what am i doing wrong?

[mjaquarium02]

Hey guys,

I have a 10g tank and every time I do a water change my water gets cloudy! I don’t understand. It’s going to be barely a month (next week) that I have this tank up and running with livestock. All of my water parameters are fine. Ammonia-0 Nitrite-0 Nitrate-0 Ph-8.0 My tank has been cycled properly when I didn’t have fish in it. This issue has been occurring for a while now. Just last week it was cloudy when i did the wc and after a few days for the first time ever I got it to be clear again and I was very relieved but since I needed to do a water change again this week… it got cloudy again. Usually this cloudiness persists I honestly don’t know how I got it to get clear last week.
Fish seem fine. Not gasping for air, stressed, or anything. I have been feeding it and picking up the left over food due to the possibility of being a bacteria bloom. Maybe it is a bacteria bloom but can it still happen if ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate are at 0 ??

Also when I did the 15% wc yesterday I was messing with the sand a bit but this usually clears up. I used RO water and mixed my own salt. Right now salinity is 1.025. I didn’t change the filter cartridge because I heard those last a month or so and it hasn’t been a full month yet. I also have some Chemipure Blue carbon running as well. I did go to my local saltwater store and they recommended me using Microbacter 7 everyday until the bottle runs out but it’s still like this…. any ideas what I should do? I’m sorta stuck in this phase.

 

[mjaquarium02]

I see one clownfish in the picture, are there any other critters in there? Did your nitrites and nitrates ever end up showing more than zero? For ammonia to jump like that with a single small fish in a 10 gallon seems strange for a cycled tank when you say you're scooping up uneaten food.

Yes I only have one clownfish that’s why I’m getting confused!! My nitrites and nitrates always read 0 my ammonia has been rising every now and then highest it has gotten is 0.25 only because that’s when I do water changes.

 

[mjaquarium02]

. 25 on API? If so, that's normal, API reads that forever. It's likely 0.

yes it was on API

 

[mjaquarium02]

No, keep doing what you are doing. Stop doing water changes and leave the tank alone for at least 3 weeks. Then report back with how things are going.

Ok great. I won’t touch the tank!! Should I change the filter cartridge? Im supposed to change it next week…. It does seem dirty but the water flows fine and I don’t want to disturb the beneficial bacteria.

 

[j.falk]

Yes I only have one clownfish that’s why I’m getting confused!! My nitrites and nitrates always read 0 my ammonia has been rising every now and then highest it has gotten is 0.25 only because that’s when I do water changes.

Your tank is trying to cycle and every time to you do a water change you reset it making it have to start all over again. You need to chill out and leave it alone for awhile. Let it do it's thing.

 

[WarChief]

What they said!

 

[Narideth]

API ammonia tests will almost always show a little bit of green. I had the exact same thing happen with my first tank. I still use the API tests, but with a grain of salt. You're getting good advice from the others - let your tank sit for a while. My LFS told me to give the tank a couple of months even before I do any changes, but that was my particular tank and situation.

 

[mjaquarium02]

Your tank is trying to cycle and every time to you do a water change you reset it making it have to start all over again. You need to chill out and leave it alone for awhile. Let it do it's thing.

but what if my ammonia starts getting high again should i leave it alone??? i thought the water changes were a good thing. i swear i didn’t know

 

[j.falk]

The MicroBacter7 you are already adding is for breaking down the ammonia. That's what bacteria does.

 

[mjaquarium02]

The MicroBacter7 you are already adding is for breaking down the ammonia. That's what bacteria does.

Yes I understand that but my test read ammonia was 0.25 even when I was adding MicroBacter 7. That’s why I did the wc.

 

[52728299]

Your just practicing good tank husbandry, wouldn't feel bad about that. Usually you would do water changes when nutrients, or nitrate start creeping up.

As for your ammonia, if you have established nitrifying bacteria then you won't have to worry about ammonia going forward, or nitrite for that matter. Just keep adding mb7, feed that fish and keep testing.

