QT Tank Problems

[Birdman]

I'm having problems with the water in my QT tank. It's 600 gal, flow goes from bottom drain to fluid bed filter, then back to tank via a pondmaster 950 pump. I am keeping the tank covered with clear skylight poly to try and hold as much heat in it as I can. I am heating it with 1000 watts and trying to keep the temp. in the 70s for QTing my new fish.
Problem, my water keeps turning cloudy, dosn't stay clear. It will cloud up to the point you can't see the fish in about 2 days. If I turn on my flow through that will clear the water but then the temp goes down. Flow through is from well water. My PH is 8.2, Ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates 0. But my test kit I know is out of date. Would ammonia make the water cloudy? Any other ideas?

[mitten]

Do you have a fish in there now? Did you put media from somewhere else in there?

No fish it could just be the look of well water. Mine clears in a couple days.

Good media in new water would be what I've heard called a bacteria bloom. I think of it as guys all dressed up to party but not enough to do to keep them busy, so they go out lookin for trouble. Put in a fish or two. Clears up in a couple days.

Mickey the windowman

[Birdman]

Quote: Originally Posted by mitten Do you have a fish in there now? Did you put media from somewhere else in there? No fish it could just be the look of well water. Mine clears in a couple days. Good media in new water would be what I've heard called a bacteria bloom. I think of it as guys all dressed up to party but not enough to do to keep them busy, so they go out lookin for trouble. Put in a fish or two. Clears up in a couple days. Mickey the windowman

Yes, there are 3 koi in it. Filter is new, had not been cycled. I got new test kits today and no ammonia or nitrites.

[RayJordan]

You mention you have a fluidized bed filter. Does it use the special siica sand for media? If so it is purely a biofilter and will pass any debris right through and not produce clear water. You would need to add some mechanical filtration to get clear water.

[Birdman]

Quote: Originally Posted by RayJordan You mention you have a fluidized bed filter. Does it use the special siica sand for media? If so it is purely a biofilter and will pass any debris right through and not produce clear water. You would need to add some mechanical filtration to get clear water.

I am using bio-flo 9 for the media. There really isn't any kind of mech filtration. Maybe that's the problem.

[Birdman]

Do you think something as simple as a few lavers of batting might help?

[Birdman]

Well, here it is 10 PM and most sound of mind, normal people are in bed sawing logs. But no, not me. I'm out building new filtration for my fish.

Did I mention the free pressure tanks I've been getting also come in a small size? About 16" wide by 24" high. I just happened to have one sitting around, and some filter batting so away I went. I cut the top of the tank off, put about 4 layers of batting in it, and set it up as a mech. filter. It's down stream of the fluid bed but that's OK. Tomorrow I will try and get some finner batting, maybe even a few bags of good ole "Chemi Pure".

[cocoyboy]

Birdman, do still have anymore of those filters?

[Birdman]

Quote: Originally Posted by cocoyboy Birdman, do still have anymore of those filters?

Pressure tanks, yes there are still some left.