Milky Water

Jen32

Hi All,
I've got a 100Ltr aquarium with 2 goldfish. No matter how often i change the water it never seems to be clear. There's hundreds of tiny bubbles floating around which gives the water a milky colour. Anyone any idea what might be causing it ?

Thanks

kylith

The two things I've found cause milky water are tiny bubbles caused by air being sucked into the pump or by bacterial bloom. Do you have a filter and do you use dechlorinator when you're changing the water?

And, I'm sure you know, but you'll need a bigger tank before too long, especially if you have common goldfish rather than fancy ones.

Jen32

Yes i have a good filter and i use Stress Coat and Stress Zyme when i change the water. I also use a chemical which prevents green algae. I've got an airstone on either side of the tank....could this be causing the milky colour ?

COYW

My setup is pretty similar to yours, 110L, airstone, I have bards as opposed to goldfish and I have never had milky water. I doubt it is the airstone. Have you tested it in another tank, to make sure it isn't faulty?

kylith

How much water do you change at a time?

COYW

kylith wrote: »

How much water do you change at a time?

About 20% each week and I give the tank a quick clean as well.

Jen32

I change about 25% of the water once a week. The tiny bubbles seem to be floating down from the top of the tank which made me think that having an airstone on either side of the tank was causing it. I'm still baffled though

goingitalone

so how longs the tank been sent up ?
whats your filter maintenance ?
does sound like some sort of bacterial bloom tho !

COYW

Jen32 wrote: »

I change about 25% of the water once a week. The tiny bubbles seem to be floating down from the top of the tank which made me think that having an airstone on either side of the tank was causing it. I'm still baffled though

How often do you clean the gravel?

Silverfish

Do you have a test kit? Do you know the results for ammonia / nitrite / nitrate levels?

Do you change the filter sponges?

ZiabR

Stop pouring in those little bottles of Stress Coat, Stress Zyme and green algae prevention. They are not needed. You will only really get a green algae bloom if your tank is in a window and sunlight is directly hitting the tank.

At most and not always you can use a dechlorinator but if I were you I would save your money and leave a bucket of water sit overnight and in 24 hours the chlorine will be gone anyway.

Take some samples to your LFS and ask them to test it if you have no means to do it yourself.

Oh and Goldfish do not need alot of food. So cut their feeding to every 2 or 3 days and only once on those days.

Jen32

Tank has been set up for about 8 months now.
I siphon the gravel every time i change the water.
Ammonia / Nitrate and Nitrite levels were normal and i use a new sponge every second time i change the water.
Strange you mention about goldfish not needing much food....i feed them once a day at the moment and they nearly take my hand off. They're ravenous little sods

Thanks for all the suggestions !

ZiabR

Jen32 wrote: »

Tank has been set up for about 8 months now.
I siphon the gravel every time i change the water.
Ammonia / Nitrate and Nitrite levels were normal and i use a new sponge every second time i change the water.
Strange you mention about goldfish not needing much food....i feed them once a day at the moment and they nearly take my hand off. They're ravenous little sods

Thanks for all the suggestions !

Hang on, a new sponge every water change? I have the same sponges in my tank for 3 years... If you remove the sponges with the good bacteria you are forcing your tank into a mini cycle every time you change the water. Stop changing sponges, they are supposed to be dirty looking. You can of course clean them every few weeks in siphoned tank water but don't change them.

They will always look hungry and want food but believe me, they dont need to be fed everyday.

Silverfish

Jen32 wrote: »

Tank has been set up for about 8 months now.
I siphon the gravel every time i change the water.
Ammonia / Nitrate and Nitrite levels were normal and i use a new sponge every second time i change the water.
Strange you mention about goldfish not needing much food....i feed them once a day at the moment and they nearly take my hand off. They're ravenous little sods

Thanks for all the suggestions !

Never ever ever ever change the sponges, just give them a rinse in the old tank water when you've siphoned it out. Every time you throw out a sponge, you throw out the bacteria that process the fish waste!
So save yourself some money and only change the sponges when they're actually falling to bits.

