cloudy water and it smells

Question
Hello i have 75 gallon aquarium with aquaclear 110 filter
and my water is white cloudy and it smells bad. i have 2 Plecostomus, 1 bala shark one died today i dont know why,2
crabs, 1 violet goby dragon and 3 fishes. I just dont know
what wrong with it i used NUTRAFIN water clarifier and its
not working its still white cloudy.Do you think it might be
becouse of the light??? Please help me if u can i read and
i watched some videos and those just confused me more....
Thanke you

Answer
Hi Matthew,
What is it you are confused about? I will do my best to help.


Cloudy water is a common occurrence in the aquarium. It is due to a bacterial bloom triggered by a nutrient imbalance. This can be from the tank being a recent setup (and the environment not yet stable enough--lacking beneficial bacteria that must have time to establish), overfeeding, or too much chemical usage (water additives besides water conditioner) which can destroy the 'good' bacteria that keep dangerous ammonia and pollution at bay.

Cloudy water plus smelling bad means a risky situation. Sounds like you have a pollution problem. The smell could be ammonia. I would do a 50% water as soon as possible (always make sure when doing water changes, to always use water conditioner in the new water and make sure the new water temp is equal to or just a bit warmer than your tank's.)

Water changes are the key to reversing water quality issues. There is nothing better and the fish need that more than anything especially since they may be suffering from toxins in the water from their own waste.

Cloudy water chemicals never have worked for anyone I know who has used them. They've never worked for me either. Water changes have never failed. But you must be patient and you may have to repeat these water changes everyday until your aquarium stabilizes and clears.

It would be very beneficial if you could test your water for-
*Ammonia
*Nitrites
*Nitrates

If you are unsure what these levels are and why its important to test them just let me know. Knowing these three levels allows you to be aware of how 'safe' your water is for your fish.

Best of luck and keep me updated!
Karen~