[Jookie]

I have a very stubborn case of cloudy water. I started two months ago with crystal clear water. I did a re-scape. Every time I re-scape the water clouds because I use aquasoil, so it's expected. About a half dozen water changes later (>75%) there is no difference in cloudiness the next day. The water appears to be a somewhere between tan and grey. It seems to get worse as the day goes on which made me think it was algae or bacteria. I dropped a submariner UV sterilizer in and it has been running for the last several weeks.

So the question is; what causes cloudy water that is resistant to water changes and UV sterilizer? The only thing I can come up with is that I have the worst case of AS cloudiness ever, but you would think that after W/C's and time it would settle down.

I'm stumped...

 

[Tex Gal]

Is your substrate Amazonia II? I used that and struggled with it for 6 months until I finally changed it out. It just broke down to dust. What you describe sounds like what I was fighting - tan/grey. I also ran an UV so I know it wasn't a bacterial bloom.

 

[Jookie]

I'm sure it's Amazonia I. That doesn't necessarily mean that it isn't also capable of turning my water cloudy. I have noticed that it also breaks down from pellets to dust. I had a thick carpet of dwarf hair grass, so that could be the cause. I guess I need to step up the filtration and see if it makes a difference. Any other thoughts?

 

[Tex Gal]

If it's breaking down there is nothing that will help. I used a diatom filter and 2 XP3s with micron pads. When I finally broke down and changed out the substrate I found that my substate that used to be 4"-5" in the back was 1.5"-2". I was slowly filtering it all out, dust cloud by dust cloud. What a mess. After the change my tank was clear within hours and hasn't been dusty since.

The dust was so thick it layed on my plants and killed them because they could not photosynthesize. I was changing water and filters like a crazy person!

 

[Jookie]

That stinks! Just when I thought that AS was the ultimate substrate... Still grows some beautiful plants though! I will try filtering the crap out of the water and maybe decreasing water motion until my new foreground grows in.

 

[Tex Gal]

If it is the substrate contact the place you got it from. They may replace it. Is it new? I replaced mine Amazonia II with Amazonia regular and my tank is gorgeous. Plants are amazing. I love the Amazonia. There is only one other substrate I might try and that is mineralized soil. The only thing that stops me is that you have to cap it and that means not a lot of moving plants around. I love to move plants around.....

 

[Bunbuku]

Second TexGal's observations. In my previous scape using Amazonia II, it began disintegrating after 4 months - and I did not rescape in between. I emailed ADG and they said that this was a known issue with Amazonia II. Jeff says he only uses and recommends original Amazonia to his clients. The trade off of less initial cloudiness with Amazonia II in hard water is not worth it.

IME, if you use soft water with original Amazonia. There was no cloudiness. In the first 3 weeks of my initial setup I used a carbon filter pad as recommended - there was only a trace of brown tint and no turbidity.

Whoops! I see you are from the SF area. Your water is probably pretty soft already. BTW I used reconstituted RO/DI water in the previous scape also.

 

[Jookie]

If I can't get this stuff to calm down, am I going to have to redo my substrate? If so, then can I use some of what is already in the tank and then drop a new layer of AS on top to hold the dust down, or will I just eventually end up with the same problem?

One thing is for sure; no more re-scaping of the foreground plants! Once this grows in, I'm done!

 

[Jookie]

I am thinking about getting a diatom filter. Will this clear up my water, or is the AS too fine even for a diatom filter?

 

[chunkylover817]

:/ i never seem to have any trouble with cloudiness with AS II, except when i poke at it... do you have any fish that might be disrupting it? i know i did .........CHOCOLATE CICHLID!!

 

[davesnothere]

I just bought a tank, was going to use Amazonia II for it. Should I use Amazonia instead ? Do I get the normal or the powder ?
What is the difference between the two, other than the later disintegrating in 4-5 months ?

 

[Jookie]

The all break down and turn to dust eventually. The trick is to not rip up a huge carpet of well rooted plants. If you plant a foreground and leave it alone, you will be fine. I never had any clouding until I replanted after ripping up a very large amount of dwarf hairgrass.