clean water

[hargi22]

just done a 70% water change and after refilling the tank its still got lots of muck/dirt in it, This happens after i do any water change no mater ow small i cant get all to fish poo out, i use a gravel vac but this only dose half the job.
How do you get cristal clear water like most of the pics of tanks on here]

matt

 

[muse]

I’m also new to this but I think that when you make a water change (even vacuum) you never get every single dirt out. And there are always debris swimming around after a water change. But if you have a good filter, it cleans all dirt that’s left behind in no time. BTW I never do such big water changes, I do about 20% every week.

 

[BettyBoop]

I am fairly new as well. The first time I did a water change (about 50%) i had the same thing happen. I continued to do 10% water changes every other day and it cleared up. It took a while (maybe a week almost 2). But now my water is clean. As MUSE said there will always be some particles floating around after a water change. I use a fine net to get what I can out and let the filter do the rest.

Some other things to consider are:

1. Is your tank overstocked?
2. Are you over feeding? (excess food settles = waste...what fish eat produces poop = waste)

I believe there are pinned articles on New Tank Syndrome (which I believe is what you're experiencing), how to properly stock your aquarium etc. You can also do a keyword search to find strings with the info you are looking for.

Good luck! Be patient. I find tending to my fish relaxing and satisying. I am now addicted and want more and more tanks especially now that I've found such a helpful forum. Welcome and enjoy....

 

[rdd1952]

Cloudy water is common in new tanks. As the beneficial bacteria starts to form, you will get a bacterial bloom which will turn the water somewhat cloudy. That isn't a problem. It will clear up once the tank has finished cycling. I would beware of doing 70% water changes except in emergencies or unless you are fishless cycling. Water changes that large can greatly alter your pH and have deadly effects on your fish. As others have suggested, stick with 20 to 25 percent weekly.

As for vacuuming, get a small gravel vacuum. It will suck just as much up but doesn't take water out quite so fast. If I use my large vacuum, it will take out 5 gallon in just a couple minutes but the small one takes 5 to 10 minutes so I have plenty of time to vacuum the entire tank. Once you get the tank vacuumed with the small one, you can switch to the large one if you want to speed things up. I always use the small one on my 29 gallon tank.