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Strange Water :( HELP!

1K views 9 replies 4 participants last post by  broujos 
#1 ·
well..I have got this 50 gallon tank 6 months now.. and the last week the water is really cloudy and the surface too! and i dont know the reason :(.. can someone help me? thanks
 
#4 ·
Hi can you tell us what kind of filter you have, last change/cleaning, how you cleaned it. Also what is the position of the return flow of water? Above or below the surface? It must be above to break the surface tension. Anyother symptom of this is fish gulping at the surface.
Let us know.
 
#5 ·
#6 ·
When you clean the filter exactly how did you clean it? Did you take out the media/sponges that are in it out and rinse them off? If so what did you rinse them in? If you used tap water the chlorine/chloramines will kill the beneficial bacteria in the filter.
 
#7 ·
Good bacteria which is a final product of the Amonia/NitrIte/NitrAte cycle which takes sometimes 6-8 weeks to go thru can be upset and killed by over cleaning out filters.
If you detach it from the tank, and take it to the sink and empty it all out, and scrub it squeeky clean and reassemble with all new product then you will send your tank right thru the Cycle again and can kill some of your fish when the Amonia and NitrIte spike. If you just pull the cartridges or foam blocks and rinse them in a bucket of water from your tank or de-chlorinated water you can clean and save that good bacteria. If you use tap water with chlorine you will kill all the good bacteria and send your tank into a mini cycle.... So we are asking you how did you clean your filter. Describe the steps you took or the components you cleaned. and when did you do this... a week ago?
 
#9 ·
We recommend you get yourself a liquid API test kit and monitor your Amonia, NitrIte and NitrAte levels. As the first two spike in numbers do frequent water changes to dilute them down while your tank cycles again. You have likely caused a mini cycle... we've all done it. just keep doing water changes until you come out the other end of the process. If possible another option is to add lots of plants. They will absorb the ammonia.
Good luck.
 
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