tiny floating particles.

Jenna28

This is driving me insane. I have extremely tiny particles floating in my aquarium water.(It's not milky.) The tank has been up and running for months, and I've done partial water changes as recommended. It's a 16 gallon tank from a kit, and I use the filter that came with it: the Aqueon Quiet Flow 20. At first, I thought maybe I had failed to rinse my gravel thoroughly. But if that was the case, wouldn't all those particles either sink, or get caught in the filter, by now?

Any thoughts on how to get clear water?

Christople

It is probably just little air bubbles. If not I have no idea.

Jenna28

I thought that might be the problem... so I turned off the air pump for a few hours, but it didn't help.

Christople

then I don't know.

lorax84

Without seeing a picture it is hard to tell you how to solve the problem. All tanks are going to have some kind of particulates floating around occasionally.

Christople

Yes I have some to.

SinCrisis

Try running polishing pads in your filter. The ultra-fine pads usually last for about 10 days before you have to remove them but it catches the vast majority of the particles in my tank. I've only had to use it once, wasnt sure that the particles were either, maybe my calcium stains were dissolving and pieces were floating around, anywho, the pad solved my problem and my particles haven't come back.

Rip

i have a similar Aqueon kit for a 10 gallon tank, and i have a smaller version of the filter you have. if it is air bubbles, just try increasing or decreasing the amount of water slightly to raise the level a bit. sometimes, in my tank if the water level is at a certain point, the water runs into the tank, and trickels off the blue plastic piece filter guard thingy, and causes a ton of air bubbles. like if you look at it from below, you can't even see the fish food on the water surface.