# Cloudy water, Oscar with HITH, at my wits end.



## clester (Oct 20, 2012)

I've had my 80 gallon tank for over 10 years. I had it set up in my previous house for 6 years, retired it for a bit (due to room constraints), and it's been going for a little over a year at my new place.

I cycled the tank for a few months before adding my Oscar and Pleco.

For a year I've had no trouble. I religiously change about 30% water per week and I feed my Oscar large cichlid pellets every other day. Like I said, no problems in the previous house, no problems the last year here. I'm very routine on my water changes.

All of a sudden, I woke up to white, cloudy, water about a month ago.

My mind immediately went to bacteria bloom. I did a blackout for 7 days. No go, water still the same.

So I decided to start doing about 40%-50% water changes until I could figure out what was wrong.

I took a sample to my local fish store. The guys there are not the end-all, be-all of aquarium knowledge, but they know a little and are very helpful. I've taken my water in periodically to get checked and they've always been great.
PH good, Nitrites good, nitrates good, ammonia was a bit high.

After a brief discussion we concluded that my current filtration wasn't enough. My Oscar has grown to about 7 inches and my Pleco about 6 inches. I've always had the "hang on the back filters" which have always done fine, but maybe it's time to up the game.

I bought the Fluval 406. Filtration to up to 100 gallons.

I hooked up the 406 along with my "hang on the back" filters for a few weeks for all the bacteria to build up in the new 406.
I unhooked the old filters off the back and have been running ONLY the 406 for a week or two.
My water is still cloudy (been doing 40%-50% water changes weekly) and now my Oscar has HITH. No doubt about it.

What. The. Hell.

I've spent a ton of time, money, and effort trying to find out what is going on. No one knows, no one can tell me anything.
Do you guys/gals have any advice? If so, you'll get an Internet high five and save the life of a grouchy, irritated, mean as hell, bite for blood Oscar fish. He's an *******, but he's my *******..
I'm to the point of starting over. But me and Carlton Fish have been buddies for a while, hate to see him go.
Thanks in advance.
clester


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## HiTekHoney (Jul 12, 2013)

Normally white cloud is a sign of a bacterial bloom as you mentioned. All I can say is continue the water changes, maybe add some beneficial bacterial into the tank? also, in terms of high amonia and nitrates (HIH Disease is a sign) try dipping the roots of a golden pothos plant. My personal experience with this is that they suck up amonia and nitrates extremely fast. In one day, from around 40 on nitrates, the next day (literally) it was down to 10 and has been stable. The larger the plant the faster readings go down. Here is what I did to make the OHF myself.



I know I should have placed the hole on the side, but the tube was too think and flexing was not working. So It had to be that way. Overflow style. And here is the finished product.



Just remembered, you have HOB filters, remove some media and place the roots of the plants inside instead.

Good luck!!


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

Here's a good link on HITH
Hole in the Head Disease in Oscar Fish - Oscarfishlover.com


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## Raymond S. (Jan 11, 2013)

I like the plant idea better than my own idea. Especially since plants in the tank will likely be toys for the Oscar. But Giant duckweed takes out ammonia and nitrates at the same time unlike other plants which only go for nitrates after depleting the ammonia. Easier to control as you only have dozens instead of hundreds of plants popping out new ones daily. Available on e-bay. Think your petshop guys were correct...just because it says up to 100G the waste your fish puts out is the size
of many peoples fish which is more likely what was considered when making that 100G statement. Same for the other fish to.
One easy way to find out...put the HOB's back on and then test.
This works great for me.
Seachem Matrix Bio-Media Aquarium Filter Bio Media
Also I've been running a ten G tank for a month now without a water change(experimenting) with just a bit of ammonia and no other bad readings even
on Gh and Kh. It has Giant duckweed and quite a bit of other plants plus a bio-filter with this media.
Hagen Fluval Pre-Filter Media 750 grams Aquarium Filter Bio Media
CPR Bio Bale Biological Filter Media Medium White | eBay


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## HiTekHoney (Jul 12, 2013)

Thats why i made the OHF. My fish also devour plants, plus so big that when they swim they topple the plants! Lol


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## clester (Oct 20, 2012)

Thanks for the suggestions, I'll look into it. 

Does the Matrix Bio-Media go into the 406? I'm new to canister filters. If it does go into the canister, what do I remove from it?

I'll be shopping for those plants Friday, but to be honest. He tears anything he can move to shreds in there.. Might not work for me.

But the giant duckweed plant is the best for my needs?

