New Tank, New Hatchling, Cloudy Water

[Teetertotter]

JoesMum,
You said you were using you water softener water from the Utility Room for your Aquarium. That right...for your Turtle?

 

[Moozillion]

Yes they do help. We have horrible water here.

We now have a household water softener as the limescale was wrecking taps, toilets, showers and machines. On balance it was cheaper to get the water coming into the house softened. We only have hard water outside and to the cold tap in the kitchen so we can use softened water in the aquarium from our utility room. I don't even have to put salt in the dishwasher now

WOW!!!!!!

 

[Moozillion]

The water softener I was referring to is made and sold for fish tanks. The type I'd used came in a sachet and was placed into the filter. It was also reusable. But I don't recall the procedure.
(I had horrible well water at my South Carolina home.)
I ended up buying a multi filter system that treated the whole house.

Thanks!!!!!

 

[Teetertotter]

I have a 6 day old 20 gallon tank filled with 8" of water or almost 10 gallons of water for a baby Southern Baby Turtle. The tap water was pretreated with a conditioner, per instructions on the bottle, that is suppose to naturalize chlorine and HEAVY metals....etc. After 3 days, I noticed that peering into the tank from the front glass, the water looked cloudy, but looking from the top down the water was clear. I put my hand on the inside wall of the glass and there was this white crusty rough surface. Iron build up?

I called MYTurtlestore, where Buddy was shipped 5 days ago. He said that I have to hard of water and is common. To rid this condition, he suggested switching to Pure Water. I sure don't like peering through the glass and not seeing Buddy all that well, neither my wife.

So, I guess I will scrub my inside glass walls, take the filter apart and thoroughly clean and replace with new filters, scrub the floating dock. The 2 artificial plastic tall bushy yellow neon plants, clean with hot water too. Start all over using Pure Water. Distilled water Okay? Comments?

 

[Yvonne G]

I have had aquariums in the past, but I'm far from being expert on the matter, so take my info with a grain of salt. I think you need to condition the water in order for it to be clear. I've heard that adding a couple goldfish to new water helps condition it. Let's send a shout-out to @Markw84

 

[Teetertotter]

The water is not Cloudy. You did not read correctly.

 

[Markw84]

Your water could not build up deposits on the glass that quickly. Iron deposits would show up reddish in color, and also take a lot of time to develop. What you may be thinking of would normally be calcium deposits most all of us fight with hard water, but it also would not build up UNDER water. The minerals are in solution in your water, and deposit as evaporation occurs, along the water line or where it can splash and dry.

From what you are describing in your other threads, and here (If you keep all your posts together about the same issue it is easier to get a feel of what is going on) I think you have some sediment from either a carbon filter that is new, or perhaps gravel or small rock substrate you placed in the tank. There is always dust on these new items that once the filter starts running, will settle out in the first several days. No matter how much you try to wash things out, it seems there is always some left! Brush things down, and let the filter do its job.

If it indeed is a crusty film on the glass that won't come off easily, then perhaps you have an older aquarium that was used before? Rinsed off with tap water and allowed to dry a few times, leaving behind the calcium deposits.

 

[Teetertotter]

Sorry, Mark..I will keep topic together. The tank is brand new, filter is brand new[Fluval U2], has new floating Zoo Med floating dock washed down with hot water before installing, and two plastic tall leafy plants washed with hot water before putting in tank, Combo Zoo Med lamps, one underwater heater and nothing else. With the new tank 20 gal tank, I did use water softener hot water to wash down the inside of the tank and then toweled it dry.

Yes, what appears is white crusty film on the inside of the tank walls and the bottom too, 8" inches deep or water line to bottom. It would be calcium, I guess. Would I expect to remove those few items from the tank, brush them with cold tap water[not hot water softener water], take apart the U2 and clean and replace the 3 filters, fill tank with pre treated water to remove metals..etc? Perhaps the plastic plants are the issue and did not clean properly?

I had run the tank without the Artificial leafy plant for two days an all was clear. I wonder if I pretreated the water with enough dosage of Zilla Conditioner? Right now, the inside wall and bottom could use an ice scrapper. I hope this is enough info for possible solution and what I might have done wrong. All I know is, I have to start all over again. Thank you

 

[Teetertotter]

I will clean everything and use Purified Water and report back in a few days. No chemicals.

 

[JoesMum]

WOW!!!!!!

This is the house water softener. It's connected in a cupboard under our kitchen sink by where the mains water supply comes into the house. It's brilliant

 

[Moozillion]

This is the house water softener. It's connected in a cupboard under our kitchen sink by where the mains water supply comes into the house. It's brilliant

View attachment 206186

That is really cool!!!!! I may look into that!

 

[Teetertotter]

This morning, my water is NOT cloudy as I thought. We have extremely hard water and white substance is building up on the inside walls of the glass tank. My only option is to buy purified water at our grocery store, which I will do, besides cleaning or replacing the 3 water filters. Dang city water!

___________
It took some doing to scrape all 4 sides of the white substance on the inside walls, but mission accomplished. I refilled the tank with 9 gallons of Purified Water and there in no beginning of build up of that pebbly white stuff on the inside walls. Our tap water with adding Zilla conditioner to remove NItrates, nitrite and metals, is the thing of the past.