Cloudy water

[GoofFish]

Hi all...

my water turn cloudy.. slowly slowly it become thicker.. until today when i wake up,

still as cloudy as before.

i don't know whats the posible cause of it.., can anyone guide me?

the only thing i try out was on friday. Ozonizer, that i on only for 1 hour(friday), saturday another hours. thats all 1 hr per day. but i dun think its due to the ozonizer right?

no traces of died fish stuck at the pump or something..

[mengyang_neo]

Hi all...

my water turn cloudy.. slowly slowly it become thicker.. until today when i wake up,

still as cloudy as before.

i don't know whats the posible cause of it.., can anyone guide me?

the only thing i try out was on friday. Ozonizer, that i on only for 1 hour(friday), saturday another hours. thats all 1 hr per day. but i dun think its due to the ozonizer right?

no traces of died fish stuck at the pump or something..

Maybe is bacteria boom, add some good bacteria should help. =)

[straydum]

i'm also thinking its a bacteria bloom. are you dosing any carbon sources bro?

maybe you would like to do a water change just to be safe

[GoofFish]

i'm also thinking its a bacteria bloom. are you dosing any carbon sources bro?

maybe you would like to do a water change just to be safe

Maybe is bacteria boom, add some good bacteria should help. =)

yea even my cousin say the same thing.. i think so too.. cos yday after cos due to extra livestock introduce, i act smart by giving additional 'makan' for them.. than poof.. less than 30 ins later.. bacteria bloom...

what i'm reading is, i need to do water change.. that i'll do tonight..

does putting a bag of carbon helps?

Bro Mengyang_neo.. what you mean by 'add some good bacteria'? please advice.

appreciate your kind help.

[mengyang_neo]

yea even my cousin say the same thing.. i think so too.. cos yday after cos due to extra livestock introduce, i act smart by giving additional 'makan' for them.. than poof.. less than 30 ins later.. bacteria bloom...

what i'm reading is, i need to do water change.. that i'll do tonight..

does putting a bag of carbon helps?

Bro Mengyang_neo.. what you mean by 'add some good bacteria'? please advice.

appreciate your kind help.

Hmmm product like Prodibio BIODIGEST or any other bac product that people use to kick start their tank when cycling in short term. Long term u can try biohome, 2-3kg will be good enough for most tank. =)

[MarcoVan]

Hmmm product like Prodibio BIODIGEST or any other bac product that people use to kick start their tank when cycling in short term. Long term u can try biohome, 2-3kg will be good enough for most tank. =)

sorry wor bro! bacteria bloom add more bacteria will just cause more bloom and perhaps will cause further issue.

THE BEST METHOD is to change water! this one is recommended by some of the big gurus of SRC (needless to say names; you know who) just change water and you will be fine!

DONT ADD BIODIGEST! :X

[straydum]

not sure about the biodigest but a water change as mentioned would definitely help

the bacteria bloom should not harm your tank unless it escalates to such a level that it deprives your inhabitants of oxygen mainly. in severe cases it may be good to drop a few airstones in to aerate the water.

[MarcoVan]

not sure about the biodigest but a water change as mentioned would definitely help

the bacteria bloom should not harm your tank unless it escalates to such a level that it deprives your inhabitants of oxygen mainly. in severe cases it may be good to drop a few airstones in to aerate the water.

Biodigest is bacteria source for Prodibio carbon dosing method by Prodibio like Zeobak is for Zeovit (:

Yup, don't wait too long. Just go change water and all will be normal (:

Good luck bro (:

[mengyang_neo]

sorry wor bro! bacteria bloom add more bacteria will just cause more bloom and perhaps will cause further issue.

THE BEST METHOD is to change water! this one is recommended by some of the big gurus of SRC (needless to say names; you know who) just change water and you will be fine!

DONT ADD BIODIGEST! :X

Oh i thought bacteria bloom is due to not enough good bacteria so there is excess of bad bacteria which cause the clouding of water, hence by adding good bacteria it should kill off the bad bacteria and clear up the water. Changing of water is in fact just removing the bad bacteria. If read from most of the bac product it is actually ok if over dose.

