John H. wrote:
Hi
My planted tank is about 2 months old and the plants have taken firm root.
I have discus/cardinal tetras primarily but also a plec, cloan loach and 1
angel.
My question is, is it unrealistic to expect a planted tank to have crystal
clear water? There is all kinds of particulates floating around. Its really
bugging me. Should I leave it alone? Is this normal for a fairly new planted
freshwater tank??
tanks alot
John


Whitish cloudiness during the first couple of months of starting a tank
is not unusual. It's bacteria suspended in the water column living on
tap water nutrients. Personally, I've never had a newly set up tank
stay cloudy for more than a couple of weeks. After that, all of my
planted tanks have had crystal clear water.

What you're describing sounds more like a lack of fine mechanical
filtration, though. Maybe you're stirring up your substrate when you
change water. Try a very fine sponge or a layer of cheap "angel hair"
filter floss as the first stage in your filter for a few days and see if
it doesn't clear things up some.

--
Elaine T __
http://eethomp.com/fish.html '__
rec.aquaria.* FAQ http://faq.thekrib.com