Question by Jane: How to get rid of milky aquarium water?
I have a 7 week old 20 gallon long planted tank. I do 10-15% water changes every week to every 2 weeks with conditioned tap water. I did a fishless cycle for a month, checked the water to make sure the nitrate and nitrite levels were good, then added one juvenile Bristlenose pleco. I checked the water daily to make sure there was no spike in ammonia or in nitrites and nitrates. It was stable for a week so I add 3 long-finned zebra Danios. Watched the levels for another week then added 3 more long-finned Danios. So in total I have 6 long-finned Danios and 1 juvenile Bristlenose Pleco. I wanted German Blue Rams for centerpiece fish but I live in an area where the tap water is very hard. The tests showed the pH at 8.4. I know that Blue Rams are sensitive fish so I wanted to get their water at a lower stable pH before I buy them. I went to an aquarium store where I have bought many fish that lived for over 5 years in the past. I told them that I wanted Rams but my pH is very high. They recommended a product called Proper pH 7.0 by API. He said it would be fine for my fish and my plants. The next day I put the recommended scoops in the jug I use to add water to my fish tank and let the powder absorb into the water so it wouldn’t make my water cloudy. Once the water was clear I first tested it to see if the pH actually went down and it did plus the water was soft, so I poured it into my tank. I later tested my tank every couple of hours to make sure the pH is staying stable. It has been stable 7.2 for the past 4 days. All my fish are still active and eating. But 3 days after adding the dissolved powder to my tank the water has become cloudy. It was crystal clear the first two days when I added the dissolved powder to the tank but on the 3rd day my tank became white-ish with fog. I changed one of the carbons in my filter (Fluval U2 internal filter) but it has not improved. I also noticed that the leaves on my Anubis plant have a bit of yellow on their tips when they were a full healthy green. I am not sur! e what to do. Should I do a water change? Will the cloudiness go away on its own? What can I do aside form never using this product again?
I do have driftwood in my tank and my substrate and decorations were thoroughly washed/soaked before adding it to the tank.
The filter seems to have cleared it all up, the water is crystal clear again and all the fish are doing well. I will never use this product again. I did go out and buy some RO water for my next water change. I will also try the filtered rain water the next time we have a big rain storm. Thanks for all the replies.
Best answer:
Answer by Jared
You really need to stop dumping so many chemicals into the tank, it’s hard to regulate them well and expensive. There are very easy natural ways to lower pH.
1. Put some driftwood in the tank, it will turn the water tea colored eventually but those are just tannins and are harmless. Just do water changes to clear them up. They will eventually stop leeching into the water.
2. India Almond Leaves! They are cheap, look great, and lower the pH well.
3. If you feel like trying your hand at keeping live plants, you can start dosing CO2 into the tank, this also lowers pH. This is a whole other field of expertise though (but not hard). You need good light and fertilizers if you use CO2.
4. If you threw random rocks into the tank take them out, clean them, and test for calcium content. They will have a chalky film when dry and you can drip vinegar on them and they will bubble. These rocks will skyrocket your pH if you put them in the tank.
I can’t believe that guy told you to buy pH buffers, they are totally unnecessary. BUT if you really want to keep using them (seriously don’t) then you can put in carbon additives (or filter inserts) which will clear up the water.
If you need somewhere to buy india almond leaves or other supplies/fish, go to aquabid.com. It’s like ebay for freshwater aquarium keepers.
EDIT: I didn’t say wash your stuff, if the rocks are calcium based they raise pH regardless of how much you clean them.
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Tags:Aquarium, Green, Living, milky, Pure, water
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