White Cloudy Tank

[milrtime]

Unless the filter is assembled wrong, the only thing I can think of that is causing it to clog so quickly is overfeeding on a large scale.

Should not be from overfeeding. One of the first items I found when researching this issue was to reduce the amount of food I am giving the fish. I was already feeding only once a day. Since the cloud formed and with only two fish left they get a very small amount and I have have even skipped two days in the last 8.

I am feeding them TetraCichlid Mini Granules.

I think this filter is not so good but I don't want to do anything to hurt the new cycle that should (at least I hope) be starting by replacing it. Once I get things back to OK and it has been OK for awhile then I will look to upgrade my filter. Probably do something like run both filters side by side for a week (or two) then remove the old one. I will do this research after the Cycle has started back up again.

It has been quite awhile and I think I am doing the right thing but nothing is changing. My tank is so cloudy that even when I do 50% water changes the fish can swim up to the front of the glass I can barely see them.

- How much longer will it take?

 

[ggrfgirl]

OMG - I am having the exact same problem!

Same filter and everything.....only I changed the filter cartridge and 3 days later it was clogged again!!! If you figure out the problem, please post here & let me know!!!
Thanks,
Lisa

 

[ggrfgirl]

Oh - and another question for everyone about not replacing this type of filter cartridge - how exactly am I supposed to clean an old one out? If I wash it out in the sink under the sprayer, tap water will kill the bacteria too, right? I'm just not quite sure how to "unclog" it - can anyone help with the specifics? Thanks!

 

[leeser28]

Oh - and another question for everyone about not replacing this type of filter cartridge - how exactly am I supposed to clean an old one out? If I wash it out in the sink under the sprayer, tap water will kill the bacteria too, right? I'm just not quite sure how to "unclog" it - can anyone help with the specifics? Thanks!

When I do my water changes I swish the filter around in a bucket of the old water to loosen the stuff. It could be algae that is clogging your filter -- that is what I usually find clogging mine. (I'm still learning how to do this too - I used to change mine every other water change). Good luck, Lisa

 

[milrtime]

Hello All,

First off thanks to those who provided some tips on being patient and what I need to do to fix this.

I think I am finally starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel (or in this case the back of my tank). Here is a quick overview of what I did to fix this and what I believe is the root cause.

- Two weeks ago today I replaced my clogged filter cartridge per the manufacturers instructions,
- Two days later the tank starts to form a white cloud
- Two days after the cloud forms 3 of my five fish are dead
- Tank is now so cloudy that I cannot see the back of the tank and the two remaining fish are just eerie shadows moving around
- Performed daily water changes 20% - 50%
- significantly reduced the amount of food the fish get sometimes even skipping a day
- After day 8 from the filter change then new filter is clogged again. I tried to clean it by swishing it around and squeezing the filter. It did not help filter was still clogged. I did not want to start the cycle over so I replaced the filter and dropped the old one in the tank.
- after 48 hours of the old filter floating in the tank I removed it and did my normal daily 50% water change. At this point the tank was still so cloudy I could not see any fish or decorations.
- within 6 hours of removing the old filter out of the tank the water started to clear up and ammonia levels started to drop.
- within 24 hours my tank is crystal clear

Now from an aesthics point the tank is bueatiful again but the Cylcle is still not complete (but it is close)

Using API test kits (Many have suggested these but I already had them)

Ammonia: approx 6ppm
Nitrite: approx .5 ppm
Nitrate: approx 8ppm (This was the only test kit I did not have until recently)
PH: 7.2

Question: for a 20 Gallon tank with African (the generic kind) Cichlids what would be a healthy amount of Nitrates?

I am not sure if it is coincidence or not but I believe the root cause was a contaminated filter cartridge. I am not sure how because I unwrapped it from the new packaging and then immediately used it. But the fact that once this filter in question was completely removed from the tank it cleared leads me to wonder...

Again thanks for the tips and support. I hope to become a regular poster on this forum as my tank continues to thrive.

 

[Temeraire]

Your fish should be dead. 6ppm ammonia is insanely high for a tank with fish in it. You need to water change the crap out of your tank, the ammonia should preferably be less than 0.25ppm.

 

[Temeraire]

Of course changing it too much too soon could also be stressful. I don't know the rules on a situation like this.

 

[milrtime]

Your fish should be dead. 6ppm ammonia is insanely high for a tank with fish in it. You need to water change the crap out of your tank, the ammonia should preferably be less than 0.25ppm.

I think right now they wish they were.

Actually the 6ppm on Amonia is good because it was well above 8ppm just a few days ago.

 

[milrtime]

Of course changing it too much too soon could also be stressful. I don't know the rules on a situation like this.

Actually you need to do them often during this time to dilute the ammonia and to add fresh water for the fish to breathe. Once the cycle has been re-established then I can significantly reduce the water changes.