Re: [APD] Cloudy water

["Wise, Nicholas" <Nicholas_Wise at eon-us.com>]

<snip>

> I believe Mike Smith wrote this email section below:
> 
> > I drained about 75% of the water. I
> > normally drain this much and sometimes more because as I said, the 
> > tank
> 
> 75% water change? You heard of Osmotic pressure and the 
> damage it does?

When I've had GW outbreaks, I would do 3x50% waer changes.  How would
replacing water with water from the same source have any effect on
osmotic pressures?  It's not like he's replacing salt water with
freshwater.

 
> > is often neglected. It is not unusual for this tank to go 3 
> weeks or more without a water change, or cleaning of the filters. ( 
> 2 Emperor 400's )
> 
> A lot of us change 25% water ever 2 or 3 weeks. Not usually.

I think it's more likely that most people here do 10-20% weekly.

> > After refilling the tank, I cleaned the Emperors and got 
> them running minus their cartridges.
> 
> No idea what an Emperor 400 is.
> What happened to the old foam filters filled with your good bacteria?

Emperor's are a filter and they do have foam.

> > Eager to clear up the tank, I again drained at least 75% of 
> the water. 

> > Worthy of note, neither this time or the time before did I use any 
> > kind of water conditioner.
> > Indeed, I have never used a conditioner when changing water in this
tank.
> 
> You're joking right?
> Or are you blessed with water with no Chlorine or Chloramine 
> in it in your area?
> 
> > After filling the tank, I
> > again cleaned the Emperors and placed brand new cartridges in both. 
> > Much to my surprise, the cloudiness has persisted.

Keep doing water changes daily and buy yourself a good quality water
conditioner like Seachem's Prime.  Do not clean the filters daily,
unless it is just to unclog them.  Always use old tank water to do this.

>  > As I'm writing this, I remember that during the water 
> change after  > which all this unpleasantness arose, I did a 
> deep vac of the gravel  > for the first time in recent 
> memory. ( my memory sucks

You probably just stirred up some yuck and added a lot of organics into
the water column resulting in an explosion of bacterial or algal growth.


What color is the cloud?

> Ok, you've not said how big your tank is. But I guess its 
> around 200Litres or more?

Size won't matter all size tanks would be treated the same way.

> You did do a basic beginners water test when you saw the cloud?
> 
> You know, test for the presence of ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, etc.?
>
> Cause it sounds to me like, because you've removed the good 
> brown slimy bacteria from your filters and from the 
> substrate, you've given the tank and the fish a good big kiss 
> goodbye to their way to Heaven?

Pshaw! I say.  Don't listen to doomsayers.  A bloom be it either
bacterial or GW is easy to handle and clear up.
 
> And you say you've got Ich?

Every tank has Ich and he said it wasn't his tank, but his girlfriends.
All it takes is some slight mistreatment of the fish and presto, Ich.

No need to blast the guy.

-Nick

_______________________________________________
Aquatic-Plants mailing list
Aquatic-Plants at actwin_com
http://www.actwin.com/mailman/listinfo/aquatic-plants