This is my understanding, hee maybe I am wrong. =p

[GoofFish]

will definitely do water change..

anyway to be safe put airstones.. if lets say, i on my ozoniser, would it be better?

[mengyang_neo]

Just do a google search. =)

Bacterial Blooms - Explained

Every fishkeeper has experienced a bacterial bloom at some point. They are common in new set-ups which are cycling, but can happen at any time. The water goes cloudy, almost like someone has poured a drop of milk into the tank, and no matter how many water changes you do, it doesn't go away. Sound familiar?

I hope to explain here exactly what a bacterial bloom is, the effect it can have, how to treat it and how to prevent it.

The Nitrogen Cycle

To fully understand about bacterial blooms, a knowledge of the Nitrogen Cycle is required. If you are unsure of the Nitrogen Cycle or don't know what it is, it may be helpful to read the linked topic below first. This is particularly relevant if you have recently set up the tank, as the cloudiness is most likely an indication of other problems.

The Nitrogen Cycle

What is a Bacterial Bloom?

There are 2 types of bacteria at work in our tanks:-

Autotrophic Bacteria - Bacteria capable of synthesizing its own food from inorganic substances, using light or chemical energy. Our beneficial filter bacteria are autotrophs.

Heterotrophic Bacteria - Bacteria that cannot synthesize its own food and is dependent on complex organic substances for nutrition. The heterotrophs in our aquariums mineralise the organic waste (break down the uneaten food, fish waste, dead plant matter etc into ammonia).

Contrary to popular belief, it is commonly the heterotrophs which are seen in our bacterial blooms, not our trusted autotroph nitrifiers.

It is the heterotrophs which are primarily responsible for creating the "bio-film" (slimy residue found on the tank walls and ornaments) which builds up in our aquariums.

The heterotrophs are generally bigger than the autotrophs and therefore don't attach themselves to surfaces with the same ease. They also reproduce much more quickly. Heterotrophs can reproduce in around 15 - 20 minutes, whereas autotrophs can take up to 24 hours to reproduce.

In a newly set-up aquarium, the heterotrophs get to work quicker than the autotrophs, causing the 'cycling bloom' we so often see. Blooms are almost certainly heterotrophic if they are caused by a build up of organic waste in the substrate, which most, if not all, are.

Bacterial blooms are common in tanks with apparently no organics present (for example, where all that is in the tank is water and ammonia for a fishless cycle). This is caused by the dechlorination of the water suddenly enabling the water to support bacterial populations. The heterotrophs immediately get to work on the organics in the water itself. The severity of the bloom and even whether a bloom happens at all is dependant upon the level of organics contained in the water supply.

Our autotroph nitrifiers are strictly aerobic (require oxygen), but the heterotrophs can be facultative anaerobic (they can switch between aerobic and anaerobic function depending on their environment). Therefore the heterotrophs in the substrate will be in their anaerobic state and breaking down the organic waste into ammonia, but if they bloom up into the water column, they will switch to their aerobic form and will start to convert the ammonia back to nitrite, although very inefficiently. The heterotrophs are around 1,000,000 times less efficient at ammonia oxidisation than our beneficial autotrophs as the heterotrophs are not true nitrifiers.

The Effects of a Bacterial Bloom

Most of the bacteria in the aquarium are aerobic as it is a oxygen dominated environment, and these bacteria require lots of oxygen. When the heterotrophic bacteria bloom into the water column and switch to their aerobic state, this is a big drain on the oxygen content of the water. Oxygen depravation is the only risk to the fish which i am aware of during a bacterial bloom, as the heterotrophs themselves are harmless to fish, so good advice is to increase aeration!

