Need Aquarium Help

[cabinetman]

LOML wanted aquariums and now she has three. We have a 55 gal, a 30 gal, and now this 20 gal.

The 20 gal is specifically for our Goldfish which is about 8" long. We had him in a 6 gal Eclipse, and it was too small. That tank stayed pretty clear. My wife is good with the chemistry, and the 30 and 55 are in great shape. But with this 20 gal, she has had a problem of clearing up white cloudy water. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Here is what she has done:

Changed the filter from a Rena hang on tank to a Fluval 105 canister.

Changed the gravel from Top Fin to clear resin coated, which she rinsed out thoroughly before adding to the tank.

She has done several water exchanges, and changed the filter mediums twice.

Here is what it looks like:
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[pelligrini]

The cloudy water is from a bacteria bloom. I bet it comes shortly after a big filter change. The bloom is a result of greatly decreasing your biological bateria base with a cleaning or complete filter change. Most all the bacteria which break down the fish wastes are gone. Then there is a big spike in ammonia, shortly thereafter there is a bunch of waterborne bacteria having a feast on the built up ammonia.

I'm not familiar with that particular canister filter. If it has several types of media it is best to leave the main one that does the biological intact during cleanings. I usually run a couple different types of filters. I really like the overflow types with the bio-wheels. You might think about running both the rena and the canister. Just clean one at a time.

I can't tell if that canister is pulling from an undergravel filter. If so, the total change in gravel wiped out that bacteria bed too.

Just keep up with some 15-20% water changes till the water clears to help keep your ammonia and the later nitrite (nitrate?) spike low. Maybe feeding a little less till the water clears. Goldfish usually need more filtration than most tropicals. They are waste producing fools.

[dlminehart]

Another thing you might try is to add a couple aquatic plants. They'll use the fish waste as food, competing with the bacteria and looking much more attractive!

[aggrex]

The cloudy water is from a bacteria bloom. I bet it comes shortly after a big filter change. The bloom is a result of greatly decreasing your biological bateria base with a cleaning or complete filter change. Most all the bacteria which break down the fish wastes are gone. Then there is a big spike in ammonia, shortly thereafter there is a bunch of waterborne bacteria having a feast on the built up ammonia.

I'm not familiar with that particular canister filter. If it has several types of media it is best to leave the main one that does the biological intact during cleanings. I usually run a couple different types of filters. I really like the overflow types with the bio-wheels. You might think about running both the rena and the canister. Just clean one at a time.

I can't tell if that canister is pulling from an undergravel filter. If so, the total change in gravel wiped out that bacteria bed too.

Just keep up with some 15-20% water changes till the water clears to help keep your ammonia and the later nitrite (nitrate?) spike low. Maybe feeding a little less till the water clears. Goldfish usually need more filtration than most tropicals. They are waste producing fools.

+1 on the bacteria bed and super poopers + nice advice
I usually have two filter systems running and alternate filter changes to keep some bacteria beds active. It does not hurt to have too much filtration....

[Richard in Smithville]

I agree with the idea that you can never have too much filtration. I used to run a 35 gal community tank and a 55 gal for cichlids. Both had exterior filter units plus undergravel filters. The whole idea is filtration is done through bacteria.

[aggrex]

Here is what it looks like

FYI: Based on your picture, IMO I would move the power strip a little further away for safety

[Uncle Cracker]

FYI: Based on your picture, IMO I would move the power strip a little further away for safety

That's a good suggestion... When living in a condo a few years back (the b**ch got the house), my upstairs neighbor had an outlet strip on the counter next to his aquarium, and the tank sprung a big enough leak one day to flood the strip, resulting in a short that tripped the breaker in the strip, as well as the one in the breaker box, and also managed to electrocute all his fish!

[jonmulzer]

Another thing you might try is to add a couple aquatic plants. They'll use the fish waste as food, competing with the bacteria and looking much more attractive!

Goldfish are herbivores. They will eat almost any plant you put in there. You might consider starting some duckweed in another tank and then when you have to thin it out throw it in with the goldfish. He will eat what he wishes and what remains will help cleanse the water until it is gone. You would also basically have free fish food for your goldfish. You can't put it in a tank with a hang-on-back filter though without modifying it.

I second the bacterial bloom notion. When she cleans the filter the only thing you should do to the lava rock looking biological media is rinse it in tank water from your water change. Same goes for the mechanical media which probably looks like a sponge. Goldfish really need 20% or better of the water changed weekly. Vacuum the gravel thoroughly when you do so. They are absolute poop factories and that 20 gallon might be too small for him considering the bioload. You are probably alright, just be diligent on the water changes.

[cabinetman]

Thanks for the suggestions. LOML checked the ammonia and nitrites, and they were/are 0 PPM.
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[Richard in Smithville]

Just a thought, are there any aquarium shops around that will test a sample of your tank water? They have better test kits than most of what is sold in the stores.

[jax]

Aquarium Help

I would think a couple of cups of household bleach and a few tablespoons of alum would clear up that water. Wait!!! I may not have thought this all the way through...

[BerniePA]

Provide a new home for Rocky, the snakehead fish and save him from becoming a frozen Mrs. Paul's!!!

[jonmulzer]

Thanks for the suggestions. LOML checked the ammonia and nitrites, and they were/are 0 PPM.
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What about nitrates? There are three phases in the nitrogen cycle in aquariums. Ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. You really need to be able to test for all three to get a full picture. How old are your test kits? It has been years since I used one but I seem to remember them only being good for about a year after the date of manufacture. How long has this aquarium been set up? At what point did you start having issues?

[khf314]

Goldfish are very "dirty" fish - when we had them we constantly had to vacuum the gravel - it was amazing how much gunk we would get out of it.

We would do a gravel vacuum and 20-25% water change every week.

For restarting your bacterial filter - there are a some commercial starter solutions in a bottle - I think we used "Startzyme" - that can give you a head start on rebuilding the bacterial filter.

One last notion that we got from an oriental fish store, is to weekly feed them peas. We would thaw out a couple of tablespoons of frozen peas, then squeeze them to eject out the little seed or core. The fish loved the pea cores! The fish lady told us that this helped them keep in balance - and it seemed to work a couple of times they got the start of dropsy.

We ended up with a moor and a common goldfish in a 60 gallon tank, they lived for about 4 and 6 years each and the common reached a length of 7 1/2".

I've read that goldfish can live for over 20 years in the right environment.

[cabinetman]

Just a thought, are there any aquarium shops around that will test a sample of your tank water? They have better test kits than most of what is sold in the stores.

LOML took your advice and took a water sample to the fish store...it was OK. So, they recommended Acurel F, and it works wonders. It cleared the water in just over an hour. She started with 2 drops/gal. After an hour, she did 1 drop/gal. About 20 minutes later, the water was clear.

Thanks to all, for the help.
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