Pet Information > ASK Experts > Pet Fish > Freshwater Aquarium > Constant Cloudy Water

Constant Cloudy Water

23 16:16:21

Question
QUESTION: I have a 56gal tank full of several different varieties and sizes of cichlids, the water constantly stays cloudy no matter what I do. I have changed the water from 25% to 50%, change the filters regularly. It has 2 60gal rated filters, all new gravel, decorations, etc. all of the chemicals are near perfect. It has been up and runnung for about 3 months now and has been cloudy from day one. I have had various tanks and fish for about 18 years now and have never run across this problem, what can I do to fix this?

ANSWER: Hi Randy:  Is the cloudy water a blue/gray or is it green?  dave

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: It is more of a gray color rather the light is on or off.

ANSWER: Hi Randy:  Usually gray water is a sign that the tank is still cycling.  However, sometimes it is a sign that the tank needs more light.  The gray cloud is the beneficial bacteria in the tank reproducing.  There are a couple of things that I have used in the past to help the tank cycle faster.... Add beneficial bacteria. Products like CYCLE or NITROMAX work well to add bacteria.  The other thing you can add or check is oxygen... You can sometimes add an oxygen or light to gray tanks and the tanks will clear up. The process is slow and may take about a week.  So in short... try to keep your light on a little longer and maybe add another bubbler.  Keep me posted.... dave

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: The light stays on 24/7 and I have a very large bubbler in it now. It also has like a redish brown foam on the top of the water around the edges, this just started last week.

Answer
ok... well I know I just told you to add light... but now I am going to tell you to turn the light off at night... Fish do not have eye lids and as such they need the darkness to rest.  So the lights go off to fix a different problem.  What kind of filter media are you using?  Are you using brackish water??? or adding in chemicals for the cichlids?  let me know