White Cloudy Tank after 5 months

[Brian Brooks]

Hello fish people! I have a question that might not be that easy to answer,
first let me tell you the spec on my tank:

90 Gallon tropical running for since May 04 (About5 months)
Filters: 1 Fluval 403 Canister Filter
1 Eheim 2215 Canister flowing in to a Rainbow Fluidized bed
Filter 300
1 H.O.T. Magnum w/ carbon (Changed every 30 days)

Fish: 3 Discus, One 6 Inches, and two 3 Inches
5 Blue Rams all 2 inch in size
9 Corys all 2-3 inch in size
15 Penguin Tetras all 2 inch in size
5 Bushy nose plecos vary in size up to 3 inches
3 Clown loaches 4 inches each

Various Plants

The tank is still cloudy after all this time, I do partial waters changes
twice a week (about 30-35%). I am using RO water with Kent RO right added to
it and ocasionally 50% Tap and 50% RO straight. Do you think it is the Bio
load being to heavy? I would think I have enough filtration to handle it.
Let me know what you all think. It is getting a little frustating I had this
same tank running three years ago with about the same bio load with no
problem.

Brian

[RedForeman ©®]

|| 90 Gallon tropical running for since May 04 (About5 months)
|| Filters: 1 Fluval 403 Canister Filter
|| 1 Eheim 2215 Canister flowing in to a Rainbow Fluidized
|| bed Filter 300
|| 1 H.O.T. Magnum w/ carbon (Changed every 30 days)
|| The tank is still cloudy after all this time, I do partial waters
|| changes twice a week (about 30-35%). I am using RO water with Kent
|| RO right added to it and ocasionally 50% Tap and 50% RO straight.
|| Do you think it is the Bio load being to heavy? I would think I have
|| enough filtration to handle it. Let me know what you all think. It
|| is getting a little frustating I had this same tank running three
|| years ago with about the same bio load with no problem.
||
|| Brian

you've got TOO much filtration.. there is a fine line between redundancy and
over kill... you're bordering that line.. Take off the magnum, take OUT all
carbon, and sit back and let your bacteria catch up in the other filters...
they'll eventually start working 100% and do the job they were designed
for... you've got 3 filters, with enough capacity for 300 gallons, and each
filter is trying to populate with bacteria, but can't because there is so
much bio-surface, it's nearly impossible to populate 3 filters like that...

If you knew from the beginning you wanted 3 filters, should have started
with 1... let it grow and populate, add a second, let it grow, then add the
3rd one... not all at the same time... I imagine there's quite a bit of
current in that tank....

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| ==========================
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[RedForeman ©®]

|| 90 Gallon tropical running for since May 04 (About5 months)

Another thing, have you confirmed you've completed cycle??

post your water parameters...

--
| RedForeman ©® fabricator and creator of the ratbike streetfighter!!!
| ==========================
| 2003 TRX450ES
| 1992 TRX-350 XX (For Sale)
| '98 Tacoma Ext Cab 4X4 Lifted....
| ==========================
| ø¤°`°¤ø,¸¸¸,ø¤°`°¤ø,¸¸¸,ø¤°`°¤ø,¸¸,ø¤°`°¤ø,¸¸¸,ø¤° `°¤ø,¸¸,ø¤°`°¤ø
| ><((((º>`·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸.·´¯`·.¸. ><((((º> ·´¯`·. , .·´¯`·.. ><((((º>
| for any questions you may have....
| Gmail - the ultimate in disappointment...

[Brian Brooks]

> Another thing, have you confirmed you've completed cycle??
>
> post your water parameters...
>
> --
>>
>

Thanks for the advice Red, I am sure it has cycled, here are the current
test readings as of today: (Using Aquarium Pharmaceticals Master test kit)

PH: 6.6
Amonnia: 0 (Clear)
Nitrate: 0
GH: 7 Drops (125.3.ppm)
KH 3 Drops (53.7 ppm)

Here is a break down of what I ahve started with and have done. I started
with just the Fluval 403 (Sponge medai and other bio media) and the Rainbow
lifeguard fluidized bed filter (Ran off a selts pump) and the HOT Magnum
with just carbon changed every 30 days. I let this run this way for aobut 3
1/2 months, but noticed that the tank was not clearing. I was and still am
performing 25-30% water changes teice weekly. At the 3 1/2 month point I
added the Eheim mainly as a pump for the bed fitler. The selts pump I was
using started leaking. This is where I am to this date.

