1 month and still cloudy water

Question
QUESTION: Hi Stephanie,
I have a problem with my tank. I have had it for just over a month, it is a 70litre tank (photos at http://members.optusnet.com.au/cambrozie/gallery.html) and i have a total of 18 fairly small fish (8 barbs, 2 catfish, 2 platys, 3 silver dollars and 3 other smaller ones), i also have a few plants (see photos on website above) a good air curtain, a good external filter. The problem i have is that the water is always cloudy.. it has gotten better since i have installed the external filter, the gravel is clean as i have cleaned it OVER and over again before adding water, i am NOT over feeding, i have even tried different brands of food, blood worms etc.. no matter what i do the water is still cloudy. I have cleaned my filter, i have added aqua plus for removing chlorine, the ph is 6.9. I just dont get it, no matter what i do the water is still cloudy. Please help?!

ANSWER: Hello,

Cloudy water can be a tricky problem to deal with. Depending on the source of the cloudiness, it may be a simple fix or it may not be. The difficult part is determining what is causing your cloudy water.

You mentioned that you have tried cleaning your gravel, changing water and cleaning your filter. We are going to take a bit of a step back here, but I recommend not syphoning your gravel or changing your water for a week. You also should not clean your filter during this time.

Sometimes with cloudy water people are tempted to continuously change water and clean the tank, in an attempt to clear the water quickly. However, over-cleaning can cause a decrease of good bacteria and a build-up of bad bacteria, which may be the cause of the cloudy water.

You should change no more then 15% of your water weekly, and only syphon your gravel during this one water change. You should also clean your filter a max of once per week and change the media once a month.

I hope this helps.

Regards,
Stephanie

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

QUESTION: Thank you very much on your quick and good response!
Does this 'bad bacteria' have anything to do with the water smelling very badly???


Answer
Hello,

Yes, cloudy bacteria infested water can have a foul smell to it. For example: dish rags in kitchens, if washed too infrequently begin to smell horrendous from the bacteria. Likewise, aquariums with bad bacteria can smell. However, with aquariums its not usually from lack of washing, which I discussed in  my previous message :)

I hope that my suggestions help.

Kindest Regards,
Stephanie