I have a 10 gallon fish tank and it will not clear up...it is cloudy and i have done everything i know to fix?

Question

any help anyone can give me would be great...thanks i have used the clear water, changed the water, checked ph and acid...i am at wits end...help

The cloudyness is white and i have fish in there, two albino cats that sit on the bottom, an upside down cat that i never see as he stays hidden, two gouramis, two tiger barbs and two very small black fin sharks...two loaches somewhere in there that i never see too...anyways...yes, i have two filters on this 10 gallon tank and air ...any more suggestions?

Answer 1

Sounds like a new tank syndrome. When water comes out of the faucet it comes with lots of tiny oxygen bubbles which makes the water look cloudy.

I suggest that you allow the tank run with all the filtration for at least 24 to 48 hours to clear up the tank. If you have had the tank set up and may have cleaned and taken more than 1/2 of the water you can get that cloudy look again cause of the high oxygen content.

Newly setup aquariums should run for at least one week before you add fish. To get rid of all the extra stuff that come from city water, chlorine, fluoride etc. There is several products that can be added to the tank to take care of a lot of things and I bet if you went to Wal-Mart you'll find the products you need. I would be very leary about buying fish there, though.

If the tank was allowed to get filthy and you had to break down the system in an attempt to start over, make sure that the gravel is washed really, really, really good, wash the tank walls and bottom and the filter. Once everything is very clean and the tank has set for at least 24 hrs you should not have the cloudy problem.

Answer 2

You already have a lot of advice. I will try to keep this simple.
1. Algae is green. That is not your problem.
2. You do have too many fish for your tank size, (that is why your water is cloudy) but you can cheat and get away with it.
3.Here's how:
FIRST:
Change your water every day for awhile, but ONLY CHANGE 1/3 OF IT AT A TIME. It will take awhile to clear up but it won't kill your fish either. It is best to either let the new water sit out overnight before doing this, or get some "water conditioner" that removes the chlorine.
SECOND:
Buy some beneficial bacteria at the pet store for your tank. It'll be called bio-support or something like that. The fish dept. will know. Add it to your tank, probably 1 or 2 caps. You can't really overdose.
These little guys eat the stuff that is making your water cloudy.

Those steps will clear your tank within a week or two. Once it is clear, you don't have to change the water so often, but since you have so many fish in a small tank, you will always need to change it more frequently than most. As a rule, a tank can hold, at the most, 1 inch of fish for every 1 gallon of water. It will stay clear with a good filter and if they are not overfed. More fish than that and you need to change the water to keep a healthy balance. A new tank, or one that has been scrubbed out, doesn't have the bacteria needed to keep the water clear, and should only have 1 or 2 fish for the first month or it gets cloudy and unhealthy for the fish.

Other hints:
Those siphon type vacuums they sell are great for emptying 1/3 of the water out into a bucket because you shove them around in the gravel and they take out some of the poop, etc. that is making your water cloudy and bad.

Since you have 2 filters, change them at different times. Along with the stuff that clogs them up, they collect a lot of the good bacteria that helps to clear your water. Change 1 this week and the 2nd the following week, so you always have some good bacteria in yur filters.

If you get a 2nd tank or a larger tank, put some of your old water in it and use one of your old filters and some of your old gravel. This will help establish good bacteria in your new tank.

I personally think undergravel filters work better than the type you hang on the back of the tank.

Don't overfeed, don't overfeed, don't overfeed!!!!
Good luck. It's not as hard as it sounds right now.

Answer 3

HI
first get a good book on tropical fish that tells you about fish per gallon etc.
but the first thing you should of did if you didn't do it alrerady is clean the tank...suggestion and its easy rub table salt all over the tank top to bottom then rinse really realy well I mean really well then clean your gravel sand etc the same way let the gravel sand wash clean in a bucket or what ever you choosejust don't use salt.
I suspect your using city water which has lots of cholrine that will cause cloudiness at first.
my first thing when raising fish is to set the tank up then let it run (without fish)) for a day or two to see what hapens then you can fix it without loosing your fish.

Oh the bigger the tank the less problems..I suggest getting a good book on tropical fish and read up to give you a better understanding..... fish are pets so take care of them like you would a dog or cat and most of all have fun

Answer 4

Do you have fish in your tank?

Anyway, cloudy water is caused by excess nutrients in the tank.
If it green, it is algae, and they call it 'green water'. If it's white, it's an algae bloom. They are both caused by lack of filtration, over feeding, and/or overstocking. What do you keep in your tank? Goldfish and plecotomus are usually what causes cloudy water in small tanks because they are poop machines, and neither belong in thanks that small. Goldfish require 20 gallons each and plecos, 40 gallons each. Do a bit of research on the fish you have in your tank, to make sure that they are not too big / too pollutant for your tank.

