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need help with cloudy/murky water

Discussion in 'Aquarium Equipment & Decor' started by Anonymous, Nov 20, 2008.

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  1. Anonymous

    Anonymous Thread Starter Guest

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    Water Murky...
    I finally finished setting up my 55gl and am running a marineland 350, rated for up to 70gls. it's been running for about 3 days and the water is still not clear like it was in my old tank, i have a powerhead on the other side along with the air "bubbles" running also, how long should it be before the water is "crystal clear"???
     
    Anonymous, Nov 20, 2008
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  2. Anonymous

    Anonymous Thread Starter Guest

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    you should def get more filtration on the tank, also what filter media are you running? There is really no timetable that can be used to predict when your water will become clear. You can try some of the products they offer, my favorite is bright and clear.
     
    Anonymous, Nov 20, 2008
    #2
  3. Anthony

    Anthony Active Member

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    On a 55 I'd run two Marineland Emperor 400's. I've used Seachem Clarity and it works great.
     
    Anthony, Nov 20, 2008
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  4. SyncereOne

    SyncereOne New Member

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    Is this an initial setup? Is the tank cycled? In my experiences with freshwater new setups, crystal clear water takes months.
     
    SyncereOne, Nov 20, 2008
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  5. Anonymous

    Anonymous Thread Starter Guest

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    water is cycled, filter media is carbon (C series) i'll go out and buy some more filtration if that is the case...
     
    Anonymous, Nov 20, 2008
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  6. Anthony

    Anthony Active Member

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    How did you cycle the tank in 3 days ? Was this a tank that was previously set up and you moved it ?
     
    Anthony, Nov 20, 2008
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  7. Anonymous

    Anonymous Thread Starter Guest

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    Yep it was running in a friends house out water in 5gl drums and drove it over...
     
    Anonymous, Nov 20, 2008
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  8. Anthony

    Anthony Active Member

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    And you're using the same filter media he was running ?
     
    Anthony, Nov 20, 2008
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  9. Anonymous

    Anonymous Thread Starter Guest

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    no i bought this filter new...
     
    Anonymous, Nov 20, 2008
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  10. Anthony

    Anthony Active Member

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    Are you using the same substrate ? If so did you keep it completely wet until you refilled the tank ?
     
    Anthony, Nov 20, 2008
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  11. Anonymous

    Anonymous Thread Starter Guest

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    Yes that i did...
     
    Anonymous, Nov 20, 2008
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  12. Anthony

    Anthony Active Member

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    Did you test all the water parameters ? If so, what are they ?
    Are there currently fish in the tank ? If so, what fish are in there ?
     
    Anthony, Nov 20, 2008
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  13. Anonymous

    Anonymous Thread Starter Guest

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    Parameters I ran out of test strips but everything was ok yesterday, and in the tank I have...
    10 Gold Tetras
    10 Cardinal Tetras
    8 Mollies
    2 Platies
    3 Rainbows
    1 Pleco
    1 Guppie

    Everyone is still under 2 inches...
     
    Anonymous, Nov 20, 2008
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  14. Anthony

    Anthony Active Member

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    What's "ok" ? Do you remember what they were ? Also, buy liquid test kits. Strips are not accurate.
     
    Anthony, Nov 20, 2008
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  15. Anonymous

    Anonymous Thread Starter Guest

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    amonia i believe was safe, nitrate was low/safe, nitirte was was safe, hard and ph was safe
     
    Anonymous, Nov 20, 2008
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  16. Anthony

    Anthony Active Member

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    Posted: Thu Nov 20, 2008 11:16 pm
    You really need a liquid test kit so you have a number reading and not "safe". Test strips aren't accurate enough. That being said, you really need additional filtration. That should fix the problem assuming nothing else is wrong.
     
    Anthony, Dec 11, 2009
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  17. Anonymous

    Anonymous Thread Starter Guest

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    Posted: Thu Nov 20, 2008 11:21 pm
    i will def get liquid test kit and will look into getting more filtration... is there any magic number I honestly thought that a 55gl with a 70gl would suffice...
     
    Anonymous, Dec 11, 2009
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  18. Anthony

    Anthony Active Member

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    Posted: Thu Nov 20, 2008 11:22 pm
    A 10x turnover rate is what most people aim for. Make sure with those fish you don't have too much flow in the tank.
     
    Anthony, Dec 11, 2009
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  19. Anonymous

    Anonymous Thread Starter Guest

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    Posted: Thu Nov 20, 2008 11:26 pm
    so basically i would have to get something that would turn 550 gallons of water, the one i have now moves 350gph, so something about the same or little less sould be enough?
     
    Anonymous, Dec 11, 2009
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  20. Anthony

    Anthony Active Member

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    Posted: Thu Nov 20, 2008 11:30 pm
    Yeah, you could get the same one but I wouldn't go lower. A filter's GPH rating is without any media in it, and even then it's likely to be slightly exaggerated.
     
    Anthony, Dec 11, 2009
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