Why Is My Tank So Darn Cloudy?

[Morquinn]

Ok so I have been asking so many questions, as you can see im new (cept in different forums). Well heres another. My 10g is cloudy, not super bad, but enough to where I notice it, and its driving me mad! I had that problem with my 55gallon and found out it was cuz I was feeding too much. (If they wouldnt swim like I NEVER feed them lol) Anyways, I lessened the feeding and the 55g went clear, well I thought that was what was happening with the 10g, so I lessened the feeding there too, but no clear water, I also cleaned the gravel and did a water change (20%) to see if that was it, a couple days ago... NOPE. So then I moved the breeding grass cuz I thought the flakes were falling in there and they werent eating them... NOPE. I changed the filter, checked the PH levels and all that happy stuff, and everything is fine! Now im thinking that maybe im overstocked, but I really dont think so. I have 5 platies and 2 guppies along with a little pleco in there. I just recently put 4 small danios in there cuz my frog was eating them, but it was cloudy before that. This is when I thought I was overstocked. But here is the kicker, its right by a window, which the shades are always open. (THIS was NOT my idea, my bf and his mom set it up before I got off work.... errr) so I was thinking maybe that does something to it? I have a background but it doesnt filter all the light if ya know what I mean. So any advice will surely be taken.

 

[drw32]

What color cloud (green or white)? How long hs the tank been set up?

 

[Morquinn]

What color cloud (green or white)? How long hs the tank been set up?

Umm... is there really a color? LOL When the sun is shinning through its kind of green, when its dark outside and just the light is on... its greyish. The tank has been set up for two months. (It was previously set up for about a year before that, we moved those fish in a different tank, than set the tank back up for different ones)

 

[smmetz]

When the sun is shinning through its kind of green,

I think that is the problem, sunlight should never shine directly through your tank, it creates algae problems.

I usually turn off my tank lights and look through the tank length wise to see what color the cloudiness is. I find the tank lights make slightly green water seem a misty white.

 

[drw32]

If it is green then you have algae bloom which you can fix with a UV sterlizer without having to move your tank. Otherwise you will need to get the tank out of the direct sunlight. If it is milky, you have bacteria bloom which can be the result of different things but is usually due to the cycle being interrupted. If it is beacuse of the cycle (adding a lot of fish at once? fish death?) it will clear itself up. Don't add any chemicals to clear your water. This will only mask the underlying cause.