What type of filter do you have? If you have an undergravel filter, which are ineffective, you have a bacterial bloom. An undergravel filter sucks all the food and fish waste into the gravel where it supposedly biodegrades - but mostly, it just rots. Invest in a quality Hang off the Back filter rated for 30 gallons. Also, NEVER change your filter cartridge unless it is falling apart. If it gets gunky, just rinse it in a bucket of old tank water.

Is it possible that you overfeed? I know begging fish are hard to ignore, but only feed once or twice a day and only what they can eat in 2-3 minutes. Remove any uneaten food.

How often do you clean the tank? You should be doing 20-40% water change, and vacuuming the gravel, every week. You can do this once every few days until it clears up.

Oh, you CAN test for acid / acidity. That is pH. High pH = alkaline, low pH = acid, 7 pH = neutral.

Did you set up your tank within the last couple weeks? Read up on the nitrogen cycle. First of all, have you cycled your tank? In the wild, and in established tanks, there are nitrifying bacteria that break down toxic ammonia from fish waste and excess food into less toxic nitrates. In a new tank, these bacteria don't exist, so any fish in the tank will produce ammonia, which, not being broken down by bacteria, will kill or weaken the fish, and dirty the water. Do you have access to an established tank? These bacteria live in the gravel and in the filter cartridge, so if you can get some from another tank, you can put the bacteria right into your tank (don't let the gravel or filter cartridge dry out). If you do this, in a day or two, your tank will beready for fish.
Another way is to get Bio-Spira. It is the actual live bacteria in a little pouch, and your tank will instantly be ready for fish.http://fishstoretn.com/bio_spira.html. Please note that products like Cycle, and BioZyme, do not work - they are the DEAD bacteria and therefore completely useless. If you cannot get bio-spira or some gravel from another tank, you'll just have to wait it out. Do frequent (2-3 times per week) water changes, don't feed too much, and in a week or two your tank should settle, but it can take up to 4-5 weeks. During this time, you may lose fish to ammonia and nitrite poisoning, so frequent water changes to keep down the ammonia levels are a must.

One last thing it could be is your gravel. Sometimes gravel takes a while to settle. Most gravel doesn't have dust but some, like sand, might.

Answer 5

You never answered these questions.

Is this tank newly set up? ie: less then 6 weeks old?
When you said you cleaned it, how did you clean it? How much water did you change?
There is no test for acid. You should be testing for ph, ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates.
Those clearwater products never work by the way.

Now that i know that its white cloudy and know that you are massively overstocked, i can better help you.

Remove some of the fish. Gouramis and tiger barbs and loaches, and the upside down catfish get too big for a 10 gallon tank. The only 2 fish that are ok in that are what im assuming are albino cory catfish.
Your water is cloudy because you have too many fish in the tank. The white is the nitrifying bacteria populating itself to take care of the fish's waste. Generally when someone is smart and does the research and doesnt throw a bunch of fish in a tiny tank, the white cloudyness goes away on its own in 3 to 6 weeks. Yours is gonna stay until you take care of the bioload. It doesnt matter that you have 2 filters on the tank.

Answer 6

When your aquarium's water is cloudy and grey coloured, it means that you have a bacterial bloom in your tank. A bacterial bloom is when the bacteria in the tank multiplies at such a high rate and in such high numbers that they can cloud the water. This bacterial bloom is caused by an excess of nutrients in the water. The actual bacterial bloom is in itself not harmful to the fish. It is merely unsightly. However, the actual cause of the bloom may be harmful. If left alone, the cloudiness will go away, usually taking from a few days to a few months.
Clearing the tank...
To clear the tank and to keep it clear, the amount of nutrients in the water must be controlled. In the case of a new tank or water change, it is recommend that you wait for the bloom to subside. It will take just a few days (usually 1-5) to clear. The addition of a liquid bacterial supplement will help clear the tank quickly. The use of activated carbon and other chemical filtration media will also help clear the tank by removing the excess nutrients from the water. This can prevent the tank from going cloudy. Be aware that even with the water changes and the addition of a bacterial supplement, your tank will still need a few days to clear. Nothing short of a 100% water change can clear a tank immediately. A 100% water change is hard on the occupants of the tank.

