# New Canister Filter, Cloudy water?!?!



## mrchach (Sep 8, 2010)

So i get my sun sun last night and i am like :bounce:

so i put all the filters that came with it in the bottom (rinsed well)
i put in my super hardcore 8 pointed star biomedia (rinsed well) in the middle(as well as an old filter from my previous filter to help maintain bacterias)
I bought some filter(seems to be almost the same as what came with it) in the top basket(rinsed well)

i fill up everything, prime it a few times to get the bubbles out
turn it on
and it starts, silent, moves water

SUCCESS!!!:icon_cool

I wake up this morning, walk over to my beautiful fish tank, turn on my "Early morning blue light" and what do i see... cloudyness!!! White Cloudyness!!! :eek5:

what happened? did i forget something? is this regular with can filters on the first couple days?


----------



## ReefkprZ (Aug 21, 2010)

did you leave your old filter running?

and what did you rinse your biomedia with? if you used tap water you may have killed some or most of the bacteria on it.


----------



## mrchach (Sep 8, 2010)

ReefkprZ said:


> did you leave your old filter running?
> 
> and what did you rinse your biomedia with? if you used tap water you may have killed some or most of the bacteria on it.


i rinsed with tap water- but it is well water with no chlorine or anything, i do 50% water changes weekly with the same water so it shouldnt have effected it and i did not leave my old filter running


----------



## tharsis (Oct 9, 2009)

you probably have a bacterial bloom because you didn't leave your old filter running. 

By switching out the filters you removed a huge % of the bacteria (even with one of the old pads in the new filter). It is usually good to leave the old filter running for a couple days to while the new one gets colonizes.


----------



## bigboij (Jul 24, 2009)

when i swapped to my sunsun i needed to keep my old filter in place as well for at least a week, to keep a bloom from happening.


----------



## mrchach (Sep 8, 2010)

so... waterchange and put the old filter back on?


----------



## ReefkprZ (Aug 21, 2010)

if the media in the old filter is still wet, sure, if its dried out it wont help the bacteria in it will have died off.


----------



## deleted_user_7 (Jul 7, 2003)

Will it have all died or will there still be spores or cysts from the old bacteria in there?

I've always wondered that.


----------



## Sharkfood (May 2, 2010)

There will likely be some endospores, but they take time to become active, and multiply to the point where they exist in sufficent numbers. The free bacteria in the tank will colonize just as fast, if not faster as they are already active. He reused an old sponge from the previous filter, so he should have good "seed" already.

Just check your ammonia levels. The bacteria in the water may be saving your skin so to speak. Water changes are never a bad idea.

It could also be dust from new ceramic media.


----------



## angelsword (May 16, 2009)

It's either a mini cycle or debris from the media that comes with the Sunsun. Mine came with a bag filled with broken up shells and crushed coral. I can't really get much information from the packaging or instructions. (it's fun to try though) I left out that bag since I wasn't looking to alter my ph.

I would take that bag out and fill one basket with filter fiber.


----------



## mrchach (Sep 8, 2010)

angelsword said:


> It's either a mini cycle or debris from the media that comes with the Sunsun. Mine came with a bag filled with broken up shells and crushed coral. I can't really get much information from the packaging or instructions. (it's fun to try though) I left out that bag since I wasn't looking to alter my ph.
> 
> I would take that bag out and fill one basket with filter fiber.


The 3 coarse filters taht came with the pump
1 pack coarse media random brand
I got some API Bacti-Stars 20 pack for bio
I picked up some eheim fine filter padding that I will add tomorrow during my massive water change...

I put my filter back on that still had some water in the bottom of it and 2 pads in it, its been running for about 12 hours and the water has cleared up well

I think the problem has been fixed for now, we will see in the morning, im hoping the addition of a fine filter will make some sparkling clear water


----------



## angelsword (May 16, 2009)

Glad you got it cleared up!


----------



## Guest (Jan 27, 2014)

mrchach said:


> So i get my sun sun last night and i am like :bounce:
> 
> so i put all the filters that came with it in the bottom (rinsed well)
> i put in my super hardcore 8 pointed star biomedia (rinsed well) in the middle(as well as an old filter from my previous filter to help maintain bacterias)
> ...


please can you tell me why my fish is cloudy, installed a sun sun external filter


----------