The info is much appreciated.

clester


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## HiTekHoney (Jul 12, 2013)

Let me clarify. Only the roots of the pothos plants goes into the water and not in the tank itself. That's why HOB filters are great for this. Fish can't get to them. As for canisters, they normally have baskets in which you can place different types of media. Some, if large enough, you can place media in mesh bags, and even put two different types of media in one basket, though this is not advised. So my best option on your situation is buy the canister for biofiltration, keep the HOB filter for the pothos plants. Oscars are voracious mess makers!! You need to have at least double the filtration capacity to maintain water "pureness", and that with weekly water changes. I recommend 50% weekly with thorough gravel vaccuming with each water change. If all is well, nitrates should be not more than 20. Then again, this is my high personal standard, though 40 should be fine. I always say, freshwater fish love fresh water! Lol


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## Raymond S. (Jan 11, 2013)

At this point you might not want to change the media in the canister...you would be without till it re-charged. Best option would be since others have suggested that/w
an Oscar(and remember you have 2 fish which are large AND have reps for messing up the tank/w waste) you need twice the normal filtration which you would ordinarily.
So I'd put the matrix in one of your old HOB filters and use that with the canister. The question here is...do any that you have allow you to use loose media in them.
That's a $200 canister filter you have so I believe your stretched on paying for remedies as is...but I will give you links to 2 HOB's which allow loose media.
Hagen AquaClear AquaClear Power Filter Aquarium Power Filters
Azoo Hang-On-Back Breeding Box / Refugium, Large - AquaCave.com
You said "I cycled the tank for a few months before adding my Oscar and Pleco"... so is the option still available to remove the Pleco ? If it is a common Pleco I suppose
you already know they get over 2 feet long and that he will just keep getting bigger. Seems a valid remedy to this which doesn't require more spending.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

As I was reading about your issues, I was wondering things like if you were on well water or if you had checked to see if you had some level of ammonia in your tap source? In the last year there have been only two times that I have gotten a bacterial bloom...once when my tap had 2ppm ammonia in it and the second was when my filter's flow was impeded. By the way, blackouts do nothing for bacterial blooms in FW.

I was happy to see that you had gotten a canister until I saw the rating. It will likely barely maintain what you have, if at all. Its all about media space when it comes to a canister...larger the area, larger the bio capability. This appears to be the area that you are short.

I would put your other filter back on and run both. I like the idea someone mentioned about using one of them as strictly bio-filtration. This would be a filter full of nothing but filter media, no pads, no sponges...really no "filtering" capability for debris or anything. Almost the principle that a basic wet-dry tends to operate on.

At this point a second Fluval would be optimum, but cost-wise may not be something you want.


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## Manafel (Sep 4, 2011)

I agree with Ben above. I would put one of the hoBs back on the tank and run both.


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## HiTekHoney (Jul 12, 2013)

I just realized. There is also a possibility that your tank went into cycling all over again. This happend to me when I made the mistake of cleaning all filters at once. Same symptoms. I basically killed all the beneficial bacterial or most of it anyway then it went into a loop. Could there have been anything you did that was similar? This is why it is a good idea to have more than one filter running. You clean one at a time every so often without damaging beneficial bacteria. Just a thought.


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## clester (Oct 20, 2012)

Thanks for all the help ladies and gentlemen. I'm currently working on a solution.
Here's where I am.

Noticed something new. There's whitish furry strands floating around a bit. Not sure what they are.

I also got a master test kit. Here's the results:
ph= 6.6-6.8
Ammonia= 0.25
Nitrites= 0
Nitrates= 0-5

Also, I'll put my HOB filters back on. I'll want to get another fluval because it's so quiet. It's hard to believe how loud the other ones are compared to that fluval. But until I get the extra funds to get one, the HOB will work. I'll get it done today.

I had no intention of not getting enough filtration, I never intended to be mean to my fish.

I could get rid of the pleco, wouldn't mind too much. If all else fails that's what I'll do.

Went shopping for duckweed plants yesterday, couldn't find one. I'm going to keep looking.

I'm getting close to my max time/effort/money on this thing. If it goes much further I'll empty, clean, and start over.

So let's say it is a bacterial bloom. How do I fix that?



So, in short.
1. I'll get more filters going.
2. How do I fix bacterial bloom?
3. I'll remove pleco if need be.
4. Looking duckweed.


Thanks so much in advance....

clester


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## clester (Oct 20, 2012)

Also, I don't think I did anything to force my tank to recycle. If I did, I don't know it.


