# Ah crap, what happened to my water!?



## Kreutz (Dec 24, 2010)

I used the recommended initial dose of Tetra FloraPride Plant Fertilizer on my new plants in my newly cycled tank and the water turned not even cloudy, but almost fog-like its so damn cloudy!

Tried using 1tsp of accu-clear, which has always worked before to fix cloudiness, but it only made a slight dent. 

Has anyone else ever had this happen? Will the cloudiness go away on its own? more accu-clear? Dont want to do water changes so soon in a new cycle. 

Any input is greatly appreciated, thank you!


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## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

Turn off the light and look into your tank. If the cloudiness is greenish, you have a floating algae problem (green water), in which case I would suggest a blackout. If it is white, you might just be experiencing a bacteria bloom. But why a fertilizer would cause cloudiness just from itself is beyond me.


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## Niki7 (Aug 16, 2010)

is the fog white or green like algae? How long has the tank been cycled?

I haven't had this happen to me, hopefully someone else will have more info. But it does sound to me like a cycling issue if it is a white "fog" and maybe an algae issue (with the florapride feeding the algae) if it is a greenish fog.

Is it a new bottle of florapride? is it expired or old or otherwise contaminated? How are your water parameters? (ammonia, nitrate/nitrite, etc...)

Hope an answer is forthcoming!


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

Florapride shouldnt cloud you unless like mentioned its a bacterial or algae bloom.


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## beaslbob (May 29, 2009)

Gee you added plant fertilizer and the tank turned cloudy.

I have no doubt it is an algae bloom.

solution:

1) don't add fertz

2) kill the lights untill it clears up.


my .02


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## NeonShark666 (Dec 13, 2010)

Sounds like an intense bacteria growth of some kind. Run good filttration with charcoal and change you filter media every two days. Also, have some good aeriation going. Give your fish no food for a few days and I think your water should clear up. Test your water to make sure you tablets didn't add toxic amounts of nitrates to your tank. Bacteria blooms, ammonia and nitrites will eventually go away with time, nitrates will not.


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## Kreutz (Dec 24, 2010)

Well, after letting the tank sit in the dark overnight it was markedly improved this morning, but still not fully clear yet. Will the water cloud up again when I turn the lights back on? How long does it take to starve the algae to death?

If I can't use the plant food, how do I keep my plants healthy? New to live plants!


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Why would there be an algae bloom instantly? All things you add to a tank take time to clear. I add 1 tblspn of vita-chem to my 125g tank and it takes 3-4hrs to clear (not plant ferts). Take a white towel or cloth and stick the tip in the water. If it is green, it's algae.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Kreutz said:


> Well, after letting the tank sit in the dark overnight it was markedly improved this morning, but still not fully clear yet. Will the water cloud up again when I turn the lights back on? How long does it take to starve the algae to death?
> 
> If I can't use the plant food, how do I keep my plants healthy? New to live plants!


What is your setup? Substrate, lighting, tank, CO2, ????


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## cagey59 (Jan 8, 2011)

I have a similar problem, green fog,after adding some plants and starting to use algae tablets for my pleco. Water chemistry is all good except pH is low, 6.4.

Should I turn the lights off for acouple of days? Was it something on the new plants or the algae tablets or somthing else?

Thanks,

Ken


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## peteyboyny (Oct 18, 2010)

Sounds like an algae bloom. I dose my 72g 1 cap of EXCEL everyday. A cap a day keeps the algae away!


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## beaslbob (May 29, 2009)

Kreutz said:


> Well, after letting the tank sit in the dark overnight it was markedly improved this morning, but still not fully clear yet. Will the water cloud up again when I turn the lights back on? How long does it take to starve the algae to death?
> 
> If I can't use the plant food, how do I keep my plants healthy? New to live plants!


The idea is to balance out the tank so the plants are consuming the nutrients the tank is generating. I think you will find that by just letting it be that balance will be easy to obtain.


my .02


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

What plants do you have in the tank? Do you have a planted substrate? CO2? Some plants will not make it naturally.......without supplements.


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## Kreutz (Dec 24, 2010)

jrman83 said:


> What is your setup? Substrate, lighting, tank, CO2, ????


Ceramic tile with square gaps of small black gravel (looks like a chessboard) in between, which is where I have plants. 

Light is two overhead fluorescent bulbs, a 55gal tank, no idea how to measure carbon dioxide.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

I meant injected CO2 or CO2 through a DIY system. Tank sounds like an interesting look. Care to post some pics?


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## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

Plants don't need a lot of love. Good substrate and adequate lighting, plus weekly PWC's to replenish some of the nutrients, are really all plants need to be healthy, in my opinion.

The only time you need fertilizers is when you are running high-powered lights, injecting CO2, and your plants are being limited by the lack of nutrients in the water. Otherwise, the addition of fertilizers will overdose the tank with nutrients and algae will move in to pick up the extra.

A blackout can last up to a week with most low-light low-maintenance plants like anubias and/or java moss. If you have light-hungry plants like wisteria and swords, do less time (4-5 days). A blackout is best achieved with a black plastic garbage bag over the tank 100% of the time, 24/7, for the length of the blackout. The idea is to starve light-hungry algae while the size and resiliency of your bigger plants allow them to outlast a blackout.

Stop dosing the fertilizer unless you go higher light and start injecting CO2. Your plants will be fine.

Note: One way around this would be the use of a UV sterilizer, but they are not cheap. I could sell you my 9W Green Killing Machine for $20 plus shipping if you're interested. I also have a 15W attachment if you need bigger for a bigger tank. Both bulbs are brand new, while the attached powerhead is a year old (used for 6 months) and the connecting tube between the bulb and the powerhead is cracked.


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## Niki7 (Aug 16, 2010)

To those who know better than I, should he use an airstone while going lightless for a while? I would think the o2 level would go down if the plants weren't giving off any in the dark...unless there are no fish yet?

Certain algae tabs always give me a bloom if my tank gets too much light (ie, left the lights on too long, sunlight reflects on the tank, etc).


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## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

Niki7 said:


> should he use an airstone while going lightless for a while?


Most definitely, but there are ways to do without, such as an HOB filter with enough water taken out of the tank that there's significant water agitation by the waterfall, and turning off injected CO2, if any (which should be pretty blatantly obvious).


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