water still not clear

Question
i brought a 55 gallon 1 year ago, i had my ph levels very high acid level.  I brought PH up and cleaned up the levels. I also got Accu Clear Coniditioner, the water isnt' as clear as I want it to be, any suggestions?

Answer
Hi Vince,

Cloudy water can be caused by three main factors - bacterial bloom, debris, and overfeeding/poor water quality.

In your case, it's most likely an abundance of nutrients (slightly overfeeding). Feed your fish only once per day. This will greatly improve the cloudiness of the water, as uneaten food particles cloud up the water very fast. These particles are too small to be picked up by a normal power filter. Fish really only need to be fed once per day (Think about it - freshwater fish will easily survive without food for a week! Don't try that, though.) Feeding less, along with 10% daily water changes plus a gravel cleaning will help clear up the cloudy water in no time at all. The gravel should be cleaned using a gravel siphon (If you do not have one, you can purchase one for about $6 at your local fish store.)

I highly discourage the use of chemicals to clear up the water... they can harm the beneficial bacteria in the filter which remove toxins. These beneficial bacteria are the most important aspect of filtration.

One more possible reason for the cloudiness is bacterial bloom. Beneficial bacteria will develop in the water to remove wastes. Normally, this bacteria will eventually settle to live in the filter (due to the high oxygen level). However, if you constantly disturb the filter (such as replacing filter media too frequently), or if you rinse the foam too often, the bacteria gets displace, and will cloud up the water. This can be prevented by changing the filter material once per month.

10% daily water changes and a gravel vacuuming will help in ANY cloudy water problem.

Good Luck, and Best Wishes to you and your aquarium!