Cloudy water

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Cloudy water

by Mike
(Maple Grove, MN )

When I first purchased my XP4 filter it made my otherwise cloudy aquarium crystal clear (150 gal). I was very impressed. It has failed since the first cleaning of the filter to repeat the performance. I've tried duplicating the setup that worked, I've tried new filter media, I've tried adding additional filter elements, I've added chemicals to the water, and the water just gets cloudier each day.

My current combination is 4 foam pads, 3 micro pads, 1 progressive micro pad, Rena Crystal, and biological media. Water flow on the return is pretty strong and every 2 weeks the micro pads are dirty but it cannot produce clear water.
What do you suppose changed? I want it to do what it did when I originally installed the filter. I'm using an XP4 on a 150 gal tank and cleaning the filter every 2 weeks.

Today it is so cloudy I cannot see the back of the tank and I cleaned the filter just 4 days ago.

A: It must be something in the water reacting to something in the filter. I have another customer in Minnesota with the exact same problem. One thing that does does jump out is the constant changing of media. Sometimes, this does not allow the tank to "cycle". If you are not familiar with the term "cycle" as it relates to aquariums you might need to work with someone locally to get better results for water clarity. I wonder if you have ever had the water tested for things like nitrates, phosphates, pH, hardness, etc? If not, take a sample into a good aquatics store with someone that knows water chemistry and get it tested. This can reveal a lot. Hopefully, someone else will have additional ideas. Also, be sure to review similar Q&A's in the Rena Filstar XP Performance section .

Comments for
Cloudy water

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Mar 22, 2011

cloudy water as well
by: Marcel the turtle

We just bought a new rena 3xp to replace the one that pooped out after 15 years of service! Cannot get the water to stay clear. Starts getting cloudy after only 3-4 hours. To help with the "cycling" we used some of the old media from the other filter.... what else can we do? how do we know when it is a "cycling" problem vs a "bad filter" problem?

Editor: Hopefully, you have already read the other Q&A ideas already posted for some help on this. In my experience, when you disrupt the eco-system with a major change it can take as long as 6 weeks to get back into balance.

Dec 28, 2010

Cloudy water fixed...Yes!
by: Superman the Turtle

Thank you soooo much! After about 4 days my water finally started to clear up. After posting my question, I did contact Rena, they pretty much said the same exact thing. I am grateful for sites such as Planet Rena, and the customer service response by the Rena manufacture.
I am however unsure what I am suppose to do if my turtles tank (Red eared Slider) has too much PH or ammonia. I do see a lot of algae producing in the tank, any suggestions on how to combat that without harming Superman the turtle. Once again, thank you for all of your help!

ED: Please post a separate question regarding the issue of fixing the water quality if you don't mind. We can elaborate on it better that way. Thanks for the very nice comments.

Nov 30, 2010

My Turtle water is cloudy
by: Superman the Turtle

I have the xP3, I have set everything up according to the instruction manual. I have not added anything additional to the filter, only the items provided with the filter. My tank has been cloudy for 3 days now. The water has a conditioner/clorinater and a bio fluid to help with waste and food that my be left over from feeding. I am worried that my turtle will die. What can I do that is safe for my turtle to make the water clear. Before I got the xP3 I had a Fluval under water filter and it worked very well, I just found myself cleaning the tank a little too often. This is why I purchased the Rena xP3. Please help a.s.a.p. Thank you.

EDITOR NOTE: Cloudy water is not a sign of "bad" water. Most new setups whether fish/amphibian/reptile will have cloudy water for up to 30 days after setup. In the hobby this is called "cycling" and it has to with waste vs the amount of bacteria you have growing that lives off this waste and breaks it down. If you are working with a good aquatic store they should have told you to expect this. You can speed the process up by using StressZyme. Also, you should measure both pH and Ammonia to make sure the environment is not out of balance which would harm your turtle.

EDITOR NOTE: Cloudy water is not a sign of "bad" water. Most new setups whether fish/amphibian/reptile will have cloudy water for up to 30 days after setup. In the hobby this is called "cycling" and it has to with waste vs the amount of bacteria you have growing that lives off this waste and breaks it down. If you are working with a good aquatic store they should have told you to expect this. You can speed the process up by using StressZyme.
Also, you should measure both pH and Ammonia to make sure the environment is not out of balance which would harm your turtle.

Feb 03, 2010

cloudy water fixed finally
by: Anthony

Hello, i know your pain about cloudy water. My 46 gallon bow tank is now 6-months old. During this time period i've only had the tank crystal clear twice. I am using a XP2 which has two baskets. On the bottom basket i use two foam filters (20,30), then a divider. In the same basket i mix Bio-chem stars and Ceramic rings. In the second basket i use super-activated carbon 3-5oz, bio-chem zorb 3-4oz ,Purigen by Seachem 100ml(polishes water)and phos-zorb (algae helper)3-4oz. sometimes i use Nitra-zorb. Lastly i use a microfilter pad. Now the solution i came up with is that i use Acurel-F. Only use this during a 15-25% water change.Immediately after i have the new water in and pump running i put about 125 (3-drops per gallon)(46gallon tank)drops of Acurel-F, you can actually see the water reacting instantly to the Acurel-F. In about 1-3 hours the water should be crystal clear. The key here i think is during the NEW WATER change!. i've had a crystal clear tank since! Hope this helps.

Hello, i know your pain about cloudy water. My 46 gallon bow tank is now 6-months old. During this time period i've only had the tank crystal clear twice. I am using a XP2 which has two baskets. On the bottom basket i use two foam filters (20,30), then a divider. In the same basket i mix Bio-chem stars and Ceramic rings. In the second basket i use super-activated carbon 3-5oz, bio-chem zorb 3-4oz ,Purigen by Seachem 100ml(polishes water)and phos-zorb (algae helper)3-4oz. sometimes i use Nitra-zorb. Lastly
i use a microfilter pad. Now the solution i came up with is that i use Acurel-F. Only use this during a 15-25% water change.Immediately after i have the new water in and pump running i put about 125 (3-drops per gallon)(46gallon tank)drops of Acurel-F, you can actually see the water reacting instantly to the Acurel-F. In about 1-3 hours the water should be crystal clear. The key here i think is during the NEW WATER change!. i've had a crystal clear tank since! Hope this helps.

Editors Note: Thanks Anthony for info on whats works for you. We also recommend the Aquarium Pharmaceuticals product, AccuClear for clearing cloudy water fast. Both Accuclear and Acurel-F are flocculents that clump very tiny floating particles together. This makes them heavy enough to sink to the gravel and settle out. These larger particles are then removed from tank during cleaning if you siphon your gravel. They are also picked up by the intake of the filter but since they are now
larger they will be captured by the filter. This is the main job of the MicroFilter.

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Cloudy water

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Cloudy water