Water colour

A

adam

Guest
Hello everyone.
Haven't been on here for a while!
Steve's hand feeding, swimming all over the place and is happy as anything!! however he is still in his temporary tubs whilst his tank cycles, and i really can't wait for him to move back in.

I reckon the tanks almost done. going to give it a couple more weeks just to make sure. Amonia levels are around 0, nitrite is 0 and nitrate is reading around 50.
BUT the water seems to have gone quite yellow. i did a big water change and that sorted it out a bit, but its still a little yellow.

I had a plant in it that started to die because there wasn't enough light (now taken out) could this be the prob?
 
Yellow coloration of tanks that do not have carbon filtration is not uncommon. This is due to how protiens and other organic materials are broken down in the tank. There is a great explination of the process in the Dynamic Aquaria for those who are interested.

Water changes will help sort that out or you can add some carbon to the filter.

Ed
 
Ah i see!

How do i add carbon to a filter? My filter is a fluval plus 2 in tank type. it suckers onto the inside. its got a sponge filter at the mo.
if i change the filter media, won't i mess up the cycle?
 
carbon bags or carbon filter pads should be available from any lfs.

just ask and im sure they will be able to get hold of them if they havnt got them already
 
Hi Adam,

Dan is right the lfs should have them for that filter.

As for cycling, your levels look like the tank has completed the cycling. Just monitor the levels the first week or so after adding the axolotl to make sure that there aren't any issues.

Ed
 
Do you happen to have any driftwood in the water? It might be some tannin that has leaked out of the wood.
 
i do have some driftwood in the water. its been in for 5 weeks or so, the colouration in the water started getting worse after i changed the substrate from gravel to sand about 3 weeks ago. could the colour from the driftwood be harmful? i'm guessing it can't be too bad or they wouldn't use it.
i bought a carbon filter pad to add to my filter to see if this would clear the water up. if i change the filter media at this pint am i in danger of messing up the cycle?
 
if the driftwood is causing the yellow colouration it's nothing major. It's the leaking tannin that is causing the water to tint; but it's not harmful. It actually raises ph so the water is more alkaline.
 
Matthew, you are right about the color coming from tannins. However, tannins lower the pH, making the water more acidic.

Adam, is there a way to add some carbon to the filter without completely changing the filter media?
 
i went to our local aquarium shop yesterday and they sell jars of little pieces of carbon that you can add to your filter- that way you dont have to change the whole thing over.
I do have a carbon filter pad that came with my filter, i was thinking i might be able to slide it in next to the standard sponge filter. or i could cut it up and put some little pieces in with the sponge. What do you guys think?

PS- steve's back in the tank! he looks quite happy. going to continue testing the water every 48 hours or so just to make sure the levels stay stable.
 
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