[Lodingi]

Hi everyone. I'm a long time lurker, first time poster. I really enjoy these forums & I've learned quite a bit from your experiences. Thank you for that. I currently have a 46 gallon tall tank with the following fish.

(1) Red Terror
(1) Parrot Fish
(1) Yellow Lab
(2) Green Texas Cichlids
(1) Pleco
(1) Clown Loach
(1) Red Tail Shark

Quite a selection I know. I do plan on setting up a 75 gallon tank in the near future. I most likely will keep it a cichlid only tank. My filtration was an Emperor 400 & a powerhead with sponge filter. I replaced the Emperor with a Fluval 305. I also setup a spare AC70 as well. I know I'm getting good flow rate but I cannot get the water clear. It is always cloudy. It was cloudy well before I swapped filters. I test the water regularly & my Nitrite & Nitrate are both 0. My PH is 7.4.

After lots of reading here I'm thinking I may need to replace my gravel with stone? Reason is the Red Terror thinks he's a miner. He's constantly re-arranging the tank. I do 30% weekly water changes and I level the gravel each time. Would changing the substrate to something larger be a possible solution? I am literally pulling what little hair I have left out of my head.

The Fluval 305 is filled with carbon, bio-rings & a polishing pad. The AC70 has 2 sponges & 50 micron felt pad on top for polish. I apologize for this long post & I appreciate your input. Thanks.

 

[xxbenjamminxx]

How long ago did you switch your filters?

Did you leave the old filter running on there for a few weeks to seed new one before removing it?

What are your water parameters?

As far as the stone vs gravel, I dont see what it would hurt anything as long it doesn't have sharp edges so he will hurt himself trying to move it. (Wouldn't be surprised if he still moves somes tho.)

 

[kajunfish]

May not work for you but I wanted to chime in. My water has always been cloudy. Not really bad but I could see it. Compared to some tanks *** seen online and at friends houses it was just cloudy. I read a post and someone said use purigen. I did and it worked extremely well and fast.

 

[Lodingi]

How long ago did you switch your filters?

Did you leave the old filter running on there for a few weeks to seed new one before removing it?

What are your water parameters?

As far as the stone vs gravel, I dont see what it would hurt anything as long it doesn't have sharp edges so he will hurt himself trying to move it. (Wouldn't be surprised if he still moves somes tho.)

I did not leave the old filter running. I was under the assumption the water contained enough bacteria to seed the new filter? The clarity of the current setup compared to the previous setup is exactly the same. What annoyed me then, continues to annoy me now.

As far as the gravel/stone comment, I was thinking the constant churning of the gravel was causing some sort of bloom.

Can you elaborate the water parameters comment? Thanks again.

May not work for you but I wanted to chime in. My water has always been cloudy. Not really bad but I could see it. Compared to some tanks I've seen online and at friends houses it was just cloudy. I read a post and someone said use purigen. I did and it worked extremely well and fast.

I've heard of that product. I will look for it and give it a try. Thanks.

 

[rgr4475]

Its the filters, substrate and decorations that contain the bacteria not the water. By water parameters he means did you test for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate.

 

[Lodingi]

Its the filters, substrate and decorations that contain the bacteria not the water. By water parameters he means did you test for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate.

Yes. Ammonia, Nitrite & Nitrate are all zero. PH is 7.4. Water temp is 79-80F.

 

[rgr4475]

Well nitrates shouldn't be at 0 in a properly cycled tank. Thats good everything else is at zero but the nitrogen process turns fish waste, uneaten food etc (Ammonia) into nitrite then it's converted into non toxic nitrates that we remove by water changes. What kind of tests are you using?

How long has the tank been set up? I had some what cloudy water in my 180 for a couple of months after I cycled it. How often do you do water changes and how much do you change?

 

[Lodingi]

The tank has been running for just over 2 years. The water was clear the first 12-18 months. It's been cloudy the last 6 or 8 months. I first thought my Emperor 400 was under performing. The bio-wheels were always getting stuck and the output was very low. I finally had enough and purchased the Fluval 305. The flow rate is much better but the haze remains.

The test kits are from Aquarium Pharmeceuticals (API). I do weekly water changes of 30%-40%.