Cloudy water

Question

Murky Fishtank   Dear Sam, we live in a rural area in South Africa and not close to many experts. We rescued two Koi fish in a 13 gallon tank that was destined to die if we didn't intervene. Our knowledge is very limited but we have tried reading and got someone to advise us although he was more of a pond fish guy. He tested our water and told me that the ph was low but the ammonia was high. He advised us to do a 25% water change every day 4x and then leave it to see what happens. When we got the fish initially we cleaned out the tank immediately as the water was murky and there was a lot of algae. We then did weekly cleanings of the tank and gravel/stones and the water would be clear and beautiful for a few days and then slowly start to cloud again. The pond expert told us to leave the water as the cloudiness would correct itself. Unfortunately one of the Koi died last night. He had petechial haemorrhages everywhere which sounds to me as if it could have been some kind of septicaemia. We have bought algae clear, chlor-away, Bactonial/FW, Microlife S2, Nitro-nil. Our water is very hard (brackish) in our town so I know there is lot of  minerals in there but we have not added any of these products as I would like to get some advise first.We are really upset about the dead fish but desperately need someone to advise us on management. I don't want to overtreat or undertreat so please advise me. And if there is a good book on fish diseases you could advise please. See attached pic. Regards Liesel

Answer
Hi Liesel!

Koi fish tend to give off a lot of ammonia from their bodies. I would recommend getting a larger tank as more water will dilute the ammonia dosage. If that is not an option for you, please continue to change the water daily. I would recommend using water neutralizes to neutralize the minerals that can harm the koi.
Pools and aquariums are different. That means, what might happen in a pool will not always occur in an aquarium and vice versa. As for the cloudiness try consulting your local pet shop and see what water clearing solution they recommend.

Hope this helps!
-Sam