To help you to understand why bacterial blooms occur, overfeeding ,dead fish or dead plant matter will cause a rise in the reproduction of the heterotrophs in order to break down the organic waste, they re-produce too quickly to be able to attach themselves to a surface and this causes a bacterial bloom. As the ammonia production increases due to the increased mineralisation, the nitrifiers are slow to catch up (as i said above) and so you see an ammonia spike until the autotrophs reproduce enough to take care of it. Contrary to popular belief, bacterial blooms cause an ammonia spike, not the other way around.

It is unclear whether the autotrophic nitrifiers ever bloom into the water column or if they simply multiply too slowly to cause this effect.

Treatment and Prevention of Bacterial Blooms

A thorough gravel vac will certainly help the situation, as will trying not to overfeed. Also, increase aeration as I noted above. Water changes will probably not clear the cloudiness as when you remove the free-floating heterotrophic bacteria, the others will reproduce more to compensate. Given the reproduction rate of the heterotrophs, it would require a 50% water change every 15 - 20 minutes just to stop the bloom getting worse, and even more if you want to make any progress towards clearing the bloom.

However, water changes won't exacerbate the situation as it will be heterotrophs (which are producing ammonia) which are removed from the water column via the water change. A water change will remove virtually no nitrifying autotrophic bacteria from the tank at all as 99% of the nitrifiers are housed in the filter, not in the water column. Water changes are not essential in clearing bacterial blooms, as left alone, they will usually dissipate within a matter of days.

Reducing the amount of organic waste in your tank is the ultimate solution to treating a bacterial bloom, and avoiding a build up of organic waste in the tank is the best way to prevent a bloom. The best way to do this is to maintain a regular aquarium husbandry routine involving water changes and substrate vaccuuming.

As I said above, blooms are common in tanks with apparently no organic waste present, most commonly when only water and ammonia are in the tank for a fishless cycle. In this case, there are few easy ways to remove the organics from the water, and so my best suggestion is to sit it out and wait. Water changes with purified water would help as it would dilute the concentration of organics in the water. Reverse Osmosis water would be ideal in this situation, however i would suggest that patience is the cheaper and more environmentally friendly option.

A bloom in an established tank indicates that there is a problem which has allowed a build-up of organic waste, usually in the substrate. This can be caused by excess dead plant matter, over-feeding which leaves food lying around the tank, or leaving dead fish in the tank. None of these are desirable in an aquarium and a bloom in your established tank will certainly indicate one or more of these causes present in the tank. If you experience a bloom in an established tank, improve your husbandry.

Sources:

www.bioconlabs.com/autoheterobac

www.wallaquariums.com/cycling

[MarcoVan]

Just do a google search. =)

Bacterial Blooms - Explained

Every fishkeeper has experienced a bacterial bloom at some point. They are common in new set-ups which are cycling, but can happen at any time. The water goes cloudy, almost like someone has poured a drop of milk into the tank, and no matter how many water changes you do, it doesn't go away. Sound familiar?

I hope to explain here exactly what a bacterial bloom is, the effect it can have, how to treat it and how to prevent it.

The Nitrogen Cycle

To fully understand about bacterial blooms, a knowledge of the Nitrogen Cycle is required. If you are unsure of the Nitrogen Cycle or don't know what it is, it may be helpful to read the linked topic below first. This is particularly relevant if you have recently set up the tank, as the cloudiness is most likely an indication of other problems.

The Nitrogen Cycle

What is a Bacterial Bloom?

There are 2 types of bacteria at work in our tanks:-

Autotrophic Bacteria - Bacteria capable of synthesizing its own food from inorganic substances, using light or chemical energy. Our beneficial filter bacteria are autotrophs.

Heterotrophic Bacteria - Bacteria that cannot synthesize its own food and is dependent on complex organic substances for nutrition. The heterotrophs in our aquariums mineralise the organic waste (break down the uneaten food, fish waste, dead plant matter etc into ammonia).

Contrary to popular belief, it is commonly the heterotrophs which are seen in our bacterial blooms, not our trusted autotroph nitrifiers.

It is the heterotrophs which are primarily responsible for creating the "bio-film" (slimy residue found on the tank walls and ornaments) which builds up in our aquariums.

