5 replies to this topic

[ghostkim]

hi all 

i have a 6ft tank with a pair of jack dempsey's breeding but the water appears cloudy and not clear my other tanks are all clear is this because of the breeding the water is correct in every way except clarity any sugestions on how to clarify the water p.s did a 1/2 water change b4 as well but alas no differrence plz help 

thanks kim

[Westie]

Hi Kimbo,

 

The first thing I would be doing is testing the water (or take to LFS if you don't have a test kit), then I would check under any ornaments, rocks, etc for any dead fish or uneaten food.

Did you test the water before doing a water change? Also, how much do you feed your fish? What kind of filtration do you use? And what are the dimensions of the tank, so we can get an idea on water volume (Is it a 6x14x18 or a 6x2x2)?

[ghostkim]

hi & thanks

6x2x2 and yes water was checked every thing ok i have only 4 rocks in tank no food build upno dead fish i am at a loss why 1 out of 6 tanks is cloudy like this 

[Chopstick_mike]

What filtration? And what were the readings for the water ??

[Peckoltia]

I am with Chopstick Mike - what are your water parameters? 'all ok' isn't enough information. 

 

Really it is usually a few simple things that create cloudy water. 

 

1. 'New tank syndrome' as in a bacterial bloom that presents itself in the water column giving the water a cloudy appearance. How long has the tank been set up?

2. Inadequate mechanical filtration leading to tiny particles being suspended in the water column. Again, what filtration are you running?

 

You said the tank has a breeding pair of JD's in it, I am guessing that they are digging around in the substrate quite a bit. Is this the source of the cloudy water, perhaps disturbing the substrate suspending particles that would otherwise be trapped in the substrate?

 

A side note, I think it is a good thing that stores do water testing for customers. But I think that this is a bit of a double edged sword because people become reliant on this, and fail to learn the basics of fish keeping themselves. 

[bigjohnnofish]

cloudy water more than often is ammonia in your tank water.... this is the first thing i would test.... it needs to be zero... not 0.2 or 0.1 but 0.0 .... if your reading is zero then lets look elsewhere..... are you feeding zucchinni to your b/n or any other vegetables? assuming you may have some glass cleaners in your tank?  if not look somewhere else.... get a tall glass and fill it with tank water - see if the cloudiness settles after half hour or so... if it does then good chance its just fine sediment being circulated by your filter as it doest have the ability to filter it out... need some finer matting perhaps to do the job... or more filtration....