Is there a Haze in your tank's water? Your Tank is Telling You Something

Here's a good topic to discuss, especially since it's been just over a week since Christmas, where many may have set up a brand new tank.

It's about time for newly established tanks to begin to show signs of the going on's within the water habitat. Water cloudiness is often the biggest indicator of how established your tank is.

The two main types of cloudiness in the water boils down to color... a pale milky color or a greenish tinge, both speak volumes as to the conditions in the habitat. For ADF's, one is of more significant concern than the other.
A whiteish colored haze in the water is indicative of excessive ammonia. While ADF's can tolerate ammonia far more than gilled fish, too much is too much and the tank's water needs a partial replacement to dilute the ammonia, but not a total replacement.

The reason for a partial replacement is to give the tanks bio-filter of anaerobic nitrifying bacteria some ammonia to digest. For the bacteria to filter properly it needs ammonia to kickstart it's growth. Over time, as the bacteria culture increases, it's capacity to digest ammonia will increase accordingly. The white haze will eventually go away as the bacteria culture increases, and with it, the need to do partial water changes as well. Once the culture reaches it's peak development, it will stabilize the level of ammonia that's present in the water. There is always some ammonia present, but it's continuously being digested by the bacteria.

The other haze... the greenish tinge..., indicates something altogether different. It indicates the tank has a very efficient bio-filter with plenty of active bacteria, all digesting the waste ammonia & producing nitrates. The greenish haze is microscopic algae cells, A fast-growing invasive plant, living off the nitrates being produced. A greenish tint is a indicator of good health, it's unsightly, but still it shows that the tanks bio-filter is doing it's job. And there's a simple way to get rid of the algae bloom. Simply darken the water in the tank.

Algae is a plant that lives on three things... nitrates, water & UV light. Take away one of those three, Algae cannot grow. Since the tank will have nitrates & water, the solution is to limit the amount of daylight or any light that has UV. Without Ultraviolet, the algae cannot grow. 

But to handle excessive Nitrates, there still needs to be some plant life in the tank. Otherwise the level of nitrites will be overwhelming and harmful. So plant some aquatic, shade tolerant plants to do the job. Once the tank has plants to consume the nitrates, the water will clear right up.

Murphy's Law and Aquarium Habitats

Murphy's Law states: "Develop a foolproof system and only a fool will use it", while Aquatic Habitats are far from foolproof, there is commonsense engineering behind them that can make them almost maintenance-free. But there's times that makes us give pause as to how well Ol' Murphy and his laws can be right on the mark.

With anything involving living organisms, there are countless things can happen, all depending on outside influences.

"I was afraid my Frogs were getting too hot, so I placed then in front of the air conditioner... now they just sit there..."   Frogs are amphibian's, meaning they're cold-blooded, they depend on their environment temperature. If the environment is cold, amphibians become cold, and tend to hibernate...or die. African Dwarf Frogs were originally from the rain forests of West Africa, not a place commonly known for Air Conditioning. The Smart Thing: Keep your ADF Habitat within a moderately comfortable temperature of 70 to 80 degrees.

"I didn't think my frog was getting enough air so I took the lid off...now my frog's missing."
Oxygen that live plants produces, and habitat covers allow for plenty of air. A tank cover serves several functions...it keeps the dust and junk out, keeps water from evaporating too quickly...and keeps wayward frogs from exploring too far.


"I didn't use any gravel ...why is my water all cloudy and my frogs dying?" The "Ugly" gravel is the "third leg" of the entire habitats eco-system. The tank gravel becomes infused with beneficial anaerobic bacteria that increases the "filter" capability for a habitat Without it, it's be hard for an external filter to establish a healthy environment.

"I keep my aquarium in sunlight so plants can grow....why is my water green?" You'd think that aquarium plants needs needs lots of sun but that's not always so... most common aquatic plants thrives in indirect sunlight. Most importantly, too much sunlight can trigger an algae bloom, which can really muck things up. Keep your aquatic habitat away from the window sill & it'll do fine.

Happily, most of the problems that may arise can easily be fixed, and while there's always something that may come along that could be a real head-scratcher, with some commonsense, maintaining a happy, healthy habitat can be a snap.

How long can you hold your breath?

We marvel at our little African Dwarf Frogs. The world they live in requires them to hold their breath for most of their lives. They come to the surface, gulp air into their lungs and submerge, over & over. All their lives, they live underwater on gulps of air.
Can you imagine trying to live like this? Impossible for humans... or is it. Here's someone who rivals our aquatic frogs in his lung capacity, able to swim to crushing depths on a gulp of air, not only for minutes at a time but to also fish for food underwater. See how long you can hold your breath while you watch this Underwater Hunter ply his trade.