[dibowdish]

My 46 Gallon Freshwater tank always looks like it's foggy. I have a good HTB filter, my parameters are all good. My fish seem to be fine. I have sand substrate and live plants with 1 pleco, 2 angels, 2 tiny bottom feeder catfish, and 12 small neons. I also have a 36" 3Watt per bulb (44Bulbs Total) LED Reef light on it. (I used to have a salt tank). Is this too much light? I do a 5 to 10 gallon water change weekly and my tank has been up about 4 months. When i do a water change it clears up a little and then goes right back to cloudy. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[corina savin]

Have you tried activated carbon in your filter?

 

[dibowdish]

Have you tried activated carbon in your filter?

Yes I have a bag of activated carbon in my filter. I took my High Watt LED light off last night and put the old T5 back on it and my water actually looks a little better today.

 

[jennesque]

If it's a relatively new tank, it is probably just going through a bacteria bloom. If it's just a sort of "white" cloudiness (as opposed to green), this is what I would suspect is going on. It's completely normal.. The bacteria just needs to colonize, and it's feeding off all the organics in the tank.

I would not suggest permanently running the activated carbon, while it does remove the "bad stuff" it also removes good stuff which is crucial to the health and survival of your. It'll also absorb many metals and nutrients your plants need.
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[tankman12]

Carbon, do some daily 10g water changes (if you can), and feed as little as possible. That will fix your problem. Also is the pleco a common? R the catfish, cories? Also do u know the types of plants u have?
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[sprmankalel]

Thing is that we don't know how long the tank has been set up. Carbon really can't/should be used in a planted tank as it will remove the fertilizers before they're taken up by the plants. I would replace carbon with filter floss. What is your "good HOB" filter? How long has the tank been set up? What exactly are your readings for ammonia, nitrIte and nitrAte?

 

[tankman12]

Well that is why i asked what plants dibowdish has. Cuz if they r like java fern and anubis than some carbon for a couple of weeks will not do any damage. Also the tank has way to much nutrients as it is so you will need 2 remove a lot of nutrients. I used carbon when this happened 2 my heavily planted tank. It did the job. Also using RODI water when you do the water changes will help a lot also.
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[SirReal303]

I'd agree with Jennesque, probably a bacteria bloom giving u that white haze. If this IS what's goin on, eventually your bacteria will colonize to a point where it eliminates this issue. Very very very common issue with tanks in the first months while they are becoming established and the stock is increasing.

If your levels all come out right, I'd not give it much concern.