[DanielaMarie]

Hey everyone!

Does anyone know what would cause hazy water? It came about after I did my usual 25% water change this weekend. The only difference this weekend was some additional maintenance including vacuuming the gravel, wiping off the algae from the sides of the tank, adding new root tabs to the gravel, trimming and replanting one of my plants, and trimming another so they were no longer covering the surface in order to give the other plant more light. Any ideas would be appreciated.

Thank you.
DanielaMarie

 

[fish monger]

All of the maintenance you did could have contributed toward making the water cloudy with stirred up particles. Unless you replaced or thoroughly cleaned filter media, it shouldn't be a bacteria bloom. What brand of root tabs did you use ?

 

[AbbeysDad]

It's very common and should clear up in a day or two.

 

[DanielaMarie]

I used API Root Tabs.

 

[Sanguinefox]

Did it rain recently before the water change? Do you use water from your tap?

 

[DanielaMarie]

I did the maintenance on Sunday and it hasn't yet cleared.

Yes I do use tap water with Seachem Prime water conditioner; and it hasn't rained here in months.

 

[Sanguinefox]

I did the maintenance on Sunday and it hasn't yet cleared.

Yes I do use tap water with Seachem Prime water conditioner; and it hasn't rained here in months.

Huh, that is odd. One of the things that sometimes happens with source water is that the treatment plant has a flux. That can in turn lead to temp cloudy water but usually it clears up.

It's probably just a matter of stirred up fine particles from your cleaning. Maybe be a little more gentle with the gravel next time and see if it doesn't do it again.

 

[beaslbob]

Kill your lights and stop feeding.

It should clear up in a few days to a week.

Then continue with less feeding and lighting and adjust to ist stays clear and things thrive.


my .02

 

[DanielaMarie]

I don't usually vacuum the gravel with the water change but it was looking dirtier than usual. It does look slightly better today than it did yesterday.

 

[beaslbob]

I don't usually vacuum the gravel with the water change but it was looking dirtier than usual. It does look slightly better today than it did yesterday.

Although killing the lights and suspending feeding will help, it seems that it will clearup all on its own.

Somethimes the best thing to do is nothing.

my .02

 

[Byron]

I don't usually vacuum the gravel with the water change but it was looking dirtier than usual. It does look slightly better today than it did yesterday.

For the future, if you are going to vacuum the substrate (gravel, sand, etc), do it at every water change. But I don't mean digging down to the tank floor all over. My point is that regular "cleaning"at whatever level is much better than only doing it once in a month and then doing more. There is quite a complex biological process going on in the substrate involving organics (fish waste, etc) and many types of bacteria. If this runs properly, it will be a healthier environment for the fish. So any disturbance of the substrate should be regular.

The cloudiness may have been stirred up microscopic particulate matter, or it may have been a small bacterial bloom. The latter is very common if the filter is cleaned. But both are harmless (usually;-)) and will clear as you are noticing.

Sanguinefox's comment on the source water and rain is well taken (though not applicable here). It doesn't happen now where I am living, but several years ago I used to get very cloudy water after every water change in mid-spring and autumn due to sediment from rain runoff in the reservoirs that was so great it couldn't all be filtered out. After a water change, I could not see the back of the tank, and that is no exaggeration. It took 2-3 days to clear. Harmless, but very annoying.:roll:

Byron.