I give up! Let it be cloudy.

[ladygodiva35]

Once again I have to complain about my cloudy tank.

I switched to sand 6-7 months ago and had no issues but then about 2 months ago it was always cloudy and I couldn't even see my axolotls so I decided to remove all the sand and wash it out.

The sand and water were crystal clean but then a few days later cloudy as before. So next cleaning I decide to remove all the sand because it was probably the cause of my cloudy water.

At this point I have a bare bottom but then at the end of the week the water was still very cloudy like dirty milk was poured into it. I feed my axolotls night crawlers so I know it's not any rotten wasted food. And I clean out any poop the moment I see it.

I only have one large rock, a large cave, two clear glass vases that each hold my 3 bamboo plants and the vases themselves also have a bare bottom. And of course I have my Tetra Whisper filter.

So what the heck is going on? I've started to clean my tank twice a week now since every 3rd day it's completely cloudy. And now these worm things popped up in my tank that I made a different post about. And my water doesn't smell or anything like that.

 

[Boomsloth]

What are your parameters currently?

 

[ladygodiva35]

Nitrate is 20ppm
Nitrite is .5ppm
Ammonia 0pmm

 

[Boomsloth]

Hmm it might be suspended organics accumulating. The only advice I can give is to try floating plants or any fast growing plants. I have two large axolotls tanks and kept water hyacinth in one while the other was just bare. After a week it was cloudy only in the bare tank while the planted stayed clear.

 

[ladygodiva35]

Thanks. I'll try to locate some good floating plants that can handle cold waters. I know my axies will enjoy those!

 

[mackinthebox]

Hmm it might be suspended organics accumulating. The only advice I can give is to try floating plants or any fast growing plants. I have two large axolotls tanks and kept water hyacinth in one while the other was just bare. After a week it was cloudy only in the bare tank while the planted stayed clear.

with how high the nitrates are i would agree
more frequent water changes would help
this could also be a bacterial bloom in the water

 

[TallTree01]

Your bamboo may be the cause. Take it out, maybe it's decomposing and fogging the water. They are not aquatic and don't last Ing in water.

 

[Boomsloth]

with how high the nitrates are i would agree
more frequent water changes would help
this could also be a bacterial bloom in the water

The nitrates are pretty low. Even if it was a bacterial bloom performing more frequent water changes won't prevent the water from clouding up if one change is skipped.

Your bamboo may be the cause. Take it out, maybe it's decomposing and fogging the water. They are not aquatic and don't last Ing in water.

As long as the top of the bamboo is out of the water it will grow. They are actually pretty good themselves at keeping the water clean. But it should still be checked.

Good options for plants are water hyacinth, frogbit, water lettuce, duckweed. If it's bacterial the plants will basically starve out the suspended bacteria, if it's the other plant rotting they still will be absorbing the excess nutrients.

 

[mewsie]

The bamboo is quite likely - I once tried to keep some bamboo in a normal pot and it went all mushy and horrible because I watered it too much - not sure I'd keep it in a tank.

Your tank could actually be too bare, and possibly even too clean. The bacteria that create the healthy nitrogen cycle live on and in the substrate, ornaments, surfaces and filter media.

If you are cleaning the tank too much you could actually be preventing the bacteria from establishing a healthy colony.

From your readings, the fact that the nitrites are not sitting at zero does say that your tank is not fully cycled.

The tank sounds a little bare for axolotls - one cave is probably too little in the way of hides. Also, is this cave aquarium friendly?

Perhaps add a thin layer of clean sand in, some large rocks/cave, and some aquatic plants. I recommend Java Fern, Anubias and Java Moss as typical plants. Tie these to your caves/rocks and they will eventually take hold on the surface. Do not bury these plants under the sand surface as they will die. The other plants recommended by others are a great idea.

Aquatic plants will help remove the nitrates, along with a weekly 20% water change.

You need to be checking the water parameters daily at the moment to monitor what's happening, and take steps where necessary to keep your axolotls healthy.

 

[ladygodiva35]

The bamboo is quite likely - I once tried to keep some bamboo in a normal pot and it went all mushy and horrible because I watered it too much - not sure I'd keep it in a tank.

Your tank could actually be too bare, and possibly even too clean. The bacteria that create the healthy nitrogen cycle live on and in the substrate, ornaments, surfaces and filter media.

From your readings, the fact that the nitrites are not sitting at zero does say that your tank is not fully cycled.

The tank sounds a little bare for axolotls - one cave is probably too little in the way of hides. Also, is this cave aquarium friendly?

I have 6 bamboo plants. They are in two clear glass vases with the top of them not submerged in the water. They are very healthy looking. I clean my tank once a week but lately it's been so nasty that I was thinking maybe it's a filter problem. I just realized that my filter is the Tetra Whisper medium for a 10 gallon.

So I'm doing some filter research and looking to get an Aqua Clear Fluval Power Filter. I'm not sure if I should get it for 10-30 gallon or get the 30-50 gallon. I have my axolotls in a 20 gallon long.

I'm not sure why my tank wouldn't be fully cycled. I've had it up and running over 8 months now. My cave is aquarium friendly! And my tank is a bit bare but I'm going to be getting slate this weekend for the bottom and I'm so excited! I'm also going to be looking for some privately owned fish stores for some nice healthy plants since the Petco has gone down hill since new management.

They have these baby geckos that look all dried up and bone thin living on sand. (Lady thinks she knows it all but can't even tell the difference between the head and tail of a snake!)

 

[Bette]

For what it's worth, I recommend getting the larger, stronger filter. You can always setup a diy baffle to deal with the current.