This is 3.5 weeks in, after completely dumping the tank (10 gal) and its contents, re-rinsing everything we re added (hardware and decor) and thoroughly rinsing replacement gravel and gently rinsing the substrate (Fluval Stratum) our water continues to turn radioactive orange.
I ran magnets thru the bag of stratum, no rust or large metal deposits. No fish, no plants, decor is properly sealed and not chipping off paint/tanning the water. We’ve used API Proper pH 7.0 (which isnt working, gets stuck about 6.6 then is stagnant even after adding doses), Seachem Prime, Seachem Stability, and generic fish flakes all from the pet store and properly added into the tank.
In case you missed, its 10 gallons. Im at a loss and im just worried that i have a black thumb for these more experienced tanks that are more than bowl-gravel-water-fish. Previously the tank took a week or so to look like this, and it persisted after 50%~ water changes. This took approximately 3 days to set in and we’ve just kept prepping/cycling in hopes it clears. Any ideas? Any suggestions?
Posted by PepsiButItsMilk
4 Comments
To add: filter has ran 24/7, and shows no signs of wear in the filter pad either
Do you have fluval stratum? It might be causing this. Tannins can look orange.
This is most likely cause by a mixture of green water and dust from the substrate. Fluval stratum breaks very easily you’re bound to get dust somewhere. Also lighting play a part in the tint I would recommend adding live plants.
Live plants should be added early as possible especially if you want to avoid algae problems and it’s only gonna help you in the long run with setting up your tank. Stratum is full of nutrients and algae thrives off that. They should also help remove this tint since they are a biological filter.
Also stop using chemicals to mess with your ph only gonna cause you issues and fish deaths in the future. There much better and more natural way to maintain a ph level. You are currently running a ph buffer nothing gonna change it unless you overload the buffer. The what fluval stratum does is maintain a set ph level.
as a wildcard option, could your heater be leaking rust?