# Murky water, noticed algea on glass...



## gSTiTcH (Feb 21, 2013)

Bulbs could do it.

It also looks like there has been substantial growth between the two pictures, which would mean that a consistent fert regiment may not quite keep up with the demand in the tank. GSA (green spot algae) is often believed to be attributed to low phosphates. Of course, do your own research and testing before acting on it.

Side note, interesting avatar.  Furry tank enthusiast?


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## DarkCobra (Jun 22, 2004)

+1 to everything gSTiTcH said.

Plus, check the filters. More often than not when any tank of mine becomes cloudy, I discover a filter with a fraction of its normal flow, and long overdue for a cleaning.


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## benjaminleebates (Mar 27, 2012)

To be fair, it may have been 3 weeks between the two pics; however the murkiness DID come on quite quick. Phosphates, interesting...
Yup, I am a graphic designer, been drawing fuzzy critters of all sorts, furry including... Darned internet gives people like me a bad name. Just love to draw cute fuzzy things; and love all animals. The avatar is a furry pic of ME, drew it back in the 90's when I had hair! lol
I've had this tank for a little over a year now. It's been great fun and I've learned so much... Kinda frustrating when things go funky, tho.


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## benjaminleebates (Mar 27, 2012)

DarkCobra said:


> +1 to everything gSTiTcH said.
> 
> Plus, check the filters. More often than not when any tank of mine becomes cloudy, I discover a filter with a fraction of its normal flow, and long overdue for a cleaning.


Yeah, I'm gonna increase the frequency of the filter change. Been doing it monthly, always, never had this issue before. So I will go every 3 weeks... Thanks!


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## AVN (Oct 3, 2012)

Clean your filter. Lower your ammonia. Looks like green water diatoms to me.


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## benjaminleebates (Mar 27, 2012)

My levels are about perfect. I just changed my filter, so well see if that helps. That leads me to another question. How often if ever should a person clean off the non changeable filter, one is the plastic basket that the filter sets in, and the other is a flow thru immediately before entering the tank?


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## DarkCobra (Jun 22, 2004)

As often as needed. 

I don't set a fixed schedule, but rather do it based on flow restriction (or bypass if a filter instead responds to clogs that way). And generally how ugly things look. I don't bother to keep anything pristine, but if I look at it and go "ewwww", it gets cleaned.


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## secuono (Nov 19, 2009)

Have you taken a fresh razor blade to the glass to be 100% sure there is no film at all on it? 
I had randomly off water like that once, but it went away. So can't really help you out much.


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## gSTiTcH (Feb 21, 2013)

Figured as such. "Furdar" and all. 

Anyway, best of luck with the tank. :3


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## AlyeskaGirl (Oct 6, 2011)

Looks like you have a slight algae bloom. There's a nutrient imbalance going on.

Standard fluorescent bulbs replaced every 6 mo. T5HO 18-24 mo. respectively.


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## jester56 (Oct 28, 2012)

(Totally joking!) water changes should be easy with the water wheel! Lol! 
That sword is healthy and looks kick butt!


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## benjaminleebates (Mar 27, 2012)

jester56 said:


> (Totally joking!) water changes should be easy with the water wheel! Lol!
> That sword is healthy and looks kick butt!


Thanks! The sword just went through its first reproductive stage got three babies from it. I rinse off the filter and its holder, the water seems to be clearing a bit. Not bad all in all to go a full year and this is my first problem. This is my first tank, so no big complaints if this as bad as it gets, then I'm quite lucky!


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## gSTiTcH (Feb 21, 2013)

Wait... You CHANGED the filter? :<

You should only change the filter if it's falling apart. Otherwise, just clean the sucker in tank water from a water change. Replacing media can and will trigger a mini nitrogen cycle.


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## secuono (Nov 19, 2009)

Yea, you never replace the media unless it's falling apart, sponge should hold up for years.


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## benjaminleebates (Mar 27, 2012)

What, wait. I have a HOB filter, there is a disposable sponge with charcoal inside. I've always been told to change that monthly. It had been almost a month when the water started to look murky. I went ahead and changed this... I am unclear as to whether and or when one should clean off the basket that this sets it. 
Just to note... The sponge gets dark brown after just a couple weeks of use. PPL were tell me that I should perhaps change that filter more frequently...


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## gSTiTcH (Feb 21, 2013)

The sponge houses a large majority of the beneficial bacteria that process ammonia. You should just rinse that with tank water. There's a small chance that the murk was your filter finally starting to set in.

