Murky water help please

[Wespro]

Hi I’m new here , my son has a tank with various fish including plec, tetras etc….. anyway the water is ALWAYS murky and I’ve tried what I believe is everything , 25% water change , more powerful pump , less powerful pump , plants , chemicals to clear water and nothing has worked. All the chemical levels re nitrates PH ammonia are fine … I’m completely out of ideas so any help will be appreciated

 

[seangee]

How new is the tank and what is the substrate? If it wasn't completely rinsed it will leach out whatever is in it until all is gone. And if its a fertiliser substrate that could be a while.
FWIW I do a 75% change in all of my tanks every week and recommend at least a 50% weekly change.
This pic was from one of my tanks tonight immediately before I changed the water - substrate is plain river sand so there is nothing to leach out, but when it went in I still rinsed it to get rid of the dust.

Hi I’m new here , my son has a tank with various fish including plec, tetras etc….. anyway the water is ALWAYS murky and I’ve tried what I believe is everything , 25% water change , more powerful pump , less powerful pump , plants , chemicals to clear water and nothing has worked. All the chemical levels re nitrates PH ammonia are fine … I’m completely out of ideas so any help will be appreciated View attachment 363905

Forgot to say - the amount of snails suggests that he could reduce feeding significantly.

 

[MattW]

The substrate looks like aqua soil to me. A pain when it disintegrates

 

[MaloK]

I agree with overfeeding. Change a lot of water often, for a couple months.

Also the substrate layer is pretty thick. It could feed ammonia rising too.

But it's related to new tank syndrome.

 

[fishorama]

Welcome to FF!

How long has the tank been up & running? Does he vacuum the substrate? It's not usually done w/aqua soils I think, but sand & gravel can hold a lot of "stuff". Even a 1/2 inch into the surface can help. It's a technique thing, not hard but needs a bit of practice. Have him work on a quick short plunge & lift to allow the substrate to fall down again.

I agree it may be overfeeding, it's easy to do for new hobbyists (& sometimes old husbands, lol). Try 2 water changes/week & work on larger 1s. Fish don't need to each all that much, once/day is enough & "extra" is just extra clean up whether poo or uneaten food. Some fine filter media (like tank floss) can help but will clog fast & means extra filter cleaning; a PITA, but hopefully only for a short while.

It also could be algae, although it doesn't look like it in your pic. How long are the lights on? 6-8 hours are enough for plants. He can use a timer to split the time lights are on. Say, an hour in the am, 3 hours after school, a break for dinner & homework then another 2 hours or whatever. With a timer it's easy to adjust.

How old is your son? You may have help him get into the maintenance rhythm w/nagging or help as needed