Cloudy tank. Online forums haven’t been of any help!

[Snail_Babe]

I have a roughly six inch axolotl. I started cycling the tank at the end of March using Dr Tim’s ammonia and an API freshwater testing kit as well as seachem stability and prime. Took me about six or seven weeks. Once I got the tank cycled and did some water changes to lower nitrates I added my axolotl. Here I am about three weeks later with the absolute worst bacterial bloom of my life. It looks like my tank is filled with straight milk with a now slightly green tinge. I’ve been keeping the lights off the last few days and now it’s starting to develop an algae bloom as well. Parameters are great. Ammonia and nitrites are zero and over the last two weeks my nitrates have lowered to zero as well due to being heavily planted. I literally can’t see anything past an inch or so into my tank. It’s making feeding and spot cleaning impossible due to lack of visibility. I was told if I just left it alone it would die down on its own but in the last week it’s just getting worse. I haven’t touched my filters or done a water change in nearly two weeks now because I’ve been told that will only make the issue worse and my parameters are good so I haven’t really needed to yet. What could be some possible causes and what can I do to fix this? I’m running 10 and 20 gallon sponge filters as well as a 50 gallon HOB with aquarium sponge, ceramic media and filter floss in a 29 gallon tank with one axolotl so it’s not lack of filtration. Help please!! (pictures are today vs the day I added my axolotl)

 

[chicco]

Hello,
If you want to zap the organisms in the water column I would look in to an inline UV-C sterilizer.

 

[Gis]

The same happened to me with my tropical tank. I tried everything but nothing worked until I tried Accu Clear API solution. It was like magic after 30 min. I'm not sure is this can be use in an Axolotl tank.

 

[DrJade]

I would do 100% water change. The beneficial bacteria is in the filter and will not be harmed by changing the water. I do not understand the logic that changing water will make it worse. I do 80-100% changes all the time. Axolotls love fresh clean water.

 

[JM29]

The tank is not heavily planted, and The plants here are not fast-growing species.
Since the water seems greenish, you may have a problem with microscopic algae using nitrates, ammonium or both.
Try other plants like Egeria, Ceratophyllum, which grow fast with good light. Plant them just after a massive water change so that they can benefit from full light.