I feed my goldies 3 times a day, they are essentially carp so they're large coldwater fish with fast metabolisms, so eat little and often, in order to absorb as much nutrients as possible from the food as it passes through.

Are they common (long body, single / forked tail) or fancy goldfish (rounder body, double tail)?

Jen32

Ok well i changed the water this evening and just washed the filter sponge in the tank water i was about to throw out so i'll keep that in mind from now on...thanks.

I've got two orandas which are getting quite big.
I checked the water with the test kit also and the Nitrates were a bit high but i think the water change will fix that. Maybe the whole sponge thing will fix the problem...i'll see how it goes over the next few days. Doesn't seem to bother the fish and they've never been sick

ZiabR

Good stuff, keep us posted. Give the tank time to settle. You don't need to wash or clean the sponge every week. You need to promote a healthy bacteria colony so only rinse it once a month or once every 6 weeks depending on how dirty it gets.

COYW

Silverfish wrote: »

Never ever ever ever change the sponges, just give them a rinse in the old tank water when you've siphoned it out.

As a matter of interest, how often do you rinse your filter sponges?

ZiabR

COYW wrote: »

As a matter of interest, how often do you rinse your filter sponges?

I rinse mine every 6 weeks. Siphon 10 litres on tank water into a bucket and put the sponges in and squeeze them. Water turns brown. Place them back into the tank and its done.

Another good thing to note is that the dirty water in the bucket is teeming with good bacteria and it is in my opinion the best way to cycle a new tank. I have cycled a number of tanks this way. Simply pour the dirty water directly into the new tank and its filter and in some cases you can almost add 1-2 fish straight away.

It also means you dont have to wait for 6-10 weeks for the tank to fully cycle.

COYW

logik wrote: »

Another good thing to note is that the dirty water in the bucket is teeming with good bacteria and it is in my opinion the best way to cycle a new tank. I have cycled a number of tanks this way. Simply pour the dirty water directly into the new tank and its filter and in some cases you can almost add 1-2 fish straight away.

I cycled my current tank using the dirty water from my old tank like you say above. Works a treat.

ZiabR

COYW wrote: »

I cycled my current tank using the dirty water from my old tank like you say above. Works a treat.

Yeah, it is a fantastic way to boost a tank.

Silverfish

COYW wrote: »

As a matter of interest, how often do you rinse your filter sponges?

I give the worst of the muck a rinse off every four weeks, just a quick swish in the old water to take the worst of it off. The big external filter tells me when its time for a clean, that's a bigger job so that would be every few months or so.

kylith

logik wrote: »

Another good thing to note is that the dirty water in the bucket is teeming with good bacteria and it is in my opinion the best way to cycle a new tank. I have cycled a number of tanks this way. Simply pour the dirty water directly into the new tank and its filter and in some cases you can almost add 1-2 fish straight away.

And if you don't have a tank to cycle put it on your flowerbeds, your plants will love it.

Jen32

I've just realised it's the filter unit that's causing the problem. It seems to be blowing little white particles out into the tank, which are swirling around and giving the water that milky look. I wonder could i have assembled it wrong or something ??

Here's the filter i'm using

http://www.flamingo.be/CatalogusListDetails.asp?ParamLang=UK&ProdId=F89ZA3PID86175ID861191100GUI1236710475Prod118662975&Cat1=Fla186UID69920ID168912XML448362Code90056960&Cat2=Fla186UID17732ID1436856XML12572490Rang17129112&Cat3=Flam186UID28954ID12236184XML32289930Prod21310144&Page=1&MnPg=1

kylith

If a filter is blowing bubbles there must be air in the system somewhere, either being sucked in if it's on its side or a bubble trapped inside from the water change. Turn it off and turn it sideways and upside down while submerged until it comes out.

Silverfish

Jen32 wrote: »

I've just realised it's the filter unit that's causing the problem. It seems to be blowing little white particles out into the tank, which are swirling around and giving the water that milky look. I wonder could i have assembled it wrong or something ??

