In my first true planted tank I have put aqua soil on the bottom. It has made water somewhat cloudy. The cloudiness has stabilized and doesn't seem to be settling down. I have a powerful filter running but it doesn't make the water crystal clear.
What is the right method to make sure the water in a planted aquarium is very clear? Should I do some gravel vacuuming? Or just keep the filter running and keep waiting?
How to clean cloudy water in a planted tank?
6 posts
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zambize - Posts: 401
- Joined: Mon Feb 25, 2008 9:14 pm
Is the tank entirely new or did you just change out the substrate? Is all the water is new? How long has it been? More info needed.
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MonkeyChunks - Posts: 101
- Joined: Mon Jul 14, 2008 9:42 am
Hi. The tank was brand new and the substrate was new as well. It has been in there for about 3 weeks without a filter. Then I put a filter in. It has been running about 5 days and its much cleaner now.
So I guess my question is whether I should vacuum the soil on the bottom or is vacuuming only for rocks?
So I guess my question is whether I should vacuum the soil on the bottom or is vacuuming only for rocks?
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zambize - Posts: 401
- Joined: Mon Feb 25, 2008 9:14 pm
Did you rinse the substrate first? Some types don't need it, but many should be rinsed first. The cloudiness should have cleared up within a few days (post-filter). The cloudiness can be due to the substrate being stirred up, but it can also be a new tank cloud -- sometimes new tanks are cloudy for a few days, but it should clear up soon. Is it still cloudy and did you rinse the substrate?
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darkruby - Posts: 87
- Joined: Tue Mar 11, 2008 2:00 am
I would sugest syphoning the water without touching the bottom substrate because if it's the kind of plant soil I think your talking about, you will have a mess if you syphone THAT out. So, you can just do frequent non-bottom-touching syphoning and there are chemicals that help with this as well. As soon as you do some of this, wait it out. It will all eventually settle out.