I have 6 male betta fish - why does the water get cloudy within hrs of changing H2O? what can I do different?

Question

I have 2 ea in 2 gal aquariums, 1 in a 1 gal, 2 in a 1 gal w/divider, & 1 in a 1/2 gal betta keeper. I have smooth rocks or smooth gravel in each, the reg fake plant life (plastic & silk), add the water conditioner, feed as directed. This water change I added a bit of aquarium salt to each "home" to help ward off the nasties and some kind of bacteria preventative. All added products are by Top Fin. I rinsed everything prior to adding as directed. Water was cloudy by the next day both the 1st time I got the fish & now with the 2nd complete water changes. I hate to see the water getting so icky so quickly - can't be good for my little guys (plus it isn't attractive at all!) But what do I do??? Help, please! :)

Responding to questions: I feel I rinsed the gravel adequately - it's been done 2x now. Yes, the water stays cloudy even a few days later. No filtered/heated "homes", no direct sunlight. Chems used were water conditioner, bacteria stuff (can't recall the name) & aquarium salt (both just used w/2nd H2O change). I thought one of my 1st 2 fish had that icky white stuff on his gills around his face after I brought him home, so I added medication, "Betta Fixer", the 1st wk to his home. And is why I follwed advice I read about adding aquarium salt. Have done complete water changes on my 1st 2 fish, & the other 4 are brand new. The 1 gal is 1 week old, the others are 4 days old. I will certainly follow all of your suggestions and see what happens! Thanks sooo much!! ;)

Answer 1

No doubt you are seeing a bacteria bloom in the containers. The bacteria is feeding off of something in the water and that's most likely uneaten food. Even a few small particles can cause this. It's also possible the source of the problem is in your tap water, but unlikely.

Of course, it's also possible that you have a little dust left from the gravel, but that would cloud the tank as soon as you filled it, not the next day. Try changing the water in a container and NOT feeding the fish at all for 2 days. It won't hurt the fish at all. If the water still turns cloudy you know it's not a feeding issue. If that happens post another question with these and any new details you can think of or email it to me and we'll go from there. This could require several tries to find the cause.

MM

Answer 2

I agree whole heartedly with MM. try his advice, he knows what he's talking about. I've seen a lot of good suggestions here so I'm sure you'll find a solution.

since you have so many bettas (I do too, I have 6 males and 7 females lol) I thought I'd suggest this, certainly you can continue to do things the way you are, you seem to take great care of them, this is just something that will make things a heck of a lot easier on your part because you wouldn't need to do water changes ever again!

supplies needed:
*10 or 15 gallon tank (10gallons are sold for $10 without a hood, but for 6 betta 15gallons would probably be better, it's up to you though)
*5 mesh aquarium dividers
*a few small filters (I'd do 6 1-3gallons filters by whisper filter, but there are also these ones that look like stingrays that work well. you just want a few so the filtering it even)
*two 25watt heaters (again, you could get one 50watt but I think two makes the heater more evenly spread)
*12+ silk plants (two or more for each section)
*3 or 6 thermometers (to make sure the temp is good in each section, again, you don't need that many, but I like to know it's all even and safe)

set up the dividers int he tank and add the gravel and the plants, ect. then arrange the heaters, thermometers, and filters so everything is even. bettas usually don't need tanks cycled because they're fairly hardy, but since you already have a problem with that type of thing I would suggest cycling the tank first so see this site:
http://www.tropicalfishcentre.co.uk/Fishlesscycle.htm

again, you seem like you're responsible about doing water changes and such, so certainly doing things the way you are is fine. I just thought I'd make a suggestion not many betta owners know is an option. it can be a little pricey, but with the a little bargain shopping you can probably get all that for around $70 or even less. which, when you consider all the trouble it will save you in the long run, I think is worth it.

good luck no matter what you choose :)

Answer 3

How long have you had each tank set up and are they filtered and heated? Are they in direct sunlight? What chemicals are you adding? How much water are you changing when you do water changes?

It's possible what you are getting is an algae or bacteria bloom, especially if the tanks are new. They should both clear up on their one. If the tanks are new, you will have to keep a close eye on the ammonia and nitrite levels (get a good liquid master test kit that tests ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH). You should be testing daily to make sure the levels stay below .5 ppm as both are toxic and will kill fish. Do partial 25% water changes to keep them down.

One other note, you mention that you have some plastic plants. Make sure they don't have any sharp edges or points. Bettas love to swim around the plants and the sharp edges will rip their fins and tails causing stress and eventually death.

Answer 4

bettas do best in 3 gallons or more per fish (I have on in a five gallon and 2 in a divided 10 gallon) the water needs to be heated to 79-80 degrees F. it needs to be filtered. Read up on the nitrogen cycle. You are prolly getting a bacteria bloom from haveing so much fish in so little water. If you get a larger set up for one of the fish. You will see the difference in energy between a fish kept in a small,cold, unfiltered tank, compared to the one in the large, heated, and cycled tank. You will also have better water that won't need to be changed completly EVER Google Nitrogen cycle Good luck... it sounds like you care very much about your fish, you prolly got some bad advice from a pet store worker. Check out the site below.

Answer 5

My guess would be that you either did not rinse the gravel well enough or you may have high levels of dissolved matter like heavy metals. To test for that just check your pH and if its high, that is most likely the problem. Water conditioner should help but if it doesn't you can use Reverse Osmosis water, which a pet store should have.

I do have a question for you though....a couple days after you change the water, is it still cloudy?? Let me know!

Answer 6

I came up with a list of names: Jasper DJ Ruby Aqua Splash Ghost Barry Jet Sapphire Racer Ocean Wind Breeze Bear Tiger (or tigerlily, if you want) Wave

Answer 7

My brother didn't have those kind of fish but he did have a prob with cloudy water they told him to get one of those rock things you plug in that makes bubbles in the tank....im not sure why this could help but it did....dont know if it work for u good luck

Answer 8

did you remove ammonia from the water? Change approx 25 percent of water. Make sure you cycle your tank and don't over feed your fish.

Answer 9

get a small filter