dusty tank

Question
Hi!
I have a question concerning the water in my tank.  This is my first fish tank.  I have a 60 gallon tank with 6 cory cats, 9 rasboras, and 6 zebra danios.  its been up for about 2 1/2 months.  I have about 2 inches of gravel at the bottom, and about 12 plastic plants.  For filtration I am running an Emperor 400 Bio-Wheel and a Fluval 305 Canister which contains 2 baskets of Chemi-Pure, 2 with Bio Max rings, and for the last week 2 with Fluval Water Polishing Pads.

Anyhow, my question... The water in the tank has seemed not quite right for the past month.  I do water tests and there is zero ammonia and nitrite and about 20 nitrate.  I've been doing weekly 20% water changes, and regular filter maintenance.  The fish seem totally healthy, yet for some reason the water just seems to have this dusty look to it.  I put the Water Polishing Pads in because they are supposed to grab micro particles, but they haven't done anything and its been a week since I did this... Its not cloudy, as I've seen that after a week after adding my fish when I had a bacteria bloom.  Its looks more dusty or like there's some kind of film... Hard to explain.  Any ideas?  Thanks!

Answer
Hi Rob;

I know it seems too obvious but you might try wiping the inside of the glass. Sometimes a film collects on there and you can't tell until you wipe it off. It's happened in some of my tanks from time to time. Wipe the outside too, polishing with a clean dry cloth.

Make sure there is no leftover food anywhere. When you vacuum the gravel and find a lot of crud coming up, it's probably getting too much waste from too much food. Especially check around and under decorations in the gravel. Crud collects in those areas and can cause a cloudy look to the water as beneficial bacteria overgrows to try and consume it.

If none of the above seem to be the solution, try a water clearing product. They are known as "flocculents" and basically bind up small particles together so they become bigger clumps and the filter can pick them up. The safest and most effective products are those that are a dark brownish liquid. They are made from a plant extract. It may take a couple of applications and a couple of days but it usually works quite well.

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins