# cloudiness



## clemsonfrk11202 (Jan 27, 2005)

ok thankfully im not having a lick of problem with my main tank... unfortunatly though my hospital tank is the problem. its a twenty gallon tank with two damsels and a baby snowflake eel (very small, and i plan on purchacing a larger 50 gallon agressive tank in the future) and it has been getting cloudier every day till two weeks ago i did a 50% water change, but within a day it was back so the next week i did a 100% water change with water from the main tank to keep it from spiking. within 48 hours, the tank was back to the way it had been, green... and you literally cant see 2 inches in the tank... i dont understand it do you think my lighting is causing a free floating alge bloom? (regular florecence, remember only hospital tank) i have a hob canister filter (i know i hate canister filters too but i doo weekly 25% water changes and i dont have the money for anything better, plus with a ps i would have to have open top and i cant do that because of the eel) my amonia is at 0 my nitrite is 0 my nitrate is 10-20ppm and my ph is 8.2 i am aobut to the point of giving up its so nasty looking but i have done all i can think to do to clear it out and any help would be greatly apreciated


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## wrasser (Apr 5, 2005)

do you have a protien skimmer? if you have charcoal change it, if not try putting some in


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## clemsonfrk11202 (Jan 27, 2005)

no protien skimmer (eel) and it has brand new charcoal


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## Fishfirst (Jan 24, 2005)

did you clean out the pads or replace the pads in the canister filter? A lot of waste can build up and make your nitrates go crazy... also I would get your water tested... and maybe even use RO/DI water to fill the tank next time.


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## clemsonfrk11202 (Jan 27, 2005)

brand new filter, i am going to get the water tested professionally this weekend, but im dumbfounded with this


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## sully01 (Mar 22, 2005)

i just started in the saltwater thing but
has the tank cycled all the way yet because before mine cycled it was really cloudy


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## clemsonfrk11202 (Jan 27, 2005)

yes its cycled... ive had it for over two months, and its not really a cloudy... its more of a green, like maybe its a alge in the water... its wierd, either way i dont know what to do


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## sully01 (Mar 22, 2005)

well like i said i just got into it. hope everything works out for you


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## wrasser (Apr 5, 2005)

has the water cleared up sully01


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## redpaulhus (Jan 18, 2005)

This is your hospital tank, correct ?

Nothing in there needs light to survive.

Green water sounds like a free floating algae (phyto-plankton).

Keep the lights off for at least a few days (on the hospital tank).
If feasible, cover it with a heavy dark colored towel or black paper (posterboard or construction/hobby paper works well).

Also, if the HOB canister is a HOT Magnum, use the micron cartridge for a few days - it should filter as tightly as a diatom filter, so it should make short work of a phyto bloom.

If its another brand filter its a bit tricker - not that many can use fine enough filter media.

"borrowing" a hang-on skimmer from the main tank for a few days may help - mine foams like crazy every time I feed live phytoplankton to my reef and forget to turn off the skimmer...


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