Why is my fish tank cloudy?

Question

Ok, tank was fine first 2 days. Then progressively became more and more cloudy. It is now day 4 and tank is still cloudy. Yesterday I noticed it was a little better, but again this morning, cloudy!!! I did everything I was supposed to do, washed everything (rocks, plastic plants, etc..), I'm running a decent filter. Ph is good, etc. What is going on??? Somebody help please.
Thanks, J

29 gallon tank with only one baby(1 inch) oscar. Also have a 1" baby pleco in tank. So not too many fish. I only feed the tiny pellets, maybe 5 or 6 pellets twice daily, and remove any left over floating after a few minutes.

Answer 1

Tanks in the first couple weeks do that. Clearly you are doing your very first tank. Ammonia has built up in your water, and bacteria is beginning to form to oxidize that into less harmful compounds. When the entire process is all done, about 6-8 weeks later, you will see your ammonia levels at 0, nitrite levels at 0 and show high nitrate initially, until you do water changes from here on out.

At just four days, I find it hard to believe that you over feed the fish so much it clouded up the water. Had you been overfeeding them that much, the fourth day now you said, they'd well be dead from the ammonia levels if it was that. It's normal and should begin to clear up shortly. Do keep an eye on your food though. JUST enough food they can eat entirely for 2-3 minutes, nothing leftover.

Answer 2

If this is a new tank this is perfectley normal!!!!!
1) No water changes for two weeks!!!
2) small weekely water changes [with aquarium siphon] to rid of the cloudiness
This cloudyness is the bacteria building, in order to have a healthy tank you need to establish the bacteria.

If at any time your cloudiness begins to turn green it is algae, feed your fish less and give it less light. do not buy chemicals to controll the issue, they are a waste of money!!!

Answer 3

This problem just happened to me. I called my local pet store and they said to take all of my plants that were made with some type of nylon or cloth. I took them out and the tank cleard up in about a day. The coloring from the cloth was washing out and going into the water and it accually killed one of my fiddler crabs. But these plants were made for fish tanks too. So, there are many possibilities to try. good luck

Answer 4

The cloudiness is caused by a bacterial bloom... its your tanks way of reacting to an overload on a new filter / tank

Usually happens because you have added too many fish too soon / are overfeeding / using too much of a cycling product

Partial water changes will help.... otherwise its a matter of time for the bacteria to 'grow' enough to cope with teh fish waste being produced.

Try getting your water tested for ammonia at a local fish shop - they can advise you on further action.

You can also get products to help with the ammonia build up like Toxivec and Ammo Lock

Answer 5

You are feeding them too much.

I have a 2 metre x 1 metre x 0.5 meter tank and have koi carp in there upto 1.5lb & they are real messy when food is about!

I feed my fish once a week - sometimes twice if they are very lucky - they are very healthy and the water is crystal clear (except for an hour or so after feeding!)

Do not follow the instructions on your fish food - twice a day is far too much to feed fish - most of the food will go straight through the fish or just decay in the stones

If your worried about starving your fish - don't be, just look at them regularly and if you start seeing ribs feed twice a week!

Answer 6

Bottom line,the cloudiness will go away when the bacteria run out of nutrients. Go to one very small feeding a day,test for ammonia(and Nitrite later),and as long as the ammonia behaves,do 25% water changes weekly. Be sure to siphon the "stuff" out of the gravel while changing water.
It may take a few weeks,but the bloom will eventually run it's course.

Answer 7

you would be over feeding. Left over nutrients reasons volatile micro organism that consumes oxygen. Oder is likewise brought about by using micro organism. (to no longer be at a loss for words with valuable micro organism) for this reason bypass that chemical. boost your clear out length. Feeder fish nor any fish are mandatory to start algae. easy is (the extra easy the extra & quicker algae boost). you apart from mght could have presented to many fish to rapidly in the event that they are gold fish feeders as they have an inclination to be "grimy" by using nature. additionally accepted rule a million" of fish consistent with gal. of water. I take you mean DE-CHLORINATOR no longer chlorine chemical components as chlorine kills fish. If the water have been left as long as you reported chlorine remover does not be mandatory. Chlorine could use up interior of 40 8 hours at primary room temperature. In new tanks as a results of fact no valuable bacterial have yet developed a surprising intro of that many fish could desire to relatively start up clouding with little filtration. The aeration is help finished save it going. Given approximately 5days with much less nutrients the tank ought to clean up. you are able to desire to apply a chemical like "clean" that reasons "airborne dirt and mud" molecules to bond and be filtered out extra incredibly or sink to the backside, in spite of the fact that it is going to clean with out it. cut back back to a million or 2 pinches an afternoon and make valuable they devour it in decrease than 5 minutes. placed your money right into an more desirable clear out and purchase chemical components purely while nessary. do no longer clean the tank & clear out on a similar time. in case you do your doing away with each and every of the valuable micro organism at as quickly as and you will ought to start the approach over as quickly as extra. clean one or the different wait 5-7days and then clean the different. you will no longer ought to purchase starter em-zines. Do use declorinator while doing water variations or addind fish previously 40 8 hrs. except you have nicely water.

Answer 8

if its a new tank then its a nayural part of the cycling process. It's starts off clear, then it clouds up and finally back to clear. How long have you had it? what size? how many and what kind of fish?

Answer 9

Use Prime and active carborn and don't keep too many fishes in ur tank.

Answer 10

Overfeeding causes cloudy water.
Whatever it is, there are products that help the water to stay clear and they work great.
Try that, if everything else is okay.