Answer 7

Hello. Adding chemicals for clear water isnt going to make a difference. I am not interested at this point on your ph levels. I am going to assume they are slightly above 7. Stop with the water changes until we discover the problem. I need you to check your ammonia levels. Typically when water is whits cloudy, there are ammonia levls present. Take notice if there is also any type of odor emitting form the tank. You need to cut back on the amount of food you are using as well. If the fish are not consuming the foods in 20-30 seconds, than they are overfed. If there are any seashells in the water, please remove them. It is important to have more than enough filtering in the tank. Rinse the cartridges every day for a while or replace them if that can't be done. I need to know what size tank it is and the make and model number of the filters you have so I can determine if that is adequate. First check for ammonia in the water. Good luck

Answer 8

You need a good filter. If it is white cloudy after changing the water that is ok. It is beneficial bacteria getting rid of the nitrates and nitrites. It will clear up soon. You should only be doing water changes every six months or so as long as you have a good filter. If you don't have a good filter get one. You will need to change the water more frequently w/o a filter but only about a 25% change every two weeks or so. Changing the water too much will cause more harm than good. Bacteria builds up in there that keeps your fish healthy and by changing the water you take them away. If your pH is ok then you should just leave it alone and wait. It will fix its self.

Answer 9

nicely in case you in uncomplicated terms have been given your tank a pair days in the past, the filter out and stuff is basically adjusting. i might propose getting into to a particular fish keep and getting your water checked and so some water variations to... that ought to help the cloudiness pass down. i'm basically warning you, I have been given a 14 gallon tank on December twenty first and have been given it working December twenty 2d and that's been better than a month now and my tank is basically NOW waiting for fish... i might wager for a 10 gallon that's going to take some couple weeks on your tank to be waiting. (Tropical fish choose tanks seventy six-seventy 8 stages) additionally once you're first procuring fish, purchase some fish you're pleased with in the event that they stay yet won't get too related to because of the fact oftentimes circumstances, the fish do not make it once you first get them... do not do what I did... I spent $5.ninety for 2 platies and then they ended up dying a week once I have been given them and wasted $5.ninety of my own money!

Answer 10

White cloudy water usually indicates a bacterial bloom, which is where you do not want your aerobic bacteria. This is not an uncommon problem in a new aquarium. If your aquarium is old, other factors such over feeding, improper feeding, poor circulation, improper Redox, improper cleaning methods, over crowding all weigh in.

Your ammonia is may above 0 ppm (which is where it should be), your need to get your bio filtration started (aerobic bacteria that remove and eventually convert the ammonia to less toxic nitrates. The cloudy water is usually a symptom of poor water conditions and lack of good bio filtration.

Proper filtration is also important here, bio filtration takes 14-28 days or more to reach an efficient level, and some filters are better than others. If you have a hang on the back filter, every time you throw away your cartridge (best to rinse filter media in used aquarium water-not tap water which will kill aerobic bacteria), you throw away much of your bio filtration. A sponge pre filter can help prevent this. What ever your filter type, make sure you properly care for your filter, in the case of a HOB filter, make sure to not throw away all filter media at a time as this destroys nitrifying bacteria. Never wash a bio sponge or bio wheel in tap water, and as for bio wheels, if they build up too much hard water deposits or salt, they will be ineffective. As for under gravel filters, I have used them (even though they are not my favorite), but they DO work if properly cared for; do not wash the gravel with these filters or have too fine of sand or gravel (#3 gravel at 2-3” is best).
An additional filter may be needed here, a sponge filter, HOB, or an internal filter (great for cross circulation and oxygen diffusing) all would make reasonable choices.
Good circulation is important and proper amounts of dissolved oxygen which can affect the Redox Potential, which if off will also adversely affect water quality.

Make sure to vacuum your water, using a gravel vacuum I best for removal of organic mulm which adds to your water quality problems. DO NOT add water clarifiers to a new aquarium, they only exasperate your problem.
Feed sparingly if a quality food that is high in USABLE aquatic proteins (not cheap foods like TetraMin that can add even more to your water quality problems).
Be patient, with good filters your bio filtration will improve, you can add gravel or media from an established healthy aquarium to help stimulate this. There are also products such as Cycle and StressZyme that help stimulate your bio cycle, but in my studies this products a not very useful, as the aerobic bacteria that are truly beneficial in an aquarium will not survive well in a sealed container kept at room temperature.

This is a very broad subject, There is a lot more up to date information including links to the Nitrogen Cycle, Aquarium Filtration (the good and the bad of each), Aquarium Redox, Proper fish food and much more here:
http://www.americanaquariumproducts.com/Aquarium_Information.html

For an article about the hype around bio wheels, please see this blog:
http://aquarium-answers.blogspot.com/