Got My New Tank!

[Kustrud]

So still fighting the cloudy water a little bit but I think I it's getting better. Parameters are 0, 0, 8 roughly. Doing smaller, more frequent water changes. Got a little pump and 40 ft. of 1/2" hose that makes it REALLY easy!

I also changed my filtration up, and for the last time (using my old media of course)! I'm very indecisive until I am 100% satisficed lol! The FX4 was just too big but I think the more I read and really looked at how everything works, a canister will give the best filtration. the AC 110's are GREAT and flow a ton of water, but when you watch them they also have a lot of water flowing through them that is not passing through the media. To me, a good canister will have much less flow-by as it's all contained/sealed. Also, the media is all always 100% submerged and I can get a lot more of it in there.

With this said, I settled on a Fluval 407 which fits in my cabinet much better and in a small tub as well. I also got a power-head that is angled at the surface flowing the same direction as the flow from the canister. To me, this gives a much more natural current throughout the tank, as well as a circular motion keeping detritus off the substrate and back towards the intake.

The FX series are awesome, but just massive and the lids are a pain compared to the 407's. My plan for the 125 when I get it will be to run two 407's with 1 or 2 power-heads as well.

When I got it all setup and turned it on, all kinds of stuff picked up off of the bottom and stayed suspended slowly decreasing for hours.....so I think I am on to something! Here's the setup.

All fish happy and healthy!

 

[Kustrud]

So I am STILL fighting cloudy water. I know that everything I read says for a bacterial bloom to wait it out. The longer I wait without doing a water change or anything the cloudier it gets. Like can’t see through the tank end-to-end cloudy. Ammonia 0, nitrite 0, nitrate around 10.

I’ve read about heterotrophic bacteria vs the good kind in our filters etc. etc.

There’s nothing in my tank that should be causing this. I took all of my rocks and small decor out and put them in a bucket of tank water and then cleaned the substrate up the best I could just to be safe.

I tried not feeding for 3 days, only thing that didn’t make the fish hungry lol.

A water change helps but then in 3 days or so it’s cloudy again.

Should I try UV!?!?

 

[RyanScanner]

So I am STILL fighting cloudy water. I know that everything I read says for a bacterial bloom to wait it out. The longer I wait without doing a water change or anything the cloudier it gets. Like can’t see through the tank end-to-end cloudy. Ammonia 0, nitrite 0, nitrate around 10.

I’ve read about heterotrophic bacteria vs the good kind in our filters etc. etc.

There’s nothing in my tank that should be causing this. I took all of my rocks and small decor out and put them in a bucket of tank water and then cleaned the substrate up the best I could just to be safe.

I tried not feeding for 3 days, only thing that didn’t make the fish hungry lol.

A water change helps but then in 3 days or so it’s cloudy again.

Should I try UV!?!?

I’m not sure that is your problem, just maybe as it comes and goes. UV will be same thing kills bacteria, they die and their nutrients cycle. Get some live plants or moss.

 

[Kustrud]

I'm trying to stay away from live plants, the look is just not what I am going for.

I'm determined to figure this out, I opened up my filter today out of curiosity to see how dirty it was after running for about 4 days. Couple of things:

1. I rinsed out the sponges in tank water bucket and got TONS of muck out of them already....?? Filter was brand new 4 days ago.....
2. Here's a pic of the "cloudiness" I am referring to.
3. I noticed 3 of these little things swimming in the top of my filter. Any idea what they are? Kind of looked like a little head with a body/tail behind it and definitely swam like a fish......really hard to get a picture because they were tiny. No earthly clue! Could those be Giant Danio Fry??

I also added another wave maker to the opposing side of the tank bot at the bottom and aimed across the bottom back towards the intake. I wonder if all of this goes back to my fish being overfed when I was gone and tank crashed and I'm still getting everything cleaned out...? Maybe the new water movement is helping stir it all up thus all the gunk in the filter and the bloom?