The heterotrophs are generally bigger than the autotrophs and therefore don't attach themselves to surfaces with the same ease. They also reproduce much more quickly. Heterotrophs can reproduce in around 15 - 20 minutes, whereas autotrophs can take up to 24 hours to reproduce.

In a newly set-up aquarium, the heterotrophs get to work quicker than the autotrophs, causing the 'cycling bloom' we so often see. Blooms are almost certainly heterotrophic if they are caused by a build up of organic waste in the substrate, which most, if not all, are.

Bacterial blooms are common in tanks with apparently no organics present (for example, where all that is in the tank is water and ammonia for a fishless cycle). This is caused by the dechlorination of the water suddenly enabling the water to support bacterial populations. The heterotrophs immediately get to work on the organics in the water itself. The severity of the bloom and even whether a bloom happens at all is dependant upon the level of organics contained in the water supply.

Our autotroph nitrifiers are strictly aerobic (require oxygen), but the heterotrophs can be facultative anaerobic (they can switch between aerobic and anaerobic function depending on their environment). Therefore the heterotrophs in the substrate will be in their anaerobic state and breaking down the organic waste into ammonia, but if they bloom up into the water column, they will switch to their aerobic form and will start to convert the ammonia back to nitrite, although very inefficiently. The heterotrophs are around 1,000,000 times less efficient at ammonia oxidisation than our beneficial autotrophs as the heterotrophs are not true nitrifiers.

The Effects of a Bacterial Bloom

Most of the bacteria in the aquarium are aerobic as it is a oxygen dominated environment, and these bacteria require lots of oxygen. When the heterotrophic bacteria bloom into the water column and switch to their aerobic state, this is a big drain on the oxygen content of the water. Oxygen depravation is the only risk to the fish which i am aware of during a bacterial bloom, as the heterotrophs themselves are harmless to fish, so good advice is to increase aeration!

To help you to understand why bacterial blooms occur, overfeeding ,dead fish or dead plant matter will cause a rise in the reproduction of the heterotrophs in order to break down the organic waste, they re-produce too quickly to be able to attach themselves to a surface and this causes a bacterial bloom. As the ammonia production increases due to the increased mineralisation, the nitrifiers are slow to catch up (as i said above) and so you see an ammonia spike until the autotrophs reproduce enough to take care of it. Contrary to popular belief, bacterial blooms cause an ammonia spike, not the other way around.

It is unclear whether the autotrophic nitrifiers ever bloom into the water column or if they simply multiply too slowly to cause this effect.

Treatment and Prevention of Bacterial Blooms

A thorough gravel vac will certainly help the situation, as will trying not to overfeed. Also, increase aeration as I noted above. Water changes will probably not clear the cloudiness as when you remove the free-floating heterotrophic bacteria, the others will reproduce more to compensate. Given the reproduction rate of the heterotrophs, it would require a 50% water change every 15 - 20 minutes just to stop the bloom getting worse, and even more if you want to make any progress towards clearing the bloom.

However, water changes won't exacerbate the situation as it will be heterotrophs (which are producing ammonia) which are removed from the water column via the water change. A water change will remove virtually no nitrifying autotrophic bacteria from the tank at all as 99% of the nitrifiers are housed in the filter, not in the water column. Water changes are not essential in clearing bacterial blooms, as left alone, they will usually dissipate within a matter of days.

Reducing the amount of organic waste in your tank is the ultimate solution to treating a bacterial bloom, and avoiding a build up of organic waste in the tank is the best way to prevent a bloom. The best way to do this is to maintain a regular aquarium husbandry routine involving water changes and substrate vaccuuming.

As I said above, blooms are common in tanks with apparently no organic waste present, most commonly when only water and ammonia are in the tank for a fishless cycle. In this case, there are few easy ways to remove the organics from the water, and so my best suggestion is to sit it out and wait. Water changes with purified water would help as it would dilute the concentration of organics in the water. Reverse Osmosis water would be ideal in this situation, however i would suggest that patience is the cheaper and more environmentally friendly option.

