# 55 gallon tank. Water tests near perfect yet it's incredibly cloudy



## Jorfee (Jul 22, 2007)

I have a 55 gallon I set up little more than a month ago...water has been crystal clear...I wake up one day and it's an algae color (but no algae on sides or anything) and I can't see to the other end of the tank...even looking straight on the heater is hard to see...Yet the water still tests near perfect...i've done a couple 1/4 water changes a few days in a row and I see zero improvement...I did have 5 bulbs in the water that never grew...I removed them 3 days ago just in case...nothing else is in the water except a few fake plants...Any ideas as to why this is happening?

The pic actually makes it look a little better than it is.


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

If you pull a glass of water and look at it in sunlight, Is it green? The 2 common causes are a bacterial bloom and an algae bloom. Can you be more specific with test results and trends? If you are half-way through a cycle, the excess nitrite could feed either microbe. In this case, just wait, it will go away when the cycle finishes. If the cycle is finished, it could be feeding on nitrate. How much are you feeding the fish? If its an algae, you can try an algaecide or a blackout (no light), but be careful as killing a lot a stuff at once will cause your ammonia to spike. Usually water changes (go bigger) and reducing the nutrients (food) in the water will do the trick, but it can take a while. Sometimes you will get some organism in your water that just loves your tank and is coming in with the new water and it can seem hopeless to remove.

Inorganic cloudiness is usually a result of something you've added. Buffers, conditioners, meds, foods, substrates, and tap water can all contain stuff that can cloud water.


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## Jorfee (Jul 22, 2007)

emc7 said:


> If you pull a glass of water and look at it in sunlight, Is it green? The 2 common causes are a bacterial bloom and an algae bloom. Can you be more specific with test results and trends? If you are half-way through a cycle, the excess nitrite could feed either microbe. In this case, just wait, it will go away when the cycle finishes. If the cycle is finished, it could be feeding on nitrate. How much are you feeding the fish? If its an algae, you can try an algaecide or a blackout (no light), but be careful as killing a lot a stuff at once will cause your ammonia to spike. Usually water changes (go bigger) and reducing the nutrients (food) in the water will do the trick, but it can take a while. Sometimes you will get some organism in your water that just loves your tank and is coming in with the new water and it can seem hopeless to remove.
> 
> Inorganic cloudiness is usually a result of something you've added. Buffers, conditioners, meds, foods, substrates, and tap water can all contain stuff that can cloud water.


I feed only about a pinch of flakes and in 8-12 hours about 1/4-1/2 of a cube of bloodworms...I have a 10 gal tank that is clear so it's not the way im feeding or organisms in the water...I've been adding AquaSafe to the water after water changes also. I have to run so I can provide more info later.


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## sonicboomer (Apr 5, 2010)

Try "Clarity" from Seachem. It works very well on my 30 gal tank.


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## Jorfee (Jul 22, 2007)

I will try that...even worse today so i'm going to do a large water change


emc7 to answer your first question...yes...it is green when I grab a cup of it. I brought my water to get tested and I can't seem to find the sheet but I remember everything being dead on except the nitrites or nitrates being slightly elevated but nothing high...


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## Jorfee (Jul 22, 2007)

Also what is recommended for a good siphon? I have a python one that attaches to the sink and the things made out of flimsy plastic and snapped.


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

Green is most like "green water". Little one-celled algae. Deal with with water changes, less nutrients, and/or less light (blackout means a blanket or towel over the tank with the light off for a week. Some people want 'green water' to feed their daphnia and brine shrimp. It may or may not go away on its own.


This site is overpriced, but generally you want two kinds of siphon input. One is a gravel-washer for cleaning the substrate. http://www.buy.com/prod/marineland-...q/listingid/74655664/loc/67447/204567412.html

The other is just a u-tube with a strainer to keep the fish out. You can use a filter-intake or make something out of pvc that sits on the rim of the tank and is the right length to do your regular water change without you watching it. Use 2 elbows, a size of rigid PVC that will fit in your drain hose and a circle of the plastic needlepoint mesh you get in the craft section of wal-mart.


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## Jorfee (Jul 22, 2007)

cool thanks, I'll give that a shot...this is the siphon I currently have but busted...before that it worked great

http://www.pythonproducts.com/aquariumpix/25NS--PACKAGE.jpg

Actually I couldn't find it till just now...

http://www.amazon.com/Faucet-Pump-PYTHON-REPLACEMENT-PUMP/dp/B000255NVE

But that's really all I need...that's the piece that broke on me.


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## bmlbytes (Aug 1, 2009)

Ace Hardware stores sell this http://www.acehardwareoutlet.com/(d...oductdetails.aspx?sku=49564&source=GoogleBase
Which actually has the exact part that you are looking for only in blue. I know it works because I use it on my Python after I broke mine. I would keep the copper adapter from the Python though as that part is better quality than the plastic one the water bed system gives.

It cost me like $6 and it looks like this:

The extra blue piece on the right you can just throw away.


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## Jorfee (Jul 22, 2007)

bmlbytes said:


> Ace Hardware stores sell this http://www.acehardwareoutlet.com/(d...oductdetails.aspx?sku=49564&source=GoogleBase
> Which actually has the exact part that you are looking for only in blue. I know it works because I use it on my Python after I broke mine. I would keep the copper adapter from the Python though as that part is better quality than the plastic one the water bed system gives.
> 
> It cost me like $6 and it looks like this:
> ...



Awesome, thank you!


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