As for the cloudiness, it's most likely just sand that wasn't rinsed. It will stop eventually.

 

[mjaquarium02]

Your just practicing good tank husbandry, wouldn't feel bad about that. Usually you would do water changes when nutrients, or nitrate start creeping up.

As for your ammonia, if you have established nitrifying bacteria then you won't have to worry about ammonia going forward, or nitrite for that matter. Just keep adding mb7, feed that fish and keep testing.

As for the cloudiness, it's most likely just sand that wasn't rinsed. It will stop eventually.

thank you so much for the advice. i won’t mess it up!!

 

[Troylee]

Most likely it’s bacterial blooms.. just feed your fish and enjoy it till your nitrates start to climb.. once you get readings of 15 or so on a decent test kit “Hannah, salifert” etc then change your water.. and only change like 1 gallon on that 10 gallon tank.. I’d guess you’re holding about 8 gallons max.

 

[C4ctus99]

What brand of sand did you use and did you rinse it?

I made the mistake of not rinsing some caribsea aragonite once and the tank was murky for almost a week…

As to amonia, just add some of the bottled bacteria every day and it shouldn’t be an issue. I’ve only ever used seachem stability, but fritz, microbacter, and some others are popular. If the bottled bac doesn’t seem to be keeping ammonia in control, switch to a different one. API test kits normally read some ammonia present

Last question… did you say your nitrates read 0? If so, I don’t know that your tank has cycled cause you don’t seem to have anything to consume it

 

[exnisstech]

OP you said you are using RO water. For clarification are you using RO or RODI?
I dont even own an ammoia or nitrite test kit. I just watch for nitrates when cycling and it works. I haven't lost a fish in a newly cycled tank.

 

[mjaquarium02]

OP you said you are using RO water. For clarification are you using RO or RODI?
I dont even own an ammoia or nitrite test kit. I just watch for nitrates when cycling and it works. I haven't lost a fish in a newly cycled tank.

i’m just using RO water. i guess i’ll just focus on nitrates then. how much is too much nitrates?

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Yes I only have one clownfish that’s why I’m getting confused!! My nitrites and nitrates always read 0 my ammonia has been rising every now and then highest it has gotten is 0.25 only because that’s when I do water changes.

If you never had nitrites or nitrates, then something is off... When a tank is cycled, ammonia is turned into nitrite and then nitrate. I would expect you to have at least SOME nitrate if the tank is cycled.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

i’m just using RO water. i guess i’ll just focus on nitrates then. how much is too much nitrates?

No limit right now. They can get to 100 and you'd be fine... Just let the tank mature for a few weeks.

Also, you can use a power filter if you want to clear up the cloudiness... Google " power filter for saltwater tank" and you'll find ones you can buy and also some diy ones.

Finally, take a breath and remember that nothing good happens fast in this hobby. You're doing fine and soon will have a great tank!

 

[C4ctus99]

i’m just using RO water. i guess i’ll just focus on nitrates then. how much is too much nitrates?

Most people target the 5-25 range I think. Fish can handle more than that, but not recommended. It takes a lot of nitrate to harm fish…like my clowns were in 80 ppm at one point and were fine

 

[Narideth]

If you never had nitrites or nitrates, then something is off... When a tank is cycled, ammonia is turned into nitrite and then nitrate. I would expect you to have at least SOME nitrate if the tank is cycled.

This was where I was at earlier, wondering if they'd ever seen nitrites or nitrates at all. Eeyore and everyone else are right on the money I think, and while it may seem counterproductive to let the water sit for a while, keep in mind about those necessary water changes for later!

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

but what if my ammonia starts getting high again should i leave it alone??? i thought the water changes were a good thing. i swear i didn’t know

If you're really concerned, buy a bottle of Fritz Turbostart 900 (it's refrigerated) and add to the tank. That will be MORE than enough to process any ammonia (although i bet you already have enough bacteria to do so).

Do Not, I repeat DO NOT ADD Prime in an attempt to "detoxify" ammonia. It doesn't work.