Cloudy tank and what look like eggs in the filter

Question
I recently replaced all of the water in my fresh water tank. It's a really small 5 gallon tank with 2 fish, that I don't know the sex of. After reading some of your responses to questions asked I've realized that this could lead to bacterial blooms, which I thought might be the problem with my tank water, since it became cloudy with a milky white tint after a few days of cleaning it. But after checking out the filter, which I also replaced when I changed the water, I noticed what seemed to be eggs, covering it. I then tried vacuuming the gravel to see what would come up. When I stirred up the water with the vacuum I saw what seemed to be whole and partial eggs. Should I replace all of the water again, or maybe leave some of it and replace the rest?

Answer
Hi Shannon;

It is best to make weekly 25% changes instead of a complete replacement, as you now know. The system just can't remain stable when we remove too much water. It stresses the fish out too. It's possible what looks like eggs are simply particles of waste or food that are covered in fungus and/or bacteria. If they look "fuzzy" while in the water, kind of sticking together and sticking to the gravel that's probably what's going on. If there are a lot of them everywhere it would be a good idea to clean the whole tank out again and rinse the gravel to get rid of all the decay. If left in there too long it can really make the fish sick or die because the fungus/bacteria can infect the fish too. Cut back on food and everything should be fine as long as the tank isn't overcrowded. You didn't mention what kind of fish you have. If they are a messy type of fish such as goldfish they just need a larger tank and things will get better for them. Maintain it with weekly 25% water changes and gravel vacuuming and don't overfeed. Let me know if you have more questions. I hope it all goes okay...

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins