my fish tank has been crystal clear for 4 years and the last month it has been cloud.. why?

Answer 1

Carrie and Danielle and manager have it just about right. First make sure that your beneficial bacteria colony is OK.(Monitor for ammonia and Nitrites) Then if that's OK,start a program of small water changes to keep the fish safe. The water clouding bacteria will go away on their own when whatever they're feeding on is exhausted.The bloom going on is unattractive but if you increase the circulation to improve oxygenation, and keep your gravel vacuumed it shouldn't harm your pets. Sometimes a bloom can last for several weeks.(5 or 6) ----Good luck.------PeeTee

Answer 2

Thanks for that question. I hope that we get an answer.

My tank was clear for years. I do change the water, due to evaporation, once in a while.

About 1/04/07, the water started to turn a light tea color.

Just before that time I had bought a 7 ounce can of TetraFin Goldfish Flakes. Prior to that, I had always used the same kind but only a smaller can...3.5 ounce.

I called Tetra (they have a Web site) and explained the problem including that the flakes had a fishy odor. Anyway they sent me a small can of flakes and a can of Sinking Gold fish Flakes.

I cleaned the tank and within a few days of using the new food...the water became discolored again. Bummer!

I'm thinking that the Factory may have changed their ingredients and that the "Color" is leaching out.

Answer 3

Perhaps a few reasons. Have you added any new fish lately? if so the bio load could be out of wack. check your water readings, you may need to do a water change.
if not:::

You could have an algae bloom going on.
This is the most common problem experienced by beginners (and experst alike!). It is usually due to:
1. Overfeeding: 80% of cases of cloudy water are due to overfeeding. Decaying food creates a bacterial bloom and clouds the water.
It is better to underfeed your fish than over feed. Cut back on the feeding or decrease the amount and increase the amount of times fed.

Treatment: Do a partial water change of 25% making sure you clean your decorations and scrape the sides of the tank. Use your gravel syphon to clean debris. Review feeding procedures.. Maintain adequate filtration, and if using fresh activated carbon in the filter be sure to change the carbon. If this does not clear within a week, your filter is probably not large enough for your tank or perhaps is not functioning properly.

Yourlocal water authority may have been working on new lines or changed their process with regards to water quality. You can obtain a free copy of yur tap water analysis by calling your water company. They MUST give you a free copy.

Also, as your fish mature and grow the bio load also grows. An established tank usually can handle the load however.

Have you changed food or added a new type of food to the tank? This too can cause a cloudy tank at times. (this isn't usually the cause however of a cloudy tank)

When doing a water change, how much water do you remove at one time? If the water company, or bottled water you are used to using has changed, this can affect ammonia, phosphates nitrates etc. Test the water.

Answer 4

White Cloudy Water:

White cloudiness is usually the result of a bacteria bloom. Keep a careful check on ammonia levels, if the bacteria is a result on bacteria die off, you may experience increased ammonia levels and your tank maybe recycling. Bacteria also consume oxygen, so just as with an algae bloom, you want to increase circulation while treating the tank.
Causes:
Medical treatment of your aquarium that has destroyed the bacteria colonies. (Not all medicines will destroy the bacteria but some will).
As in algae, high nutrient levels can also trigger a bacteria bloom (In this case, they are feeding on the excess nutrients)
Sometimes the cleaning of all filters at once, or the changing of the gravel can trigger a bacteria bloom, due to the removal of bacterial colonies that had settled on the filter media or substrate.
Solutions
As with algae, you need to control the nutrient level of the tank. Once you control this, the bacteria bloom will usually go away on it's own.
If your tank is recycling and filled with expensive fish, you may want to consider the use of zeolites to absorb the ammonia while your tank finishes the cycle. This will extend the time that the tank needs to complete the cycle though.

Answer 5

4 years, sounds about time to replace that filter. Not just the filter cartridge (Which I am hoping is changed regularly) but the whole system. These don't last forever, and need to be replaced. If that isn't the problem, and the system has already been replaced, do you ever change your gravel? Depending on which type of gravel you have, this needs to be removed, or cleaned. Stuff builds up in the gravel, and literally grows on it. You could just remove the gravel and rinse it off and put it back, or buy a gravel cleaning kit.

Answer 6

Maybe you have too many fish in their.
Or the filter like they said, needs to be changed.
Or you might need to clean the tank more often.
Or maybe you have been over feeding your fish.

Answer 7

Try checking the filter maybe?

Answer 8

either,check filter,keep hands out,and mabey there is some un eaten food.

Answer 9

Maybe it has many uneated food