All fish happy, healthy, and eating well.

Please help with any ideas!

 

[RyanScanner]

Maybe try a filter sock and a flocculant. Clean the sock out each day until clear and then once a week with water changes. Could be suspended particles being stirred up by fish or bacterial bloom either way the 100-200 micron filter sock might help.

 

[Kustrud]

I’m trying everything, so here we are. First pic is today after a 90% water change and second pic was yesterday.

Did a major sand vacuum to the entire tank digging down deep, held a small wave maker in my hand to really stir the whole thing up too before vacuuming, etc. Goal was to get anything “organic” out

90% WC to remove most of the water column and then added a UV sterilizer temporarily and will leave it in there for a few days to hopefully clear the rest.

Changing out to a larger Wavemaker that'll be here today for a little more circular current (removed the second in the bottom, didn’t like that much current down there). Going from 1600 GPH aimed at the surface to a 2100 GPH in the same spot.

Also adding some 50 micron FF to my filter for a few days as well.

The big ugly sterilizer will come out after the rest of this cloud clears.

Really hope it stays clear after all of this!!

My thinking is I was still fighting/cleaning the result of someone over-feeding my fish while I was out of town. Maybe all of this nastiness just broke down and turned into sludge in the tank/filter and settled in the bottom and I never really noticed it. Who knows, but it's the only thing that makes sense at this point.

Tank was always crystal clear previously. Never had this bloom issue prior to the tank crash while I was gone. The more I thought about it, never remember cleaning that much crud out of my filters before either.

 

[Cal Amari]

It is strange, even one week of overfeeding should have been removed by now with as many waterchanges as you have done. Does the tank get direct sunlight? maybe the light has changed from a window with the season changing? Only timme I had constant cloudy water was when my tank got direct sunlight in the springtime and ended up having to put blinds and a curtain over the window across the room from it many years ago.

 

[Kustrud]

It is strange, even one week of overfeeding should have been removed by now with as many waterchanges as you have done. Does the tank get direct sunlight? maybe the light has changed from a window with the season changing? Only timme I had constant cloudy water was when my tank got direct sunlight in the springtime and ended up having to put blinds and a curtain over the window across the room from it many years ago.

That's a good thought, but no it really does not. It's probably 12 feet from the window and that window faces NW so the sun is never even directly coming through that window. I've paid attention to this and where the "brightness" does come through the window never makes it to the tank. Shade line on the floor before where the end of the tank starts.

It stayed clear on it's own all before the issue when I went out of town. Also, I am use to wave-makers or currents being setup in a way that I never have to vacuum the substrate. Yes, it took me some time to figure that out on this tank but I eventually did. I would check by aiming a wave-maker directly at the substrate and when only the sand comes up and then goes back down without much if any debris, I know I'm setup right. What happened was after the tank crash issue, about a week later I aimed one at the substrate by mistake an all kinds of junk came up....that was not normal to see. So maybe it all broke down and just nestled into the substrate without me knowing it....??

Again though, appreciate the input and good point. If this fails now, I know there is nothing else to rule out. But I really think and HOPE this works this time! As of now, it seems to only be getting clearer.

 

[Kustrud]

Not “clear” yet but a 100% improvement. Hopefully this continues to get better.

Going to slowly swap out all of my bio-media for all 30 PPI foam from Aquaneat one tray at a time every 2-3 weeks or so. Did the first tray last night.

Also, never had an Oscar before. What a cool fish. Even with my arm or hand in the tank it just follows me around. Could care less even if I touch him

The Firemouth and the GT are also quite engaging as well as the Syno. The Danio’s just add a ton of movement which is pretty neat looking too.

The Oscar is already the tank boss, chases whoever he wants and nobody will mess with him . I swear he’s already grown as well.

 

[Kustrud]

Looks like we are FINALLY clearing up! Not perfect yet but still improving!