Cichlid tank (cloudy water)

Question
I have a reecently new 29 gallon freshwater tank.
After two weeks of it running crisp and clear (with three american cichlids and several feeder fish) the water started to become cloudy. At this point I have added clarity tablets which only seem to make it worse. The cloudiness is white-ish
in color. I have also been feeding the cichlids some pellets which the fish eat before any fall to the rocks. Do you have any ideas?

Answer
The situation you are observing is very common, especially in new tanks. When you first set up a tank, it has no biological filtration. But, as the tank matures, beneficial bacteria will begin to colonize every surface in the aquaium. These bacteria will literally eat the fish waste and turn it into a less toxic form. When these bacteria are disturbed, usually by a chemical imbalance, they will go into the water, and sort of float around. This is called a bacterial bloom. A bacterial bloom is a symptom of some other problem. Fix the problem, and the symptom will disappear. Note, every tank goes through "new tank syndrome" where there is a spike of ammonia for the first 2 weeks, then a spike of nitrite, and finally a testable level of nitrate.
With the tank as new as it is, I must guess that there is a high level of ammonia (fish waste). I would recommend that you visit your local fish store and have your water tested. Make sure that they test pH, Ammonia, Nitrite, and Nitrate. The most vital being pH and ammonia, but it wouldn't hurt to test KH and GH as well. If your ammonia is indeed high, the best method of attack is regular partial water changes. They might try and sell you a bacterial culture/treatment...I wouldn't waste my money, everything I've read (from legitimate sources, says those bacterial treatments are basically worthless). Especially if you're seeing testable levels of nitrite or nitrate indicating that you have a bacterial colony already. If you change 10-20% of your water every couple of days for a week, you'll see a noticable change in the water chemistry. In the end, time is your greatest weapon as the bacteria need time to do their job, one month is the typical time period for a tank to fully cycle (ie observe significant levels of the end product nitrate).

I have a feeling that this isn't exactly the clearest reply that I've written. If you have any other questions, don't hesitate to ask. If you want me to clarify, or give you more info on the chemistry involved I'd be glad to help.

Also, if any other of your levels (ie pH) is out of whack, I can help you get it/them back in line as well.

Hope this helps,
Good luck!