cloudy tank after cleaning

Question
I am dilgent about cleaning my fresh water tank. Once a month a change 25% of the water and the filter.  After a few hours the tank becomes terribly cloudy and lasts for at least 2 days. What am I doing wrong?  Thanks!

Answer
Hi Gail,
That's great that you are so consistent with water changes. However, when aquariums go cloudy after cleaning, that usually means they simply aren't getting water changes often enough for the tank's population level and overall setup.

Fish in general tend to do a little better if you do water changes more often. I would experiment and try doing 25% once a week instead of once a month and see how well the water's clarity holds up. Also, you mentioned changing the filter once a month as well? Ideally, its best if you simply rinse the dirty cartridge or material in a bucket of tank water and change it out for a new one only when the material becomes clogged beyond the point of rinsing it out. This is to help preserve the special bacteria that are so vital for our aquariums to help maintain good water quality. The bacteria act as our "biofilter" and remove the ammonia the fish produce that is so harmful to them.

Also, if when doing your water change once a month it tends to stir up a lot of debris then that of course is a sign the gravel should be vacuumed and water changed more often.

I do hope this helps and best of luck!
Karen~