Solving The Problem Of A Cloudy Fish Tank

A cloudy fish tank is a problem that plagues even the most seasoned aquarist and solving this problem is a very common task.  There are a number of things to take note of when trying to solve a cloudy aquarium such the reason why it got cloudy as well as what color is the water in the fish tank.

In this article we are going to consider a new aquarium first and continue through the life cycle that it goes through.

The first time you set up a brand new fish tank, you might almost immediately get cloudy water. When a tank is first set up the water may well seem cloudy immediately. This is generally because there are little bubbles of air which will normally vanish in a few hours.

A brand new fish tank has not had the time to go through a proper nitrogen cycle and thus is not prepared to cope with the waste produced by the aquatic life in the tank.  At first you will notice the tank water turn a milky white which is a sign that the bacteria has begun to multiply.  These bacteria multiply very quickly causing the milkiness of a cloudy aquarium.  In this case, there is nothing that you need to do because it will fade away as the water goes through its nitrogen cycle and it does not harm the aquatic life.  To speed up the process of recovery, you can do a partial water change.  Just make sure that you do not feed the fish to much or you will encourage the bacteria to multiply once more which will turn the water cloudy again.

A cloudy fish tank that looks brownish in color is generally caused by contamination from the fish tank ornaments.  Before placing any ornaments into the tank you need to ensure that it is friendly to your fish and that it is thoroughly washed.  Don't ever use detergent to clean anything that you will put into the tank. Certain ornaments especially if they are made from clay might disintegrate if soaked too long in water.

Driftwood or bogwood turns the water a brownish hue at times.  This is due to the tannin that it releases into the water when it is first soaked.  It will sink to the bottom of the aquarium after a while and the process can be sped up by vacuuming and partial water changes.  You should always soak new wood for a couple of days separately before placing it into the aquarium.

These are some of the steps that you can take to solve a cloudy fish tank.

Firstly, do not over feed the fish.  The food that you feed your fish should be consumed under two minutes. Anything longer and the excess food will sink to the bottom and encourage bacterial growth which will soon give you a cloudy fish tank.

Secondly, vacuum the gravel periodically.  To help you with this task, you can have bottom feeders in your fish tank to eat up excess food that sink to the bottom.

Thirdly, limit the number of fish in your aquarium.  An old rule which you can follow is the inch to a gallon rule.  An inch of a fish to a gallon of tank water.  Also be wary of fish that breed too fast such as Guppy.  Also, be prepared for fish that produce too much waste, goldfish being the biggest culprit here.

Lastly, never do large water changes. This upsets the nitrogen cycle of your aquarium.  Always do partial water changes of not more than a quarter of the water in the tank.

Generally, a cloudy aqurium can be solved and prevented easily with a good routine maintenance.  Something as easy as weekly water changes can be effective to solve not only a cloudy fish tank but many other aquarium problems as well.

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