why is my fish tank getting so dirty?

Question

so i have about a 5 gallon tank and 2 fish and one plant / shell.........well i just changed the water last week and my tank is so dirty....the water is not clear...am i doing something wrong
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Answer 1

you should stop poopin' in it.

Answer 2

Hi, I'm not an aquarium expert or anything, but I had a situation similar to yours when I first started w/my tank. It's a 10 gallon, and has 4 neon tetras, 1 platy, 1 larger tetra (don't know what it's called), 2 cory cats, and a plecostimus that's about 3 inches long.

I have plastic plants, and a powerhead filter that is rated for a bigger tank than 10 gallons. I used to vacuum out the water, cleaning the gravel, etc. If I let too much time go by, then when I vacuumed the gravel it made the water very dirty. I also learned that I had to do this at least every week, and change the filter weekly as well.

I've learned by going to various aquarium sites online (lots of good ones), that you shouldn't have more total inches of fish in your tank than your total gallons of water (5 inches of fish to 5 gallons of water).

Could you have algae in your tank? Algae overgrowth can be caused by having your tank sitting where the sunlight can reach it. I also found that if you have your water temperature too high, algae will flourish.

To keep the cost of changing filters down, I found a carbon filter cloth that you cut pieces out of and put into your power filter rather than buying carbon cartidges each week. There are also filter cloths that are designed to remove nitrates from the water, which can accumulate if you release too much junk from the gravel, or if the tank is really dirty from having too many fish in it.

If you call around, you can probably find a pet store that will test your water for free. Some don't, some do, so it's worth calling before driving all over the place. If you take a sample of your aquarium water in, there are simple tests that can be done to see if there are too much of one or another chemical in it, and the people should be able to tell you how to correct this condition.

If your tank is new, getting it into a balanced condition will likely correct the dirty water issue.

Good luck!

Answer 3

Get a book about starting an aquarium. You really didn't give much info about your tank. If it's new it probably hasn't had a chance to cycle. If this is the case that is probably why the water is cloudy. Take a sample of the water to the pet store and they will test it. (usually for free) Depending on the type of fish you may need a heater and filter for the tank.

There are some great web sites that can help, books, and you can also go to a good pet store dealing with aquariums and ask them.

Good Luck

Answer 4

I wanted to add my voice behind a couple of the others on here about cycling your tank...if it's cloudy, then that's the problem. Take a sample of your water to a pet store and let them test it for you, they'll either tell you to leave it alone (or recommend a product wihch will jumpstart your cycle for you) or to do another partial water change.
If the water is green, then getting an algae eater is NOT the solution, cutting back on feeding and light IS. Algae eaters eat excessive amounts of algae on the walls and plants-not the stuff floating in the water, but keep in mind, they poop too and will contribute to the waste in the water which is a CAUSE of the algae.

Answer 5

If it is in the sun, try moving it into a shady area, I expreienced that problem myself where i was having to change the water every week, if this does not work then you may not be cleaning the tank well enough. Depending on how much food you give them this may also be a problem because if it is not being eaten it will just cause a build up and cause the tank to become green twice as fast. Hope this helps. :D

Answer 6

I agree that your tank needs to cycle. Tanks will be cloudy until they have fully cycled. It takes about 2-3 weeks. It sounds like you're not overcrowding it. You shouldn't do full water changes, only partial ones. In fact, I'd do about 1/3 water changes when you do them, vacuuming the gravel to get out poo and other wastes.

You can get chemicals that will clear your water temporarily until it is done cycling. You'll have to reapply a lot of them as they only work for a few days. If you have a filter, that will help take any sediment or what have you that is floating in the water out.

Answer 7

How much do you feed your fish as this contributes to a dirty tank as it becomes algae anfd builds up, try getting a filter, a snail or sucking catfish and feeding your fish less. remember to replace the sponge and carbon in your filter every 6-8 weeks depending on your tank size.

Answer 8

how much of the water did you change? if you did all or most of it you tank will need to "cycle" and i suggest that you use two products: easy balance by tetra and cycle by hagen/nutrafin they help keep the water balanced and you do not have to change the water as often....and when you do change water ever only change about 1/4 or less of the tank so not to shock the tank....

Answer 9

i dont know y but people said*the biger the aquarium is the easer to clean8it sound wierd to me too .and i dont know about that.but i think it because the food that your fish dint finish started to fade away so that y it dirty.and if you turn the light for the aquar more than 8 h. thay will get some weed on the glass.in this case i get 2 fillter for my aquarium.and it work(one is for 10 gallon,2nd is for 8 gallon)it made my water clean ,and a week or 2 week you have to take out 25% of the water and put in the new water.
hope i help you.

Answer 10

Just get a small fish tank filter. they sell at wal mart for cheap or you can get one at a pet store for a little more. also try this stuff called crystal clear, its a solution for aquariums that you just drop into clean water that helps minimize cloudiness and stuff. You should be good with a filter though. hope this helped..good luck.

Answer 11

What kind of fish do you have? We really can't possibly answer this question until we know what kind of fish these are and if you have a filter and/or aeration.