my poor tank

bethkira2000

AC Members
Jan 5, 2007
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Maine
about a week ago I added two kinds of live plants, now my tank is all cloudy. Is it because of the plants, do I have to take them out, or do I add something to help. Please tell me what I need to do.:uhoh:
 
Can you tell us a bit more about your tank...?

Size, how long established, how many/what kind of fish? What kind of plants?

Current water parameters?
 
100_9413.JPGeverything I have tested is normal, or where it is safe, it is a 55g with 10 fish,
eight gourami, and two tetras. I don't know what exact kind of plant but I will put a pic on here.

100_9413.JPG
 
i have a few ideas that might be the problem you could be over feeding the fish or you could have the fistank light on for to long you should do a water change a least twice a month.
 
I just did a whole cleaning and tank change down to nothing two weeks ago, and The light is only on for day time hours, so like 6 in the morning until 6 at night, and I might be over feeding but nothing else is wrong.
 
what exactly did you do during this "whole cleaning and tank change down to nothing"? i think that is the most likely cause of your problem right there.
 
we took out everything, and cleaned it including the gravel, we changed the filter, and then put it all back together. Everything was fine until we added the plants. Which was about a week later. But all the plants seem to have begun to turn brown, and the floaters have been sucked to the filter, and stayed there. And I have had this tank with most of these fish for two years.
 
What kind of lighting do you have on the tank?I don't think the plants have anything to do with the cloudy water. Why did you break down the tank? That is most likely the problem right there since you have now forced the tank into a new cycle. Cleaning it that way most likely killed all of the good bacteria needed to help the tank be safe for the fish and plants to live in. What is you water change schedule like? How often and how much? How big is the tank? We need more info on the tank which will help us help you with this problem.

Marinemom
 
we took out everything, and cleaned it including the gravel, we changed the filter, and then put it all back together. Everything was fine until we added the plants. Which was about a week later. But all the plants seem to have begun to turn brown, and the floaters have been sucked to the filter, and stayed there. And I have had this tank with most of these fish for two years.

tanks stay nice and stable because of the beneficial bacteria that turn fish wastes into nontoxic compunds, which can be removed through water changes. when you totally broke the tank down and cleaned it, and changed the filter, you completely killed off all of your good bacteria, allowing ammonia to build up in the tank during this time. the plants dying and breaking down is adding even more bad chemicals into the water, and the cloudiness you are seeing is a bacterial bloom due to all the "free food" in the water - ammonia, nitrites, decomposing plant bits, etc.

do you do water changes for the tank? how much and how often?
how often do you "break the tank down" and clean it completely?
what kind of test kit are you using? strips or a liquid kit?
what are the EXACT numbers for the tests?
 
What are the exct ammonia, nitrite and nitrate readings? Liquid test kit, or dip strips?
 
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