# Extremely foggy water after water change



## elettrone (23 Mar 2013)

*Exactly one week ago i changed 50 litres of water from my 180L planted tank, only this time rather than pouring the water directly in the tank i poured it in the filter to minimize sand disturbances.*
*I understand know that was a terrible mistake because the next day i had a dense fog in the water.*
*Looks like a bacterical explosion and i wonder if after a full week it is still ok to have this situation rampant.*
*I used reverse osmosis water properly fixed with SERA mineral salt to get the correct GH-KH.*
*I'm concerned for fishes and plants health...the fog is so thick i can't see trough a 40cm deep tank(the water was crystal clear before this incident).*
*I'm unsure on what to do next to fix the issue.*
*Water values are PH 6.9, GH 6, KH 6, NO2 0, NO3 5mg/l, PO4 traces, water temp 25°*
*I've got 30 paracheirodon axelrodi and 20 red cherries in this tank.*
*Any hint?*


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## elettrone (24 Mar 2013)

Arf, no one is able to cast a bit of light on the matter?
I'm even unsure wether i should do weekly water changes 
Should i get an UV lamp to get rid of the excess bacteria?


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## BIN578 (24 Mar 2013)

Well I think you have established the reason and that you wont do it again.  Was it a Juwel internal by any chance ? They get very messy at the bottom.  The thing to concentrate on is getting your tank back to a decent state and my inclination is to do a series of hefty water changes.  Luckily you have red cherries and they seem more resilient than many shrimp species, but you are setting hardness with your RO so thankfully they wont incur swings in hardness which I have read can harm many shrimp species.  So, IMO I would do an immediate 75%water change and then another few of 50% each day. Also if you can confirm what filter type it is we can advise on that as well (cleaning it out etc as there is clearly a load of crud in there it seems).  Good luck.


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## elettrone (24 Mar 2013)

The filter is the internal RIO 180 one but i'm 100% postive the fog is not due to dust/gravel in the water as i used a prefilter for micro particles wich worked very well in the past when i had dust/gravel fog in the water, it came out clean so it is due to bacteria.
I also clean the upper section of the filter twice a week.
I'm unsure if massive water changes will help but as last resort i will try, the fog is so thick plants may suffer the drop in light emission.


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## BIN578 (24 Mar 2013)

Well like I said, get rid of the fog by doing a series of water changes.  It could well be that its a bacterial bloom of some sort created by the crud that gathers in the bottom of those filters and as soon as it was dislodged, BANG.  Either way, you need to clear the water up so water changes are your best option.  I would also still suggest removing the foams from the filter and then syphoning out the stuff that you will undoubtedly find in the bottom of the filter and also dont forget the section where the heater and upflow for the pump is.  Good luck


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## elettrone (25 Mar 2013)

I'll try thanks.


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