Here's the filter i'm using

http://www.flamingo.be/CatalogusListDetails.asp?ParamLang=UK&ProdId=F89ZA3PID86175ID861191100GUI1236710475Prod118662975&Cat1=Fla186UID69920ID168912XML448362Code90056960&Cat2=Fla186UID17732ID1436856XML12572490Rang17129112&Cat3=Flam186UID28954ID12236184XML32289930Prod21310144&Page=1&MnPg=1

My opinion - and it's bad news, I'm afraid - is that the tank is a bit on the small side for two goldfish to begin with, but that filter is in no way enough filtration. Would you consider getting a larger external filter?

You said your levels for ammonia / nitrite / nitrate were fine, but what are they exactly?

Also - you did stop using the stress zyme and algae stuff? They'll affect the clarity of your water too.

In the meantime, submerge the filter fully to make sure there's no airlock somewhere.

goingitalone

kylith wrote: »

If a filter is blowing bubbles there must be air in the system somewhere, either being sucked in if it's on its side or a bubble trapped inside from the water change. Turn it off and turn it sideways and upside down while submerged until it comes out.

venturi on filter is another possible! i cant see the link to the filter on my phone cause isnt working. i

Jen32

I checked and there was no air trapped in the filter. The local pet shop said that the filter was suitable for a 200ltr tank and mine is only 100 ??.
Also, is a 100ltr tank not big enough for 2 goldfish ?

I did the test for nitrates etc on a test strip so i can't give you a value but everything was in the middle of the scale, except fot nitrites so i changed the water. I think i might make a little video on my phone and show it to the fish guy in the shop on Saturday

JanneG

Jen32 wrote: »

I checked and there was no air trapped in the filter. The local pet shop said that the filter was suitable for a 200ltr tank and mine is only 100 ??.
Also, is a 100ltr tank not big enough for 2 goldfish ?

I did the test for nitrates etc on a test strip so i can't give you a value but everything was in the middle of the scale, except fot nitrites so i changed the water. I think i might make a little video on my phone and show it to the fish guy in the shop on Saturday

Make sure to bring a water sample

COYW

Jen32 wrote: »

I did the test for nitrates etc on a test strip so i can't give you a value but everything was in the middle of the scale, except fot nitrites so i changed the water. I think i might make a little video on my phone and show it to the fish guy in the shop on Saturday

You should have no nitrites or ammonia in your tank, if it is cycled fully. Did you check the PH?

Where are you based, Dublin, Cork? A trip to one of the well established aquariums, Seahorse in Ballymount for example, would be of good use. Bring a water sample if you are.

Jen32

PH was 6.8 and Ammonia was ok. There's an Equipet nearby where i get my stuff so i'll ask them to double check the water.

Thanks everyone for your help and suggestions. If i sort this out i'll be sure to come back to this thread and let you know.

Cheers

kylith

Jen32 wrote: »

I checked and there was no air trapped in the filter. The local pet shop said that the filter was suitable for a 200ltr tank and mine is only 100 ??.
Also, is a 100ltr tank not big enough for 2 goldfish ?

It's best to use a filter that's rated for twice your tank volume, so you're alright there. If there's no air in the filter and the intake on the top isn't sticking out of the water I don't know how you could be getting bubbles in the system. I'm inclined to think that the milky water is down to a mini cycle, as logik says. However I would feed them a small amount (as much as can be eaten in a couple of minutes) once a day. Could you put up some pictures or video of your system?


Generally you want a minimum of 120L for the first fish and about another 40L for each subsequent one. Regular goldfish get BIG, 10-12 inches in length, and need room to swim. The good thing is that in a few months you can buy a larger second hand tank and sell on your current one to offset some of the cost.
Below is a pic of an 8" fish in a 100L tank, he wasn't even full grown and the tank was only just big enough for him to turn round. All the poor beggar could do was swim up and down.