Freshwater aquarium cloudiness

[jaymcquillen]

I have an on going issue with my aquarium, and I'm hoping someone with more knowledge can help. Picture included.

I have a 20 gallon set up with a fluval 207 filter. It has three small koi on it. I've been having a milky white water issue since I set it up (about 6 months). I've done alot of research, and have read that it may be a bacterial bloom and to just wait it out. But its stayed that way for two months with no sight of getting better. What happens is I'll change about 50% of the water and it will clear up for about two or three days. I'll wake up on the third day and boom white water. Which as I've read, lines up with the bacterial bloom, but it will not improve. I've tested ph level, nitrate level, and ammonia. All at positive levels (in fact below what's expected). I've done a total cleaning, including rinsing every rock to make sure its not some contamination from packaging. All the sub straight in the filter was cleaned to make sure it wasn't from that. The water looks as if I diluted milk with alot of water. I've exhausted all the ideas I have, and what most the internet (minus forums), but alas, milky water. 

Please, if someone has any ideas, I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you!

[Daniel]

I would go with fewer water changes and more live plants. There needs something to compete for the nutrients until they are exhausted and that's where the plants come in.

I had to wait 10 weeks once on a tank that I had put a little too much fertilizer in and it tried my patience, but it did clear and has been clear for the last 13 years.

[Ben Ellison]

Could be the food you are using. Have you tried not feeding a day or two?

[jaymcquillen]

34 minutes ago, Daniel said:

I would go with fewer water changes and more live plants. There needs something to compete for the nutrients until they are exhausted and that's where the plants come in.

I had to wait 10 weeks once on a tank that I had put a little too much fertilizer in and it tried my patience, but it did clear and has been clear for the last 13 years.

That's a great idea, I didn't think about that. So you think its still probably a bacterial bloom then?

[jaymcquillen]

35 minutes ago, Ben Ellison said:

Could be the food you are using. Have you tried not feeding a day or two?

I will give that a shot too. I have changed food twice, but both could be clouding the water?

[jaymcquillen]

1 minute ago, jaymcquillen said:

That's a great idea, I didn't think about that. So you think its still probably a bacterial bloom then?

I should add too, I use API stress coat. Could that be causing some clarity issues too? 

[Streetwise]

More plants is the answer to so many questions! Even with no question, I usually think, more plants!

[d23perry]

You mentioned everything is at positive levels, but didn't mention the specific levels. 

You mentioned your tank size and filter, but didn't mention your stocking.

How long has your tank been running?  1-2 months?   1-2 years?

Can you account for every fish that you placed in the tank? 

Total cleaning?  That may have removed beneficial bacteria from you tank. which may have compounded the problem. 

Can you provide anymore details?

[ange]

You probably don't want to hear this, but bacterial blooms are just something that you'll need to wait out. More interference tends to increase the amount of time that it takes to clear the water. It's very common for newer tanks to have bacterial blooms and doing invasive cleanings like scrubbing decor generally does more harm than good because beneficial bacteria grow on those surfaces and they need to repopulate every time that you do that.

6 months isn't terribly old for a tank and the ecosystem needs time to figure itself out. If you desperately want the water to be clearer, I'd recommend putting filter floss at the top layer of your filter and using either Seachem Purigen (preferred) or activated carbon. There are also water additives like Seachem Clarity but this is more of a "solve the symptoms" than "solve the problem" approach.

[Bill]

11 hours ago, jaymcquillen said:

I have a 20 gallon set up with a fluval 207 filter.

Hi jay, I have two of those also on a 29 and 30. What media do you have in the upper three trays? 

[MickS77]

When I've had bacterial blooms I like adding more bio-media for a place where the beneficial bacteria can take hold. In the past I've even added beneficial bacteria additives like Fritz 7. The water cloudiness is only a cosmetic issue (assuming water parameters are acceptable), the beneficial bacteria are trying to establish, so facilitating that process helps. 

[Bill]

1 hour ago, MickS77 said:

When I've had bacterial blooms I like adding more bio-media for a place where the beneficial bacteria can take hold. In the past I've even added beneficial bacteria additives like Fritz 7. The water cloudiness is only a cosmetic issue (assuming water parameters are acceptable), the beneficial bacteria are trying to establish, so facilitating that process helps. 

Exactly, that's why I was asking what you had in the trays. I left the coarse and medium sponges in the bottom tray and filled the upper three trays with bio media (I used k1 / Aquaneat, pretty cheap on amazon). If you just used what the filter came with you may want to consider adding more. Over time that should definitely clear things up.

Another possibility is a higher phosphate level, and if that were the case adding Seachem Phosguard may help. A good local fish store near me told me they use that on all their tanks.

 

Edited October 2, 2020 by Bill