cloudy water in 4 week old aquarium

Question
QUESTION: Hi Rachel, i anm having problems with cloudy water which i would describe as white now green .tank is 360litres with large external rena 3xl filter ,washed gravel fairly smaller size  and also used laterite enough for 360l tank(1 carton-500g?) in gravel. live plants added  about 1week after starting tank i planted up with about 80 plant discus collection of plants so should be ok for temperature allthough some are dying and suspect this is part of problem  up 30C for discus tank have only got 6  cardinal tetras and 3 small (2" approx) angels week or so later tank is now cloudy and even after 100ml bottle of filter aid still cloudy. stopped feeding to 1 or 2 times a day and cut lighting to 10hrs nitrites0.3 and nitrates 10 and PH 6.7 approxall appear fine-will tank be ok to addd discus or do i need to get rid of cloudiness and any ideas how?

ANSWER: Chances are either algae or a declorinator are to blame. The decloinator with added bacteria are bad in terms that they tend to build up in the water. To fish this, you will need to get a declorinator with only a declorinator in it and not anything else which is so called beneficial. You should do a partial water change every other day until the water clears. If it is an algae problem, you should get an algae gone treatment but be sure to find one that is safe for plants, then treat your tank following the directions. Chances are its not a big problem just a build of chemicals, not bad, or algae from the tap water. Either way, it should be easily fixed. Avoid adding a declorinator with beneficial bacteria in it, get a basic declorinator instead, and avoid adding treatments like stress coat. IF you need to add stress coat, be sure to only use half the dose. I hope this helps. Let me know if the problem persist or is you need more help.

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QUESTION: Rachel, thanks for this information. I now think that it is green water cloudiness . I have been doing daily 15% approx water changes and using interpet bioactive TAPSAFE whch adds aloe vera and beneficial bacteria. I was thinking of getting interpet greenaway and i will now also try and find dechlorinator without this beneficial bacteria  as you advise.can you say whether  i am able to add discus fish or should i wait till all clear also how accurate do i need to be with regard adding dechorinator as perhaps adding slightly stronger than says on bottle? should i add PH buffer to ensure water is not too acid it appears to bearound 6.5 nitrite and nitrate ok along with gh and kh

Answer
I would wait until the water clears to add any fish, just to not add unneeded stress on any fish with your water changes. Chances are the declorinator you are using is the problem of the cloudy water. Just go to wal-mart and get thier basic declorinator, that would work best. Chances are the pet stores will likely have the declorinator with the bacteria so I would recommend getting the basic one from wal-mart, it comes in a white bottle with a label. Also, follow the directions exactly on the declorinator, adding any more than the recommended dose will result in cloudy water and built up bacteria. Let me know if you need more help. I hope I have answered your questions, if not let me know.