# new dirted tank cloudy and with white fuzz on gravel



## haikyoboy (Jun 6, 2013)

Hi everyone, I hope this is an appropriate place to look for help on this issue.

I have just started up in the last week or so, a 33 gallon dirted tank with 1.5 inch miracle grow organic choice dirt and a 1.5 inch black eco complete cap. I have a ton of plants in there and very high lighting.

from day one the water has been cloudy, never tea coloured but white cloudy. There has also been since thew first 24 hrs a white fluff that forms on the gravel and around the bases of the plants, i suspect it is some kind of fungus. I vaccum it out everyday but there is always a similar amount recurring each morning. My LFS guy told me it was from overfeeding and to just feed less. I am fish in cycling with a few whitecloud minnows but I don't think I'm overfeeding, I've also set up a 10 gallon in the exact same style, and it has never once had food in it but it has the same fuzz as the 33 growing back everyday after I vac it out!

what is going on? I regrettably didn't rinse my dirt before using it as I now know you should, and I didn't allow it to sit for 24 hours as mud before capping it, as I now know you are supposed to do. Is this a normal bloom for a dirted tank? just a byproduct of the excess nutrients in the rich dirt? or is something really wrong with my tank? will this go away with time and diligent vacuuming, or do I need to treat with something? are the white clouds ok in there or should I remove them?

I should note I am running an aqua clear filter for 10-30 gallons (remember this is a 33), but I am also running a second filter with ceramic bio-things that is good for 15 more gallons.

thanks in advance for any help! really want this stuff gone!


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## mrbob (Aug 9, 2012)

Doesn't miracle grow have a bunch of chemicals in there? something reacting?? I have just recently got in to simple planted (no c02) and been told not to use miracle grow? I'm using organic soil with no sticks or manure? with no problems? good luck prob wouldn't hurt to take fish out?


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## haikyoboy (Jun 6, 2013)

that was my initial reaction too, but it is certified organic. I was recommended it by about a million youtubers. Dustin from dustin's fishtanks swears by it and he has a lot of experience with dirted tanks and a huge following.


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## Livyding (Feb 6, 2013)

Ahhhhh.... Yikes! I'm not sure what the problem is, but it's never a good idea to use fish in your cycling. A pinch of fish food every day is just as effective for cycling a tank, and is not needlessly cruel to your fish. 

As for the fungus/algae/whatever, have you considered some red Ramshorn snails to see if they'll eat it? (I've kept them for years in planted tanks now, and in my experience they never eat healthy plant leaves) I find them pretty good for getting a tank up and running for some reason... Maybe something to do with the microbes in their digestive tract?


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## Foxtail (Mar 14, 2012)

Probably from all the excess nitrogen in the rich soil. I'm def not an expert, but do a couple big water changes... If it is bad stuff better to dilute it as much as possible. It looks like the same stuff that occasionally developed on some pieces of wood. There are a couple threads on here about it... White slime on wood or something like that. People have taken care of it with plecos. 

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2


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## haikyoboy (Jun 6, 2013)

still hoping for a positive ID on this stuff! came back again after a big water change, not as much of it though!


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## scottyama (Jan 6, 2013)

Foxtail said:


> Probably from all the excess nitrogen in the rich soil. I'm def not an expert, but do a couple big water changes... If it is bad stuff better to dilute it as much as possible. It looks like the same stuff that occasionally developed on some pieces of wood. There are a couple threads on here about it... White slime on wood or something like that. People have taken care of it with plecos.
> 
> Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2


Yea I got this too from a cycling a new tank with the same substrate set up. The white film was only on the wood.
Most likely a Bactria bloom from excess nutrients in the water.
I put more plants in the tank and used duckweed to use up the excess nutrients
It will go away. 
Once I put the fish in, they started eating it.


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## Reckon (Jul 25, 2012)

scottyama said:


> Yea I got this too from a cycling a new tank with the same substrate set up. The white film was only on the wood.
> Most likely a Bactria bloom from excess nutrients in the water.
> I put more plants in the tank and used duckweed to use up the excess nutrients
> It will go away.
> Once I put the fish in, they started eating it.


Ditto on this. It'll go away once the tank cycles a bit more.


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