Murky Waters.

Good morning. For months one of my 10G tanks shows water that is not as clear as I would expect.
I will be adding some pics to illustrate.
The setup is this
10G tank
Some plants
5Female betas
5 dwarf Cories

I know the tank is a bit overcrowded now but I promise the water issue has predates the betas, plus this is just a temporary setup.

The water parameters are as follows.
ammonia 0PPM
nitrite 0PPM
Nitrate 5PPM
PH 7.6
High Range PH 7.4

I do water changes weekly, 20%. The tank has been established for months.
In one pic you can see the other 10G tank which is also a bit overcrowded but you can see how clear the water is.
It is also not an issue of one tank having stronger light than the other. I have tried swapping the lights and the difference still pretty much the same.

One more thing when I change the water on this tank, he water is indeed more yellowish than the tank next to it, could it be the wood?

This has bugged me for months.
Thank you

 

The yellow water is probably the wood. Did you boil it before adding it to the tank? How long has it been in the tank?

 

The wood that you added releases tannins, which is why your water is looking like tea.

It will eventually go away, or you can add something like purigen.
I used purigen initially for the same reason. I still use it now.

It may be difficult to house in a filter for a 10 gal. I haven't had that small of a tank so I'm unsure.

Good luck.

 

BD I didn't boil it, it has been in the tank for at least 2 months.

 

Skar I checked purigen online they have bags and also liquid form. Do you recommend I use the liquid form?

 

If it's been in the tank for 2 months it should stop releasing tannins pretty soon. A couple of large back to back water changes should clear it.

 

I did a water change yesterday and that's the result on the pics.
You don't think I should get liquid purigen?