se
yes I did, and they said it was OK. Nitrites 0, Nitrates 20, PH 8.1, amonia 0, I know the pump on my sump is rated for like 350gal/hour, plus I have two 75gal/hour powerheads. Not sure what size the powerhead on my skimmer is, it's the one that came with it. I'm not sure, but I think I could use stronger powerheads. What should the turnover rate for a 55gal tank be?
 
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