# Cloudy Water vs PH



## jontom (May 12, 2006)

This is my first posting.

My tank is about 6-weeks along, a 46 gallon bow front. My water's been cloudy for awhile, which I understand isn't necessarily unusual for a new tank. The last week or so, it's cleared considerably. My PH has been around 8.0

I've also been reading about adding CO2. This weekend, I added a DIY CO2 system (the yeast, 2 liter bottle kind). Now my water is cloudy again and my PH was down to about 6.6 this morning before leaving the house. Fortunately, the drop doesn't seem to have hurt my fish at this point.

My question is: Did the decrease in my PH from the CO2 injection cause the cloudiness? Is it a matter of my tank readjusting? I'm just trying to figure out if I should remove the CO2 system. I only have a few plants at this point, but plan on adding considerably more.

Thanks....


----------



## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

How much light do you have? The more light you have the more you need CO2, fertilizing, and a lot of plants from the beginning. Otherwise algae will be delighted to move in and use the great conditions.

Cloudy water could be green water just starting out, it could be dust from the substrate, it could be bacterial, etc. But, new tanks don't generally have cloudy water - something isn't right. What filtration do you have?


----------



## jontom (May 12, 2006)

I appreciate your response Hoppy,

I have about 2.5 WPG lighting and running a penguin filter designed, if I recall, for up to 50 gallons (I'm not at home at the moment). It isn't green water, more a whitish color. I cut back on fertilizing since I had an explosion of some sort of hair algae (white) that I couldn't locate information on, but some research showed that excess iron could cause it. That algae seems to now be under control.


----------



## LilLou (Apr 23, 2006)

Sometimes the cloudiness is a result of the small bubbles of CO2 floating around the water. If you look real close you can see the bubbles.

How long have the plants been in there? Sometimes the actual planting disturbs the substrate and causes the cloudy condition for a while.

After I planted I had to get a water clarifier because of all the cloudiness in the water. 

Hope it helps

Lou


----------



## jontom (May 12, 2006)

I put plants in about the third day after I set it up. I had Anachris, two java ferns, and the Filligree (which I think is a Wisteria of some sort). The Anachris really took off and pretty much took over. When the hair algae hit, it just heavily covered the anachris and the java ferns, which I removed all them. I trimmed back the infected Wisteria and it's doing pretty good. I just added a Melon Sword this past weekend. I need to find some good foreground plants, but haven't gotten around to it yet.


----------



## donmartinr (Apr 26, 2006)

Pls help me here. I too have hair algae. I have read several discussions and the more I read the more I got confused. Some say to increase ferts while others say to cut down the ferts? So what is it reallY? Is it really related to Iron/micros? 
There seems to be a consensus to up the CO2 and that's what I did today....hope it works!!
Please help me. I don't want it to get worse!
Thanks 
Another Newbie!!


----------



## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

I think the best idea is to use a fertilizing technique that assures you that you are providing everything the plants need. The EI method is one of those. It is unique in that you don't do testing, except for CO2. Once you are sure you are giving the plants everything they need, keeping the dead and decaying plant matter and fish removed, and cleaning the filter every month or so, you shouldn't have things like persistent cloudy water, green water, algae, etc. But, it isn't always (ever?) easy to get to that point.


----------



## jontom (May 12, 2006)

donmartinr

Just be careful on how you handle it. I purchased this stuff that was supposed to kill algae, misread the directions and ended up killing half my fish. The water sprite I had was also badly affected and it may not make it.

I've done some other reading and it seems that snails can be real good for algae. If it comes to that, I think that is the way I will go. I took out my homemade CO2 generator and figure I'll just see how it goes without it.


----------



## donmartinr (Apr 26, 2006)

jontom thanks.
I did observe that when I had snail infestation I had few problems with hair algae. But since the snail population went down, algae problem went up...
Pls anyone answer me this though, is it related to iron/micros because I dose alot of it.
Thanks again


----------



## jontom (May 12, 2006)

It could be iron, donmartinr, since I was doing the same thing. I purchased a plant fertilizer with iron and was adding some every few days. I read a few places on the internet where excess iron can cause it. Currently, I only have a few plants. That's seems to be when my algae took off. For what its worth, I haven't added any for a few weeks now and my algae issue is much better.


----------



## Bert H (Mar 2, 2004)

> is it related to iron/micros because I dose alot of it.


Don, once you have it, high iron/micros tend to help it grow more. What are your tank parameters, lighting, fert schemes, etc? My question to you is do you need the high levels of micros/iron you dose?

BTW, you found a use for snails. A lot of folks want a snail free tank, but never realize that there is a real benefit to having some snails in there.


----------



## donmartinr (Apr 26, 2006)

thanks again jontom.
I will definitely lower if not stop iron temporarily.


----------



## donmartinr (Apr 26, 2006)

Bert
I have a 20 gallon high, sera with eco complete substrate, total of 90 wpg lighting, pressured CO2 with solenoid but on 24 hours.
Heavily planted, mediumly stockd with tetras.
Ferts EI: less than 1/4 tbsp KNO3 2x/week, .75 ml fleet 2x/week, CSM+b 10ml 3x week (2tbsp in 500ml H2O), iron 10ml 3x/week (2tbsp in 500ml H2O).
I dont test water parameters (read most tests are not accurate any way)
I was dosing extra iron because of this : http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/...t-levels.html?highlight=didiplis+diandra+3.95, but newer discussions re: xtra iron for redder plants isn't necessary.
I did notice that when I started with the iron/micros dosing, hair algae got worse.
Should probably cut down a bit.
Thanks Bert for your help.


----------



## donmartinr (Apr 26, 2006)

bert its not 90 wpg. It should be 90 watts total!!


----------



## Bert H (Mar 2, 2004)

That's a fair amoung of lighting there. Until you have this issue under control, it might be helpful if you could lower the light levels by 30W or so. Matter of fact, if you have good reflectors, you should be able to grow most anything you want with 60W on a 20. Also, if your photoperiod is longer than 10 hours, I would cut that down also.


----------



## donmartinr (Apr 26, 2006)

I'll do that. 
Thanks Bert


----------

