cloudy water

aidanchick

Medium Fish
Oct 22, 2002
71
0
0
41
#1
My water has turned slightly cloudy, it use to be super clear a week ago.. What could be causing it, my chemicals are normal? I dont have any plants, but the only thing I can think of is that I had a neon tetera die (well the aliens took him, I cant find his body anywhere!)

is it cause of the dead fish I can no longer find? or is it something else? Weather?

Also, does that PHup stuff work? (to raise your Ph level a little, cause mine is well at around 6.5-7.. not not at 7, or above.

I have 2 red honey gourami's
3 sunset platys (2 females, 1male)
3 neon teteras
1 plecostomus (2")

I read that gourmai's like higher Ph levels, is that true? I also have no plants in my tank
 

Cragar

New Fish
Oct 22, 2002
4
0
0
community.webshots.com
#2
You say your chemicals are normal.  Are you refering to the water conditions (i.e. PH, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate, KH, and GH)?

Have you done anything out of the ordinary lately?  Added any new stones, decor, etc.?  Added any chemicals due to sickness?  You said that a Neon Tetra disappeared.  Were you treating for anything specific?  Typically, fish won't consume another fish unless they are weak and dying.  Of course, unless you have predatory fish which you don't.

Cragar
 

equinom

Large Fish
Oct 22, 2002
386
0
0
The Blue Planet
#3
Maybe you already stated this, but I am going to ask anyway:
How long has the tank been set up?  This isn't new tank syndrome, is it?

I have had incidents where a fish was eaten (most of it) by a crayfish.  The nitrates were a little higher than usual (10ppm)that week - I think that was the only thing I noticed ...

What about sunlight?  Could it be an algae bloom?  Temperature?  Where I am, it has started to get warmer in the last couple of weeks and I am seeing more algae now than in the winter.

One last note:  I had issues with pH fluctuating all over the place.  I was using pHDown to lower readings to about 7 (community tank).  I would check it just days later and it would have increased by .6 or .8  The pH shouldn't swing like that.  It was suggested I measure the KH and it was low - which meant there was very little buffering capacity in the water.   I started using Proper pH 7 and have not had to adjust the water since.  Just use the Proper pH when preparing water for your next water change.  It even neutralizes chlorine.  Now the water is always at a nice 7, day or night.  I have several gouramis - and they seem to be doing fine in neutral water.  
Best of luck to you
 

equinom

Large Fish
Oct 22, 2002
386
0
0
The Blue Planet
#4
I was just cruising the board and saw another of your posts.
Did I read this correctly?
April 5 you wrote that you completed fishless cycle, and added 5 fish.

April 7 you wrote that you added 5 more fish.

10 fish in 2 days?  Isn't that a bit of load to place on a new tank - even if it has cycled?  The biofiltration wasn't ready for such a jump...

Just a thought.
 

aidanchick

Medium Fish
Oct 22, 2002
71
0
0
41
#5
[quote author=equinom link=board=freshwatergeneral&num=1019094191&start=0#3 date=04/18/02 at 13:03:37]
I was just cruising the board and saw another of your posts.
Did I read this correctly?
April 5 you wrote that you completed fishless cycle, and added 5 fish.

April 7 you wrote that you added 5 more fish.

10 fish in 2 days?  Isn't that a bit of load to place on a new tank - even if it has cycled?  The biofiltration wasn't ready for such a jump...

Just a thought.
[/quote]

Actually, the first fish I added I waited a few days be4 adding the rest of the fish.. everything was fine, water clear, ph, amoninia, (chemicals) are normal except my KH, and GH are low (note my other post above)... it was only until a few days ago that it became slight cloudy.. it use to be crystal clear!

I think I have figured it out, my light was left on all night the other night (a day be4 I noticed the cloudy water) ... my brother is going to put a timer on my tank so it does'nt happen again..

Thanks everyone for your help! :)
 

colesea

Superstar Fish
Oct 22, 2002
1,612
0
0
NY USA
#6
A pleco might eat neons...

At night, when neons sleep, they sink to the bottom of the tank and lie there. Of course, Plecos are most active at night, and many species are pretty omniverous, eating meat if they happen upon it. Well, neons are meat, and a sleeping neon is easy pickings for the hunting pleco. That sucking mouth can slurp up more than just algae.

Light has nothing to do with cloudy water unless the water is a green cloudy. Green cloudy usually means algae. But since you didn't specify what color of cloudiness your water was, I wouldn't know what could be the cause of it.
~~Colesea
 

JWright

Superstar Fish
Oct 22, 2002
2,192
7
0
39
Snowy Upstate New York
www.cnytheater.com
#8
[quote author=equinom link=board=freshwatergeneral&num=1019094191&start=0#3 date=04/18/02 at 13:03:37]
10 fish in 2 days?  Isn't that a bit of load to place on a new tank - even if it has cycled?  The biofiltration wasn't ready for such a jump...
[/quote]

That's really the point of fishless cycle. You add so much ammonia that your bio-filter is built up way past whatever fish you could put in there. It actually would have been better if all 10 fish had been added that day (but 2 days really isn't going to make a difference).

Don't bother messing with your pH, it really isn't worth it. You'll do your fish more harm than good by trying to chase your pH level. Just keep it stable and your fish will adapt, no problem.

Josh
 

Oct 22, 2002
62
0
0
#9
if your tank is new than it is propally new tank syndrom. It will take a few weeks to clear up. If you clean a tank completly, save some of the old water or dont clean your filter at the same time or you will have this proplem again.  About the neon. ..I had a red tail shark once and it ate all my neons...just a thought.  There is a product called clear aid that clears water up by binding particles together and then the filter does the rest. Its real cheap and works great.