Small particles in water

[Jon]

I have a tank, 70 liters, which is around 4 weeks old now. I believe
the tank is cycled now, all tests return good results. 3 fish in the
tank, a fantail, comet goldfish and a shubunkin. Yes I mixed the
wrong kinds of fish, but I never knew at the time, the fact they were
in the same tank at the shop never helped. But they do get on well,
feeding is not a problem. So maybe this time I was lucky.

Anyway, when the lights on the tank are off, the water looks clear,
however, when the lights on go you can see small particles floating
about, like bits of dust. The tank runs an Fluval 2 filter, I added
the optional polyester pad, that cleared the problem a little, but not
totally.

Would it be best to leave it for now, see what happens, or use one of
the chemical products which are meant to join these particles together
allowing them to be removed by the filter?

On the Fluval 2 filter I have, there is an "air flow control"
basically the top of the filter is out of the water, you can open this
to allow air in, this is then released into the tank for aeration - I
currently have this on so the water gets that additional aeration from
the bubbles, is that a good idea for my fish, or to leave it?

Jon.

[Scott]

I had the same problem before. Don't bother purchasing chemicals (they
won't provide a long-term solution). I would leave it for another three
weeks because it could just be the tank cycling (taking longer than normal),
but here are two other scenarios:

It could be a chemical imbalance. Try testing the nitrate (note: not the
nitrites) and the phosphate levels in the tank... If either is high, it
could promote algae. 50% water changes for three-to-five straight days
might clear this up. Then make sure you don't feed the fish too much, as
this will promote future imbalances...

If it is algae, leave the light in your tank off for at least three days.
Second, during those three days, cover the tank in dark towels to block off
any direct/indirect light. After three days, do multiple 30%-50% water
changes and if the problem is gone it was algae. I think this was my
problem...

As for the fluval air-flow control, leave it on - the fish will enjoy the
extra oxygen.

Hope this helps!


Scott

"Jon" > wrote in message
om...
> I have a tank, 70 liters, which is around 4 weeks old now. I believe
> the tank is cycled now, all tests return good results. 3 fish in the
> tank, a fantail, comet goldfish and a shubunkin. Yes I mixed the
> wrong kinds of fish, but I never knew at the time, the fact they were
> in the same tank at the shop never helped. But they do get on well,
> feeding is not a problem. So maybe this time I was lucky.
>
> Anyway, when the lights on the tank are off, the water looks clear,
> however, when the lights on go you can see small particles floating
> about, like bits of dust. The tank runs an Fluval 2 filter, I added
> the optional polyester pad, that cleared the problem a little, but not
> totally.
>
> Would it be best to leave it for now, see what happens, or use one of
> the chemical products which are meant to join these particles together
> allowing them to be removed by the filter?
>
> On the Fluval 2 filter I have, there is an "air flow control"
> basically the top of the filter is out of the water, you can open this
> to allow air in, this is then released into the tank for aeration - I
> currently have this on so the water gets that additional aeration from
> the bubbles, is that a good idea for my fish, or to leave it?
>
> Jon.