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cloudy water.

25 9:20:37

Question
I have a 30 gallon fish tank with 2 Goldfish in it.
Have had the same fish and tank for 4 years.
Last week I changes the water and since then have had very cloudy water.
Have been to the fish store and got a new filter live plants Bioo carb ofsoda. have done water changes and still the fish tank is cloudy . I also have not had the light on for to many hours also the fish have  only a little food at a time.
I am just lost as to know what to do, as I have had fosh for many years and this has never happened to the tank before.
I hope you can help .
Sincerely. M. Benton.

Answer
Hi Mary;

Cloudiness is usually caused by the bacteria balance in the filter system being disturbed. A new filter will cause it or make it worse because the beneficial bacteria is not developed in the new filter media. Takes patience and avoiding any more filter changes for a while to get it back to normal again.

Using bicarb of soda causes cloudiness too. It isn't a good idea to change the pH anyway. Bicarb causes fluctuations that can stress the fish. Making regular water changes will keep the pH at a normal level for your fish, and they need it anyway. Goldfish are pretty messy little fellas. Remove 25% of the water while vacuuming the gravel every week to two weeks. Changing more than that at a time or changing the filter at the same time will often lead to cloudiness.

Overcleaning can cause cloudiness too. I've had it happen from draining a tank too far down and cleaning it out too much. It kills the beneficial bacteria that keeps it from being cloudy. Takes time to get it balanced again.

Whatever the cause, the cure is the same.....wait it out. You can make 25% water changes every couple of days to help reduce the floating particles so maybe the cloudiness will go away faster. If the filter gets plugged it means you are overfeeding. Cut back on food and gently rinse the filter pads in a container of tank water to get the crud off of them. This will preserve most of the newly developing bacteria.

The live plants should help clear the water and so will extra aeration. Get an air pump with an airstone and it will help get things cleared up. It adds extra oxygen to help the system balance again. Make sure your new plants have plenty of light. They can make quite a mess if they die.

Another thought I have is about food. Some foods have more undigestable matter in them than others. The fish put out the extra in waste and it pollutes the tank. Cutting back on feeding will help that too. When you feed, make sure that all the food is gone in 5 minutes from all areas of the tank. Leftover food, even if eventually eaten, causes excess waste. Cloudiness can be an after effect of that.

Followups welcome

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins

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