Cloudy Water

• Cloudy Water
• Milky Water
  • New Tank Syndrome
  • Bacterial Bloom in Older Aquarium
• Medications
• Green Water
• Dyes

Milky Water

Bacterial blooms all are a result of a population explosion of hetertrophic bacteria in the water column. Generally there are two causes.

1) New Tank Syndrome

- a newly established aquarium often will go cloudy about three days after it is set up. Bacterial blooms in this case are a result of the sterile conditions after chlorine removal suddenly able to support bacterial populations. In most cases the growth explosion is controlled by the amount of organics present in the water when it was dechlorinated. When there an excess amount, the fast replicating bacteria up in the water column explode, using the nutrients in the water supply to heavily overpopulate, so much so that the tremendous number becomes a visible cloud in the water. Heavy instances of a bacterial bloom will look like someone poured a glass of milk into the tank

2) Bacterial Bloom in Older Aquariums

- Older aquariums are often overfed, fish may die and live plants can lose leaves, in other words there are a number of nutrient sources that can unbalance the bacterial populations in an established aquarium. In most instances the most important factor is the amount of food offered to the aquarium. Excessive food addition adds nutrients to the environment that are not always used by the fish. These easy meals for bacteria promote overpopulation and the same milky cloud that is seen in "New Tank Syndrome". The only real difference is the nutritive source and the timing compared to the intallation of the aquarium.

SOLUTION - Take a look at a local pet store's remedy shelves and count the water clarifiers. They are designed to precipitate out the cloud and leave the aquarium "Crystal Clear". They work - as directed - but only address the symptom. I suggest to refrain from feeding the aquarium for three days to allow the bacterial populations to naturally remove the nutrients. When this is done, the populations die back due to lack of food and the problem - as well as the symptom - disappears. Water clarifiers are great for the symptom, but I add as few extraneous chemicals to my aquarium, I prefer to help nature take its course.

Medications

Many medications in common use will discolour water. Malachite Green, Methylene Blue, Tetracycline and many other medications which employ these or other dyes and antibiotics do terrible things to water clarity and color. Always use the correct dosage for your aquarium capacity.

[hint] ** Be sure you know the capacity of the aquarium (in US gallons) when it is empty, in the long run this is the best quantity to use when medicating the aquarium. **

Remove carbon filter materials wherever suggested to keep the medication efficacy at maximum during the treatment period. When the treatment has run its course, it is time to remove any discolorations left by the medication. In most cases, a fairly hefty water change (up to one third) is recommended. Be sure to use properly treated water for this and any other aquarium maintenance.

Green Water

Sometimes the water in the aquarium turns green instead of milky. Most often I have seen this occur when the aquarium has been positioned incorrectly. Excess light, either in duration or intensity will ordinarily cause algae growth on the ornaments and other decorations in the aquarium. In addition a buildup of green can coat the sides of the tank and make it look unsightly. These growths on objects are quite normal, and often difficult to eliminate without some effects on fish health.
Green water is an extreme case of algae growth that has gone out of control. In every instance I have seen, excess light has been involved. In 90% of the cases the culprit was direct sunlight hitting the aquarium. The power of the sun to grow algae is incredible, so when it strikes an aquarium for any length of time the result is rapid algae blooms. If the conditions are just right, the normally anchored algal types will be replaced by free floating algae that stays suspended in the water column. This is where the green water comes into being.
Eliminating the green water is not all that easy. The first step is to reduce the excess light. If ANY sunlight is hitting the aquarium, it should be eliminated. The most radical solution is to move the aquarium, but since the unit was located incorrectly in the first place, it is usually the most wise step. Less radical solutions include covering the glass so that light cannot get into the aquarium or drawing the drapes so that light is lessened during the day. After the source of the trouble is controlled, I normally use a Diatom Filter for immediate suspended algae removal and then the Jungle Pond Block for long term algae control. The Pond Block has never caused me any trouble even though it is designed for use in an outdoor pond. I have used it in 10 gallon aquariums to keep algal growths under control. It seems these blocks dissolve only as fast as they are required.
The Diatom FIlter is a very handy filter to remove all types of suspended solids, down to about a single micron in size. Although expensive and used only on an infrequent basis, it has become a filter of choice for many multiple aquarium owners simply because it does what no other aquarium filter is able to provide. Crystal clear waste free water in a very short time. When dealing with "green water" the Diatom filter is the only way I have ever found to get the green out. Once it is gone and assuming the light source is under control, the aquarium will normally stay clear.

Dyes

Dyes in the aquarium are the result of a number of sources. Antibiotics often discolour the water, but many other aquarium medications are actually true dyes. Acriflavine, Malachite Green and Methylene Blue are three common medications that jump to mind immediately. Other sources are often the result of aquarium decorations. Driftwood, Mopani Wood, natural items gleaned from rivers and streams all can add chemicals to the water collumn which may inhibit its clarity. There are even preparations on the market (Tetra's Black Water Tonic) that are meant to simulate the actual water conditions and colours of specific water systems.
Filter material sometimes contributes to the discolouration of an aquarium. Peat releases tannin into the water while it softens and acidifies it. The resultant tints of brown are actively encouraged by aquarists who need soft acid water to breed valued species.
Finally, aquariums can begin to go yellowish over time when they are not maintained on a regular basis. One of the greatest advantages of regular water changes is that it dilutes nitrate buildups in an aquarium. This substance is the final result of ammonia detoxification and concentrates over time. A regular water change removes nitrate concentrations by dilution and keeps yellowish water from occuring. Most water discolorations are not wanted, so removal is the order of the day. Medications, dyes and most other discolourations are often removed by combining a fairly substantial water change with the addition of carbon into the filter. Water changes should rarely be over 1/3 of the aquarium capacity. At maximum 1/2 is advised. If more is required, I always suggest to do a 1/3 change today, wait two days or so, then do another 1/3 and so on.

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[hint]
** NEVER, NEVER, NEVER do a complete water change. If the aquarium has been running for any length of time, the water that is in the aquarium is very different from the water coming straight from the tap. As such by removing and cleaning everything in the aquarium, you are changing every water characteristic possible. This is very stressfull for the fish and has a very good chance of doing more harm than good. If all the rocks, gravel and decorations are rinsed and cleaned at the same time, the invisible biological filter will be eliminated, removing the aquariums built up ability to reduce ammonia and nitrite before they concentrate to deadly levels. **

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Carbon's internal matrix electrostatically adsorbs most dyes and antibiotics. It is for this reason that carbon must be removed when treating an aquarium. Tannin and phenol create smells and discolouration in the aquarium, and carbon will adsorb it without trouble. Although there is raging debate about how long carbon is actually effective, I tend to change carbon inserts about once a month. When the water is heavily discoloured, the interval is reduced to 2 weeks. I always suggest a new carbon charge be added after medication to remove the discolouration as rapidly as possible.
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