# Dirted Tank Cloudy for 2 Months...



## WallaceGrover (Jan 15, 2011)

I put red clay in it and capped it with about an inch of sand, but after 2 months planted with no livestock the tank is still cloudy. Some of the dirt somehow got on top of the sand (I think it bubbled up while gases were bring created), so I was thinking maybe this is the culprit? Whatever it is I am tired of it, I've been doing around a 1/4 water change every week and all it does is temporarily get clear then goes right back to cloudy. I really need help on how to eliminate it or at least know what the problem is in the first place...

BTW: When I went to rinse out the sponges in the Eheim 2213 on this tank the canister water was DIRTY, I poured it all out...


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## wkndracer (Mar 14, 2009)

possible silica issue from the sand? filter the fines out of the water column or us a coagulant / ref; Crystal Clear by Aquarium Products 
foggy due to bacteria? UV treatment

best guess


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## DogFish (Jul 16, 2011)

WallaceGrover said:


> I put red clay in it and capped it with about an inch of sand...


Am I understand from this that the Substate under the sand cap is ALL Red Clay? Or did you mix Red Clay WITH MTS. MGPS Or TopSoil?


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## WallaceGrover (Jan 15, 2011)

Oh, I mixed the red clay with the miracle grow organic potting soil...


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## mistergreen (Dec 9, 2006)

You need more than 1/4 water changes. It is the downside to dirt tanks.


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## WallaceGrover (Jan 15, 2011)

Oh, really? Could that be the problem?


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## wkndracer (Mar 14, 2009)

Soil tanks are subject to tannins yes but maybe I made a mistake thinking cloudy meant just that and the water had a haze or white clouding to it.


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## WallaceGrover (Jan 15, 2011)

Oh, yeah this isn't tannin clouding for sure. If I use the crystal clear product will it kill snails or plants?


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## wkndracer (Mar 14, 2009)

Two times this has happened here (white clouding) for what ever reason and a week of 24/7 use running a UV sterilizer had no effect. I tried two locally available chemical answers and the cheapest worked the best.
I tried Mardel brand Brite N' Clear to no effect. (listed to contain Alum sulfate)

Crystal Clear by Aquarium Products worked both times in planted tanks with no known issues. Contains 'polymeric flocculant' (what ever that is) but it worked great.


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## WallaceGrover (Jan 15, 2011)

Oh, ok, I will try that...

thank you!


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## [email protected] (Jul 17, 2008)

For particulates, in the absence of a diatom filter, I use a power head stuck in the neck of a pop or water bottle. I cut off the bottom of the bottle and lightly stuff the bottle with filter floss. After a couple of days the floss is a muddy mess and the water is usually clear. If not, repack with fresh floss and repeat.


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## sergio sinay (Nov 12, 2011)

dbosman can you upload a picture of that pls?


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## bpb (Mar 8, 2011)

In my dirt tank, I used alot of clay also, and when i first filled it it was cloudy has hell for a month before i fixed it. I did two things to fix it and now it is so clear it almost looks like there isn't water in the tank. First, I added an inch to my gravel cap. Second, I did several 50% water changes, keeping the syphon near the surface, and when i refilled each time, I poured the water at a trickle. Took me about 5 minutes to pour 5 gallons. After a few water changes it was totally clear.


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## WallaceGrover (Jan 15, 2011)

bpb said:


> In my dirt tank, I used alot of clay also, and when i first filled it it was cloudy has hell for a month before i fixed it. I did two things to fix it and now it is so clear it almost looks like there isn't water in the tank. First, I added an inch to my gravel cap. Second, I did several 50% water changes, keeping the syphon near the surface, and when i refilled each time, I poured the water at a trickle. Took me about 5 minutes to pour 5 gallons. After a few water changes it was totally clear.


Maybe water changes are my problem then? Thank you for sharing, I think this will end up being a game of patience...


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## Kathyy (Feb 22, 2010)

If the tank hasn't any livestock I would change water down to the substrate to get all the floaties gone. When you refill put a sheet of bubble wrap that mostly covers the tank bottom inside and fill very slowly.

I have dumped dirty old substrate into 2 tanks now and just rescaped the current tank making a gigantic mess in the process. I plant in some water and take the dirty water down below the substrate and refill slowly and am just blown away at how that really works. See the last bit of my journal to see the big mess. Not a dirted tank but there is 11 year old mulm in that substrate!

I am also now convinced that planted tanks need more filtration than some think necessary. You could simply stick a sponge prefilter on your filter intake and rinse in old tank water to get big floaties and add a bit more biological filtration.


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## Robert H (Apr 3, 2003)

You could have used too much clay or too much soil. Raw clay is a real mess to work with. It turns water to mud that can last forever. Personally I would never put it in a tank. I know many people who bake it in their oven to make it semi hard and then crumble it and add less than a handful to sprinkle the bottom of the tank. Thats all you really need and even then it will be dusty. Years ago I did the same thing and put raw, wet clay on the bottom of my tank about an inch deep. I had nothing but red muddy water for months and could never get rid of it no matter how many water changes I did. After six months I gave up and started over again.

An inch of sand over soil and clay is far too little in my opinion. I like my substrate to be at least 3 or 4 inches deep, even deeper in the back. The soil and clay should be less than an inch deep at the very bottom.


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## M-YC (May 7, 2014)

would 4 inch substrate layer not get anaerobic at the bottom?


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