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

Cloudy water is often caused by overfeeding ,even if it seems your not.Even if the fish eats all of it's food there will be large amounts of waste.So I usaully recommend that feeding be cut down to once every three days max. for the next week or two.This almost always clears up peoples tanks(for real).The fish will be fine on that feeding schedule,as my saltwater fowlr is fed only 2x a week and the fish are still growing like mad,which is why I feed so lightly.All my fish in this tank will quickly outgrow this 120 gallon tank ,so I figure less food,slower growth thelonger I get to keep them before they have to be rehomed.The way they are growing now anyways I can't even imagine how big they would be if i fed them every day(I probly wouldn't get to keep them even 1 full year!).


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

There are a number of duckweed fanatics on here (at least 2 of them are moderators - not me) that may be willing to ship you some duckweed for the cost of shipping if you ask nicely. I haven't been on in a while so maybe that is not the case anymore. If you post in the wanted/for sale section I am sure you will get a response.


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

I have common duckweed if you want some.Shipping is like $8 FOR A PRIORITY EXPRESS BOX.No charge for the plant as it really grows quickly and if I don't send it out I have to throw it out.It is in all my fry tanks in force(1/2-3/4 covering the top with weekly removal).
Common Duckweed AQUAPLANT


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## Raymond S. (Jan 11, 2013)

I don't remember where but I was looking up nitrate eating plants and found a site(?)/ post(?) which stated that they
had tested many and found that Giant Duckweed uses ammonia and nitrates at the same time where as other plants,
and they were talking about aquarium plants not the one described above in the other reply, used the ammonia first
and then when the ammonia was gone they started on the nitrates. This was why I suggested that kind along/w the fact 
that it is far larger so has fewer plants to reproduce each day. Makes it much easier to manage. I still dump some
out each water change, but it's not a pain like the regular type is. Don't know how ol' Oscar will like it though so I'll send 
you some. Just give me an address in my private messages space. Saturday I'll send some if all goes well(schedules).
Or if you like just get a minimal amount from one of these. I don't trust the pictures which have textured leaves.
giant duckweed | eBay


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## clester (Oct 20, 2012)

Well, sorry for no update (been working my tail off)...

I've hooked up my HOB filters and have everything going. No change yet. I'll wait a bit and see what happens.

Also, I'd love some duckweed. That'd be mighty generous of you. How do I get you the money?

clester


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## silvergourami1 (Jun 20, 2013)

I would advise to use the fluval and your other HOB filter. It won't hurt for short periods of time. 

My other question is.....what is your substrate? Maybe your fishes are creating the mess by way of nighttime substrate digging/burrowing. 

Have you changed the fish diet?

Is the media in the filters degrading? Sometimes sponges, etc degrade and will foul the water. 

I would first investigate your fish's nighttime activities and also the substrate.


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## clester (Oct 20, 2012)

I'm using the HOB filters AND the fluval 406 right now. 

Gravel and rocks is all I've got in the tank. I haven't changed the diet. I've been feeding the same thing for as long as I can remember. I can try that though..

clester


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## rwatkins1018 (Jun 30, 2013)

I have a large Oscar -- he's about 11 inches. Adopted him May 16. My bacterial colony apparently wasn't sufficient for such a large fish... My ammonia levels were sky high and he began to have what looked like oozing zits and some white fungus-looking patches. I immediately did 50% change, added melafix. I was using an Emperor 400, switched to an aquaclear110. Did 3-5 gal water changes every other day, larger on the weekends. The oozing and the fungus/ratty fins cleared up the first week with melafix, the water changes kept that sort of thing away. Also used Prime with the large changes. Had the cloudy water as well. 

July 27 -- this morning I tested, and it looks like we turned the corner --- NO MORE AMMONIA. Some nitrites and some nitrates; the nitrites are also going down. 

Took 10 weeks. Patience and persistence. Especially since you have to do many water changes just to keep your oscar from getting injured/sick. 

Thought I would share -- hang in there and be patient.

(I also forgot to mention that I had the aquaclear running full-out, with sponges and the aquaclear biomax (ceramic in a bag), as well as added a large aeration disk to help during the high ammonia stage; also fed sparingly, like every 3 days)


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## clester (Oct 20, 2012)

Hate to drag up and old thread, but thought I'd let everyone know what happened.

It all cleared up...

With HOB filters, Fluval 406, AND fewer feedings everything went great. Water cleared up and everything is back to normal. The HITH is still there but I'll take it a step at a time. For now, my water is clear and all is well.

I can't let everyone know how much I appreciated the input.


Colby Lester


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## rwatkins1018 (Jun 30, 2013)

I'm happy to hear that everything is clearing up. *w3


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