You can probably just replace the charcoal inside the media, if you so desire. However, charcoal is not necessary either and will adsorb (not absorb) some of your ferts.

The brown is normal. It's the biofilm and breakdown of the fish/plant wastes. That means things are working.


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## benjaminleebates (Mar 27, 2012)

Okay. So this part is all new to me. I've been changing the filter once a month. So, instead of actually changing the filter, what specifically is the alternative. I've read on several boards, that you can use something else for you media, cut it down and put it in the plastic basket. What would this be, and where would I get it locally? I get the rinsing out with used tank water, but the disposable filter is so wimpy.


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## gSTiTcH (Feb 21, 2013)

Which filter do you have? The media shouldn't wear out too fast.

If you're looking to add additional media, you can use quilt batting or polyfil from walmart.


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## benjaminleebates (Mar 27, 2012)

The filter is aqueon, its a hob and it uses large filters. It has a blue plastic "basket" that the filter resides in... The filter itself is twot ultra thin pieces of batting with a few crumbs of charcoal inside. I read several places that charcoal isn't neccessary in a heavily planted tank because the plants do that job of filtering. Plus that charcoal can actually pull the frets from the water column, making dosing less effective.
So could I just get batting from a crafts store and cut it down and use it as the filter? What is filter floss and where would I find it?


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## benjaminleebates (Mar 27, 2012)

Okay, starting to get this via the vast and powerful internets...
So, fiber floss, is basically polyfill for stuffing crafts. I don't like the idea of that. Batting sounds easier to layer and cut to size. My biggest question is, do I put anything in with the batting? Like sandwich some bio-max in there?


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## CrypticLifeStyle (Jan 16, 2013)

I just wrote this entire post, then hit the back button on the mouse by accident, and lost it lol, so i'm just going to point you to this thread i took part in, and if you choose to follow suit welcome to a cheaper healthier tank lol...

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=253941


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## benjaminleebates (Mar 27, 2012)

I read thru that post, lotsa good stuff. My HOB has very limited space and I don't wish to restrict water movement, but I want good mechanical and biological filtration. So batting is sounding good to me, or something along those lines, I don't like the idea of poly fill. The clamshell pictured is for a specific filter, right? I believe that I should be able to cut batting to size and slide it into the basket, it's sorta like the clamshell, it's pocket shaped. I read something about using the Green scrubbing pads as filter, but no one ansered that option... I want something like batting, but stiffer, like the blue stuff. Do they carry to blue batting stuff in craft stores? Or is that more industrial/LFS specific?


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## CrypticLifeStyle (Jan 16, 2013)

Well what kind of filter are you using. I take care a lot of other peoples tanks, all various sized filters, and modded them all. Yeah the clamshell is for a emp 400, but also fits 350's as well, maybe the 280 series. Pretty sure it'll fit the old 170's too it's all the same cartridge size. 

Scrubbies yeah they can be used as a sponge/bio filtration. I know the chain stores carry marineland small roll cut to size of the blue filter pad. I just clean, and reuse that as well. A lot of those pics are my older pics from my last house, but they still give a idea what you can do. Skys the limits really. Flow will depend on how thick your mechanical filtration is. If you dont have a lot of debris of sorts then it dosnt have to be thick.


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## benjaminleebates (Mar 27, 2012)

http://www.google.com/shopping/prod...a=X&ei=tttJUYi6FdCuyAHH14HYBA&ved=0CFwQ8wIwAQ

The link above is to the filters that I use. The filter came with the tank, the tank is a 36 gallon bowfront.


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## DarkCobra (Jun 22, 2004)

benjaminleebates said:


> The filter is aqueon, its a hob and it uses large filters. It has a blue plastic "basket" that the filter resides in... The filter itself is twot ultra thin pieces of batting with a few crumbs of charcoal inside.


I have something called a ShowerPik:










You can, if you want, turn this up high enough to remove your gums from your teeth. That setting is no good for oral hygiene, but it IS good for cleaning your style of filter cartridge when it becomes so clogged that a rinse in tank water will no longer suffice.

Works so well that I buy replacement cartridges, or have to mess about with filter floss, with extreme rarity. Only when things actually start falling apart, which may be years. And the charcoal typically stops working within a month or less, after that it's only mediocre biomedia, which is fine and better than nothing.

