How Do I De-Cloud Aquarium Water with TopSoil in the substrate?

Question

I had an established aquarium & I tried adding Topsoil to the substrate to make it more plant friendly, but with water in the tank... Its made a big brown mess out of the water, where the light penetrates about 4 inches into the water & Nothing is visible.

I've done 2 50% water changes, and it doesn't seem to be getting any better. The penetration of the light is still at about 4 inches.

I've Been stuffing the filters full of polyfiber and changing it every few hours. The polyfiber has been coming out brown, and there doesn't seem to be any progress in the clarity of the water. There is about 1 inch of semi-visibility.

I'm afraid my fish will not be able to see their food and will starve in a few days if I don't find a solution. Should I try using up the micron cartridges for my magnum filter?

Answer 1

Is there any reason you went with topsoil for plants?
Topsoil is dirt, and dirt is, well, dirty. It may clear up eventually, of course - how long ago did you add the topsoil to the substrate? It may take up to a week or two to reach it's optimum clarity - which may not be perfectly clear.

Frankly, I would suggest that you start over. Ditch the topsoil. If you want to use a plant-friendly substrate, get some Fluorite. It'll make your tank water look like mud for a couple days but it WILL clear up (there's also an article on how to prepare it, for minimum cloudiness: http://www.vickisaquaticplace.com/fluorite.html) You can mix the fluo into your substrate or use only fluorite.

Or just skip using any additives to the substrate and just fertilizers and fertilizing tabs that go into the substrate.

If you choose to give the TopSoil a chance, give it another week, and yes, use filter media as fine as possible. Your fish should be able to find their food but try to see if they do. If they don't, you'll have to move them, or do a huge water change.

Answer 2

Dirt does not belong in an aquarium. Period. If you want to anchor plants to the bottom, usually gravel or coarse sand should work, but if they aren't working for you, there are several products you can use. A clay substrate, an onyx sand substrate, a gravel additive, peat granules, for example. Some only work in freshwater, some work in both fresh and salt. See if any of these might work for you. Link #2 shows another trick you can use where you buy the large hole plastic grids at craft stores (used for cross-stitching) and stuff the plant roots in the holes and bury the plastic grid under the substrate. Clean, easy and cheap.

Answer 3

As you probably know by now, adding topsoil to your aquarium was a bad idea. What you need to do now is to drain your aquarium, then clean and disinfect it, along with the filters and tubing.

I would suggest that you contact a knowledgeable aquarium supply store, and discuss your project with them before attempting it. You also will need to find a temporary home for your fish while you are performing the clean up.

When you are finished cleaning and disinfecting your system, refill and dechlorinate your system. Use dechlorinating solution/tablets. Do not listen to anyone who says that letting your aquarium system stand for a few days will allow the chlorine to dissipate. Let the system stand for a while to reach equilibrium before adding any fish.