A bloom in an established tank indicates that there is a problem which has allowed a build-up of organic waste, usually in the substrate. This can be caused by excess dead plant matter, over-feeding which leaves food lying around the tank, or leaving dead fish in the tank. None of these are desirable in an aquarium and a bloom in your established tank will certainly indicate one or more of these causes present in the tank. If you experience a bloom in an established tank, improve your husbandry.

Sources:

www.bioconlabs.com/autoheterobac

www.wallaquariums.com/cycling

true with the highlight, but bro, front line defence is still a water change (highlighted). Because our water volume is small but our livestock can be vast. Thereafter when you do water changes, you can help remove those bad bacteria and when you dose new good bacteria into the tank, the clearing of the bloom will be more efficient.

Anyway I faced bacteria bloom before during my vodka regime. I overdosed my bacteria by a few drops (was using mb7) and a whitish film became visible on my tank glass for a week before I consulted Jack and Cedric who told me to do a water change to clear the bloom. that was how I knew what bacteria bloom was about. Pretty interesting, but definitely caused a lot of hair algae problem thereafter. The whole process caused me to tear down my tank then and restart it (:

HTH and thanks for sharing the link bro. really helps alot in the understanding of this issue (:

[mengyang_neo]

Yup what u said is correct also. Hee happy reefing.

[iskay]

activated carbon will help clear up the water but will not cure the cause of the problem.

[JizzHut]

I had that few days ago. Did 10% water change 3 day straight added carbon after that clear up already. Btw do feeding sea monkeys cloud water?

[Gouldian]

I had that few days ago. Did 10% water change 3 day straight added carbon after that clear up already. Btw do feeding sea monkeys cloud water?

When feeding Brine Shrimp aka Sea Monkey, you need to let the cube thaw and drain off excess liquid using a strainer.

This is due to the fact that the liquids are nutrient laden and even if it does not cloud your water, it will cause algae bloom.

HTH

[iskay]

Bro Gouldian is right, those frozen brine shrimp cubes have at least 70% liquid that goes straight into the water.

[Copperband]

for discussions sake... the only chage you made was

1) Introduce OZone

2) Slightly Overfeed

I am thinking along the lines of the ozone (unstable form of O2) increased the oxygen content nad further boosted the ORP value of the water which i think therefore caused the bacteria to bloom... coupeled with the extra food given to the tank.. so it spread like wildfire

Perhaps more water change as suggested are in order plus an airstone of two wouldnt hurt... but i would apply caution in dosing more bacteria... Well Perhaps it just aint my style...

Regards,

Omar

[GoofFish]

for discussions sake... the only chage you made was

1) Introduce OZone

2) Slightly Overfeed

I am thinking along the lines of the ozone (unstable form of O2) increased the oxygen content nad further boosted the ORP value of the water which i think therefore caused the bacteria to bloom... coupeled with the extra food given to the tank.. so it spread like wildfire

Perhaps more water change as suggested are in order plus an airstone of two wouldnt hurt... but i would apply caution in dosing more bacteria... Well Perhaps it just aint my style...

Regards,

Omar

thank brother omar..

now everything ok liao.. did my water change.

anyway the ozonizer was on 1 hour per day only.. only when i intro new fish..

[shootsimon]

Visited my friend's seafood restaurant and saw that the water is cloudy. Tank was newly set up about a week old without cycling. So based on the above discussion, the tank is likely going through bacteria boom. What should he do?

[Harlequinmania]

Visited my friend's seafood restaurant and saw that the water is cloudy. Tank was newly set up about a week old without cycling. So based on the above discussion, the tank is likely going through bacteria boom. What should he do?

Do a major water change should help alot.

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

[shootsimon]

Thanks for the suggestion. My friend added some bacteria booster and the water cleared up after a few days.

[Andre'A' Lim]

Yea bacteria booster helps alot. Been through that. haha

[Fukcable Fcuker]

Which brand of bacteria u recommend ?

[BamBoo]

Adding a UV filter may help to clear up the cloudiness too.