Thanks again!

[Bucky]

I agree with what Red said, and would like to add to your latest post.

Leave the fluval running and remove all the other filters. Keep an eye
on ammonia and NITRITE. Don't worry too much about Nitrate right now
and cut the water changes. I wouldn't change any water for at least a
month (unless of course you see a spike in NITRITE or ammonia.) You
should have a clear tank within a few weeks....

Brian Brooks wrote:
>>Another thing, have you confirmed you've completed cycle??
>>
>>post your water parameters...
>>
>>--
>>
>
> Thanks for the advice Red, I am sure it has cycled, here are the current
> test readings as of today: (Using Aquarium Pharmaceticals Master test kit)
>
> PH: 6.6
> Amonnia: 0 (Clear)
> Nitrate: 0
> GH: 7 Drops (125.3.ppm)
> KH 3 Drops (53.7 ppm)
>
> Here is a break down of what I ahve started with and have done. I started
> with just the Fluval 403 (Sponge medai and other bio media) and the Rainbow
> lifeguard fluidized bed filter (Ran off a selts pump) and the HOT Magnum
> with just carbon changed every 30 days. I let this run this way for aobut 3
> 1/2 months, but noticed that the tank was not clearing. I was and still am
> performing 25-30% water changes teice weekly. At the 3 1/2 month point I
> added the Eheim mainly as a pump for the bed fitler. The selts pump I was
> using started leaking. This is where I am to this date.
>
> Thanks again!
>
>

[RedForeman ©®]

|| Thanks for the advice Red, I am sure it has cycled, here are the
|| current test readings as of today: (Using Aquarium Pharmaceticals
|| Master test kit)
||
|| PH: 6.6
|| Amonnia: 0 (Clear)
|| Nitrate: 0
|| GH: 7 Drops (125.3.ppm)
|| KH 3 Drops (53.7 ppm)
||
|| Here is a break down of what I ahve started with and have done. I
|| started with just the Fluval 403 (Sponge medai and other bio media)
|| and the Rainbow lifeguard fluidized bed filter (Ran off a selts
|| pump) and the HOT Magnum with just carbon changed every 30 days. I
|| let this run this way for aobut 3 1/2 months, but noticed that the
|| tank was not clearing. I was and still am performing 25-30% water
|| changes teice weekly. At the 3 1/2 month point I added the Eheim
|| mainly as a pump for the bed fitler. The selts pump I was using
|| started leaking. This is where I am to this date.
||
|| Thanks again!

Ok, if it's a white cloudy, that's a bacteria bloom.... theoretically, the
bacteria isn't being trapped by your filters, or you'd have less... what I'm
getting to, is maybe 1 of your filters, whichever one recently put into
place, is trying to cycle... and because you have SO MUCH filtration, it's
having a hard time getting the bacteria colonies setup and established...
which is why I said you have too much filtration... it will take longer for
the cloudiness to clear up if you just installed a new filter.... because
that filter is trying to cycle, and all the bacteria keeps getting put into
other filters... its just gonna take some time....


--
| RedForeman ©® fabricator and creator of the ratbike streetfighter!!!
| ==========================
| 2003 TRX450ES
| 1992 TRX-350 XX (For Sale)
| '98 Tacoma Ext Cab 4X4 Lifted....
| ==========================
| ø¤°`°¤ø,¸¸¸,ø¤°`°¤ø,¸¸¸,ø¤°`°¤ø,¸¸,ø¤°`°¤ø,¸¸¸,ø¤° `°¤ø,¸¸,ø¤°`°¤ø
| ><((((º>`·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸.·´¯`·.¸. ><((((º> ·´¯`·. , .·´¯`·.. ><((((º>
| for any questions you may have....
| Gmail - the ultimate in disappointment...