I Just Do Not Understand What Is Wrong!!

Hi,
I am still having a problem with hazy water, even though I have invested in the Eheim Pro3 250 external filter.

The water is clear one minute then hazy the next. It is if the "haziness" goes out through the filter,hence clear water, and then gets thrown back out and the water becomes hazy again!

My water quality is fine...ammonia 0ppm....nitrite 0ppm....nitrate 20 - 40ppm....ph 8ppm.

The only two things I can think off is 1, over feeding....a good possibility as I am still figuring out the "optimum" amount of food.
2, When I clean the substrate on the water change maybe I am stirring the gravel up too much?

Would it be ok to do a 15% water change daily for the foreseeable future?

When the water is clear during this cyclic clear/hazy water "syndrome", the water is crystal clear!! Then it is so annoying to watch the water haze up.

It is not a thick cloudy haze, more like a very thin "mist".

As I say I am at a loss and I am so trying very hard to get everything right for the fish.

Thanks Don,
Just done a 15% water change. No small white worms fortunately.

Will miss out the feeding for a short while, and see how that goes. Will just have to ignore the mollies at feeding time, when they come up to the end where I am sitting in anticipation.

If you can squeeze some in, wool/floss in the filter would help, though maybe not remove all the haziness.

Bacterial blooms are harmless, nothing to worry about. They are bacteria that feed on organic matter - that just means carbon based. The filter bacteria feed on nitrogenous matter rather than organic so the bloom bacteria are not the same as the ones that grow in the filter. The bloom bacteria live floating in the water and multpily very fast. we see them as the whiteness in the water. Once their food supply is gone, they usually die off.
Organic matter in tanks comes from various sources. Fish food is one source, as is plasticiser (phthalate esters). These are found in everything plastic in the tank; filters, plastic decor etc. Even the silicone holding the tank together has organic matter in it. The plasticiser and the organic matter in the silicone will disappear eventually, but excess fish food does depend on the fish keeper.

The other cause of white cloudiness is dust from the substrate. Just to check - you did wash the gravel thoroughly when you set the tank up?




Feeding can be a problem. All I have to do is get something out of the cupboard under the tank where I also keep the fish food, and all the fish are squashed up in the top corner. Missing a day isn't a problem. A lot of people routinely fast the fish one day a week. You need a hard heart to resist their begging though.