Of course, deep cleaning will generally remove/kill most of the beneficial bacteria. Replacement will guarantee loss of all bacteria, and includes fresh carbon. That's why I'm not fond of this style of HOB. Unless they have two cartridges, it's all or nothing, and very little room for any additions. If I use them, I tend to use two of this style HOB, allowing me to clean one, then the other, on an alternating basis. Or I'll put a sponge prefilter on the intake, and alternate between cleaning the prefilter and the cartridge.


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## benjaminleebates (Mar 27, 2012)

INteresting. Would you say I should rinse my filter cartridge weekly (in used tank water of course) when I do my water change? It gets nasty looking fast. My tank is fully stocked.


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## DarkCobra (Jun 22, 2004)

benjaminleebates said:


> INteresting. Would you say I should rinse my filter cartridge weekly (in used tank water of course) when I do my water change? It gets nasty looking fast. My tank is fully stocked.


Try it and see how it works for you. Every tank is different - even if considered fully stocked, there's still significant differences in feeding, debris, etc. I don't think once weekly will be too much. But of course you'll want to use the minimum amount of work necessary.

Since I use a Python water changer that drains directly to the sink, it's an extra step for me to get a bucket of tank water for rinsing media. Multiplied by six tanks. So I lean towards less frequent and deeper cleanings, with extra flow/filtration to keep things in good shape in the meantime.


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## benjaminleebates (Mar 27, 2012)

I have a hose that I hook up to my sink, then I run water to start the syphon, but it still takes WAY too long. Is the Python pump/motor driven? How fast does it drain? What's the cost?


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## DarkCobra (Jun 22, 2004)

The Python is not electrically powered. It's also, I hear, no longer made - seems the company went bankrupt. But folks say the Lee's Water Changer is identical in every respect, and also cheaper than the original Python, which I think I paid $35 for.

Letting water run the entire time you're draining speeds it up, but wastes water. I do this only for the smaller tanks, so I can quickly move to the next one. For the larger ones, I time how long it takes to drain a few times. If fairly consistent, then I start setting a kitchen timer which I carry while I go about the house, using that time to do other, interruptable chores. I make sure the Python's secured by braces or lights so it can't slip out, and a bit of mesh attached to the intake prevents livestock from getting sucked in, so I can leave it unattended for that time.


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## benjaminleebates (Mar 27, 2012)

Okay, good info!


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## puopg (Sep 16, 2012)

I think the bacteria will re colonize the new media relatively quickly since they also live in the substrate and all around the tank. Is this incorrect?


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## benjaminleebates (Mar 27, 2012)

I would believe you are correct...


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## benjaminleebates (Mar 27, 2012)

*Update*

Water stayed murky for quite some time and GSA would grow each week, just a little, but still annoying, considering how great my tank was!
So, I use a little LUX meter on my phone to check the lights, one was at 1000 and the other at 1300. I don't know what these readings mean, or how accurate they are, but the difference is what I am interested in. So I swapped out the 1000 with a new T8 6500K. The new bulb is at 1800 BTW.
So that was the first thing, the second issue that I can think of, is that it's been quite a while (4 months or so) since I place my osmocote capsule in the substrate. They have 14% Phosphorus, so I am hoping that putting a bunch of new capsules in the substrate can help get the balance back...
I'll keep y'all posted.


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## EricSilver (Feb 23, 2004)

gSTiTcH said:


> Wait... You CHANGED the filter? :<
> 
> You should only change the filter if it's falling apart. Otherwise, just clean the sucker in tank water from a water change. Replacing media can and will trigger a mini nitrogen cycle.


So very true. 

For some unknown reason, I decided to rinse the media in my canister filter three days ago. Water went from gin-clear to hazy blue.


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## benjaminleebates (Mar 27, 2012)

I think I need to mess less.
I went on vaca, it was very murky when I got back two weeks later. I changed the water and went away on business. Not to bad when I got back two weeks later. I think my 50% every week might be the culprit, in conjunction with over fertilizing; and over rinsing of the filter media. I haven't added ferts for two to three weeks and the water is clearing up. It must be that the plants are doing fine (they are still growing like weeds) and the algae was sucking up the extra ferts and growing. I may fert once a week and maybe wc every other week if the levels are good.


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## Jahn (Apr 26, 2013)

Oh, and I wouldn't use the carbon filter either - use it just to take meds out of the water. Use another sponge filter in its place. And yep, just swish the pre-filter and filter in the water you just removed to get the big bits off and pop them back in - don't run it under the tap or in RO and totally get it whistle white, that'll wipe out the good bacteria.


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