Cloudy Water?

Question

I can't seem to get my fish tank to stop being cloudy, I've never had this problem before so I'm very aggrivated.
I've had the water tested...it's fine. I've used the instant clear stuff and it all most works, but then goes cloudy again.
It's a 10 gal tank, I'm starting to think that maybe I should buy a bigger filter for a 20 gal tank.
I just added new fish and the tank was cloudy before I got them.
All this fish are happy, swimming and feeding very well.
No Goldfish, just 1 Simease Fighting Fish (Male) 2 Sucker Fish, 2 Cat Fish, 2 Tiger Fish, 2 Sharks and 2 Red Tailed Barbs.
My 1 Barb is nurotic...he acts like he's on Speed!..LOL

More info.
Like I stated "Before" I got the fish, the water was cloudy I had the water tested and it is FINE..also, the tank isn't DIRTY I just got the fish Yesterday.
The filter cartridge has been replaced and rinsed since then. The BIO sponge has only be rinsed out, since the sticker says DO NOT REPLACE.
Also, all the fish are small, so they havn't outgrown their invironment.
1 thing I do notice is that these Filter cartridges don't seem to have very much Activated Charcole in them.
Yrs. ago I used to use the filter that was attached to an air tube, and you added the Charcole and then put the white cotten on top. let it bubble away, tank clear.

Answer 1

It's a bacteria bloom. This usually occurs from overfeeding, and thus - a bloom of bacteria free floats in the water until the cycle can balance itself out again.

I don't know what kind of filter you have on this 10g, but I would recommend a Marineland Penguin 150 (it's a Biowheel and they are perfect for your setup).

Don't add chemicals - that will definitely screw you up. Just let the cycle balance itself back out naturally (the only chem you should ever use is water conditioner to neutralize Chlorine, and that is it).

Penguin 150 from Marineland
http://www.petco.com/shop/product.aspx?sku=989746&cm_ven=tag&cm_cat=82&cm_pla=989746&cm_ite=989746

Good luck (and don't get anything bigger than the 150. I have it on my 15g and it works great).


*****EDIT*****
You DO NOT have an overcrowded tank. But I would recommend a 20g tank as well because as those fish grow - they will appreciate the room, but those 10/11 fish for a 10g tank is fine (none of them will probably grow beyond 3" in size, and the whole " oh only use 1" of fish per gallon of water" is really a bunch of BS because it would be like saying 10 1" barbs put out as much waste as a 1 10" Oscar. See the logic? There is none so just go with your setup as is, and if you want to go bigger - by all means do!

Answer 2

Tanks go through a cycle, and that is cloudy and then clears up. It is processing itself, and when it gets where it is ok, then it will clear up. If it is clean, and the filter is clean, and the fish are ok, then I would not worry about it. You can always continue to change like 20% of the water and add back the 20%, with some water conditioner. If it does not clear up in a couple of days, there are chemicals that help clear it up. You can buy it in the pet stores that sell fish supplies. Check if they are all compatible and community fish, that might explain the Barb, but otherwise it might just be natural. I never put a Beta in with other fish, so you might have to pull him out. Also, get a 20 gal. for the amount you have for the time being, until they get any bigger.

Answer 3

One problem is, there are too many fish right now. No more than 10 inches total fish. Since you used instant clear and that didn't take care of the problem, sounds like the ammonia level is way too high. If the tank is newly set up and the PH is high 7.8 or more, that can cause cloudy water too. Feed once a day only what the fish can consume in 3-5 minutes and no food should be on the bottom of the tank. If you had the water tested for ammonia and nitrite and the test came back good, then feed sparingly for about a week and the tank should clear up on its own. Algae eating fish should only be added after you have algae and it takes at least 3 weeks to establish some.

Answer 4

The puppy shop informed you this using fact they don't understand what to tell you. do not shop doing water transformations. There may be somewhat some motives like DanielleZ stated as to why your water is "cloudy". of course if the ammonia stages are above a million you'll want (out of desperation) to do a partial water exchange. no extra desirable than 20-25%. Take your clear out and rinse it generally. Is your clear out the right length? Your tank does not sound like this is cycled yet and you will proceed to have this problem till this is.

Answer 5

Cause: This is the most common problem experienced by beginners. It is usually due to:
1. Overfeeding: We have found that over 80% of cases of cloudy water are due to overfeeding. Decaying food creates a bacterial bloom and clouds the water.
2. New Tank: Cloudy water often occurs for a few days after you first set-up a tank. Maintain normal filtration and the tank will clear on its own. "Brite and Clear" , or "Filter Aid" tonic will speed the clearing.
Treatment: Do a partial water change of 25%. Review feeding procedures.. Maintain adequate filtration, and use fresh activated carbon in the filter. Add "Brite and Clear" tonic.

Answer 6

OK, first things first...your 10g tank is WAY overstocked. With that many fish you should have a 55g. The tiger fish alone gets over 10 inches full grown, and it will eat anything that will fit in it's mouth. The red tail barbs are too aggressive to house with a betta. The betta only fights with other male bettas, so don't let the name fool you. They're too slow swimmers, so they get picked on by fin-nippers like the barbs. In a 10g, one betta, one pleco, and a couple of cory-cats is perfect. Now, about the cloudy water. It's called a bacteria bloom. It happens when a new tank is cycling. The beneficial bacteria population is peaking. That is what causes the cloudy water. It's normal and actually desirable. You know your tank is almost completely cycled. It'll clear up in a week or two, so be patient and don't do anything. Let the cycle finish up on it's own, but do reduce the number of fish. Your betta will thank you.

Answer 7

First of all your tank is over crowded. You have too many fish in a small tank.

Second because of this it is causing a bacteria bloom. It's good bacteria, so it is not hurting them but it will constantly stay like this if you do not get a larger tank and get rid of 2 fish.

A large filter is not going to help.

The water clarifiers are a waste and in my opinion make it worse.

I reccommend upgrading to a 20 gallon tank.

Answer 8

try taking the temp in the tank up, worked great for me, the ammonia in fish waste at higher temps usually turns into a bacteria that eats the ammonia. used to keep my 55 gallon tank around 76-78 degrees. fish were more active then too.

Answer 9

Definitely need to get a bigger tank. Sounds like you might be over crowding the 10 gallon tank and over feeding.

Answer 10

It is usually caused by adding too much fish food to the water. Maybe you are giving them too much- more then they need. Also, the next time you change the water be sure to give the pebbles a separate and extra good wash. Hope this helps.