Freshwater tank question here?

Question

my tank was perfectly crystal clear and i did a test on the water and everything was fine except the ph which was a little high so i added these ph tablets that lowered it to perfect so now everything is perfect in the tank but now the water is cloudy, not alot but it is noticable what can i do to get it back to clear, i just did a water change today so i dont wanna do another one or should i ....HELP!!!!!!!

so my question is how do i get my water clear again if everything is ok in the tank????

Answer 1

I also would blame the tablets. Unless the pH is above 8.5, or you keep species that require acidic conditions, it's really okay for your fish and there isn't any need to adjust it.

I've kept tropicals in tapwater that was 8.0-8.3 without a problem. You may have to acclimate them more slowly when you first introduce new fish to your tank (if it's a different water source tan your pet store). Otherwise you might be doing more harm to your fish by constantly trying to adjust the pH and not giving them a stable environment.

Answer 2

I agree with everyone else- its probley the tablets. Personally I think most regular tap water the PH is fine for most fish and even if it is a little off I think it does morre harm putting the ph chemicals in the water then good. Just my opinion though - in the future id say forget the tablets unless ph is way off

Answer 3

NO CHEMICALS IN THE TANK..........

Your fish are quite capable of living with a PH that is a little high. When you start using chemicals to control water conditions you start killing off your Biological filter. The only time you should ever use that stuff is if you are treating for illness. Try getting some drift wood, or sphagnum Moss to put in your filter. They both lower PH to a point, and they wont hurt anything living in the tank.

Good Luck
E.

Answer 4

When you cleaned your tank, did you remove ALL the water in the tank and then refilled it? If so THAT is the problem--no bacteria left to get rid of the thinks in the tank--you never change all of the water--you lose the bacteria bed and it will get cloudy--If that is the case eventually it will clear up.

Answer 5

it's probably the tablets. I wouldn't use tablets and use the liquid form. PH is always tricky in a tank but also know that they place the grid upside down on the package. Talk to your local petstore and someone who knows fish, I am sure that they may be able to assist you. I have had bad luck with tablets.

Answer 6

They have something in the pet stores to clear cloudy water, Im not sure what it is called, but if you ask them they will know.

Answer 7

its probably the brand of tablets you are using. get different ones - tou can also get it in liquid or powder form.

also, since you did a water change, you will have to check the PH again.
.

Answer 8

No doubt the tablets. To rid your tank of the cloudy water, either let it run thru the filters or do a water change.

Adjusting the PH is not a good thing to do in a tank. High PH is considered 8.3 or higher. Fish can live in a variety of PH Attempting to change the PH will do more harm than good for your fish.

The property of water to resist changes in pH is known as buffering capacity. You can determine the capacity of your buffering system by measuring total hardness. A reading of 4-6 dH or higher is usually adequate to keep the buffering system in place and maintain a stable pH. A reading under 4 dH means there isn't enough of a buffering system and the pH is likely to drop. For higher pH levels, you will probably want to aim for 6-12 dH. Many hobbyists choose to measure only Carbonate Hardness (KH), which is a measure of the calcium carbonates in your water. This test is also effective in maintaining a proper buffer system. When testing for Carbonate Hardness, a reading of 75-100 mg/L is adequate for most aquariums, while a reading of 100-200 mg/L would be desired for higher pH levels. For the purpose of freshwater aquariums, measuring either total hardness or carbonate hardness is necessary, but measuring both independently would not be needed.

You need to know that anywhere in your aquarium where detritus (a fancy term for dirt) accumulates is a source of Phosphate production. As detritus accumulates in your gravel bed and on your filter pads, the Phosphate levels in your aquarium rise. Free Phosphate ions may bond with calcareous buffering material, precipitating calcium from your aquarium, and reducing your aquariums ability to keep pH stable. This is why it is so very important to clean your filter pads regularly and vacuum the aquarium gravel with each water change. In addition, your tap water contains buffering ions. Doing regular partial water changes will help to replenish the buffers which have been lost. This is important in all aquariums, because fish respiration and organic wastes alone will cause a gradual drop in the ability of your aquarium to buffer against pH swings.

Now the question becomes what to do if the fish you want to keep have very special pH requirements. If your fish prefer a pH level which is reasonably close to the pH your aquarium water is naturally buffered to, then I do not recommend you make any changes at all. Unless you are keeping an extremely specialized fish your fish will be fine. On the other hand, if your fish have pH requirements which are far from the values in your tank, then you have work to do.

Let us consider methods of raising the pH of your tap water. There are many additives on the market today which claim to raise your pH. Most of the liquid products on the market today are a 50/50 success at best when used alone only to find the ph will soon return to the normal level of 6. You also need to use a product to increase the buffering ability of your aquarium. To maintain a stable pH in the upper levels of the pH scale for fishkeeping, I would recommend using a buffering substrate such as crushed coral. You can add crushed coral to your existing aquarium. You can place larger amounts of shells or chrushed coral beneath the substraight in the tank. I personally place the crushed coral in a mesh bag and place the bag in my filter. You will want about 1 kg of crushed coral per 40 liters of water to buffer the water to hold a pH around 7.6. This method does not allow for the use of large quantities of crushed coral, but can be effective if you only need to make small adjustments to your aquariums buffering ability. This is why ocean items such as shells and ocean sand should not be used in a fresh water aquarium. It does raise the PH level.

Be assured that attempting to control pH is the most frustrating experience for a fish hobbyist. I would guess that 50% of the problems encountered in new aquariums are a result of the aquarist attempting to change the pH level. Few fish keepers actually need to adjust their pH. For the majority of aquarists your tap water pH will be adequate. The dangers of adjusting the pH incorrectly far outweigh any benefit you may receive by moving your pH a few points on the scale.

Remember, when it comes to adjusting your pH, less is more! Stability is most important. Routine maintenance is the key to keeping your pH stable and your fish healthy!

Hope this helps