Blurred aquarium water

[DavidFMR]

Hi everybody, I'm having a problem... The water from the aquarium is cloudy, I tried to replace the filter sponge but that doesn't work. Please I do need a hand.

 

[FishGuest5123]

Several problems here. Are you aware of the nitrogen cycle? You should never throw your sponges out as they contain your good bacteria. If you didn’t cycle your tank first, then you will need to do daily water changes to prevent fish from being poisoned. Read this https://www.fishforums.net/threads/cycling-your-new-fresh-water-tank-read-this-first.421488/
Your tank is too small. A single tail goldfish will grow up to a foot and needs a 100 gallon tank. The fancy goldfish needs 20 gallons. Everyone makes these mistakes. Read up on how to cycle your tank. That’s the most important thing right now.

 

[DavidFMR]

Hi Deanasue, my fishes are alive, that means that I know the nitrogen cycle and cycled my aquarium ? The bacterias in my tank stay under the biological bottom filter too ? I also use to do Partial Water Changes to reset water parameters like ammonia and nitrate... and I did that... But I'm having the same problem. I took seventy percent of the water...

Several problems here. Are you aware of the nitrogen cycle? You should never throw your sponges out as they contain your good bacteria. If you didn’t cycle your tank first, then you will need to do daily water changes to prevent fish from being poisoned. Read this https://www.fishforums.net/threads/cycling-your-new-fresh-water-tank-read-this-first.421488/
Your tank is too small. A single tail goldfish will grow up to a foot and needs a 100 gallon tank. The fancy goldfish needs 20 gallons. Everyone makes these mistakes. Read up on how to cycle your tank. That’s the most important thing right now.

 

[Colin_T]

Milky cloudy water is usually caused by bacteria feeding off uneaten food, and is usually seen in newly set up aquariums that don't have an established filter.

Reduce feeding.

Check ammonia, nitrite & nitrate levels.

Do a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate every day until the water clears up. Make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it's added to the tank.

 

[DavidFMR]

At the first time I inserted a product able to agglutinate particles that are floating, in order to ease the filtration after doing a Partial Water Change of 70 percent... it worked, but it's back again. I've forgotten to clean the filter sponge and maybe for that reason the condition is back... because of the heterotrophic bacterias, I think. Firstly the cause was excess of ration now I really don't know. I use to insert my hands to catch the immersible filter without washing my hands. I've just tried to use my product again, but now I'm gonna regulate the filter potence.

 

[FishGuest5123]

Hi Deanasue, my fishes are alive, that means that I know the nitrogen cycle and cycled my aquarium ? The bacterias in my tank stay under the biological bottom filter too ? I also use to do Partial Water Changes to reset water parameters like ammonia and nitrate... and I did that... But I'm having the same problem. I took seventy percent of the water...

Just because your fish are @alive” now doesn’t mean your tank is cycled. What are your water parameters?

 

[AbbeysDad]

As @Colin_T mentioned, cloudy water is most often a simple bacteria bloom resulting from excess organics in the water. They will most often clear in a day or two, so the answer is patience...but the tank maintenance and reduced feeding advice previously given is sound.
I don't like commercial clarify products that bind smaller particles so they are more easily filtered out. These are hard on fish gills, and do little for a bacterial bloom.
Btw, what is that substrate?

 

[DavidFMR]

Just because your fish are @alive” now doesn’t mean your tank is cycled. What are your water parameters?

Hi Deanasue, I cycled my aquarium by using a biological accelerator and not using a pump, I didn't do any test (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate) because I don't have them (waste of money).

Rapid reduction of ammonia and nitrite but unfortunatly PH tests can be wrong... But it allows a quick insertion of fish.

As @Colin_T mentioned, cloudy water is most often a simple bacteria bloom resulting from excess organics in the water. They will most often clear in a day or two, so the answer is patience...but the tank maintenance and reduced feeding advice previously given is sound.
I don't like commercial clarify products that bind smaller particles so they are more easily filtered out. These are hard on fish gills, and do little for a bacterial bloom.
Btw, what is that substrate?

Heterotrophic bacterias can replicate themselves every two hours while nitrifying bacteria every 20. I will not do a Partial Water Change for now, but thank you very much, Abbeys. I'm gonna wait a little bit to see what happens.

 

[DavidFMR]

(...)

Btw, what is that substrate?

This substrate does not interfere the Potential of Hydrogen anymore, it is an old gravel.

 

[FishGuest5123]

You and I have different views so I am going to kindly bow out. Best wished with your tank. I sincerely hope your water clears up.

 

[DavidFMR]

You and I have different views so I am going to kindly bow out. Best wished with your tank. I sincerely hope your water clears up.

Thank you for having me

 

[AbbeysDad]

Contact Support

 

[DavidFMR]

Contact Support

"If it’s a bacteria bloom, the simple answer is patience. Although it may look bad, the cloudy water typically isn’t harmful to the fish. In time, the water will clear on it’s own as bacterial populations settle down and a balance returns in the tank eco system."

Resolved. A PWC can help to solve this problem. The first thing I did last night was inactivate free chlorine and chloramine (as always) from tap water in which has a Alcaline PH and a very good buffer.

Between 7.2 and 7.5...

45% and some more... The following result...

The sponge is clean. Thank you everybody!