How To Solve A Cloudy Fish Tank

There are a number of things to take note of when trying to solve a cloudy aquarium such as what caused it to be cloudy as well as the color of the cloudiness in the water.

A cloudy fish tank is a problem that plagues even the most seasoned aquarist and solving this problem is a very common task.?There are a number of things to take note of when trying to solve a cloudy aquarium such as what caused it to be cloudy as well as the color of the cloudiness in the water.

In this article we are going to consider a new fish tank first and continue through the life cycle that it goes through.

When you first set up a brand new aquarium, you might almost immediately get cloudy water. A brand new aquarium may get cloudy very fast. This is generally because of tiny air bubbles that will usually vanish in a few hours.

A brand new aquarium has not had the chance to go through a proper nitrogen cycle and thus is not prepared to cope with the waste produced by the aquatic life in the tank.?At first you will notice the tank water turn a milky white which is an indication that the bacteria has begun to multiply.?These bacteria multiply very quickly which will produce the milkiness of a cloudy fish tank.?In this case, there is nothing that you need to do because it will fade away as the water goes through its nitrogen cycle and it does not harm the aquatic life.?To speed up the process of recovery, you can do a partial water change.?Just make sure that you do not feed the fish to much or you will encourage more bacterial blooms that will turn the water cloudy again.

If the cloudiness of the aquarium water is brownish, it is usually caused by contamination from the aquarium ornaments.?Before placing any ornaments into the aquarium you need to ensure that it is safe for your fish and that it is thoroughly washed.?Never use detergent to clean anything that you will put into the tank. Certain ornaments especially if they are made from clay might disintegrate if soaked too long in water.

Driftwood or bogwood does tend to turn the water brown.?This is due to the tannin that it releases into the water when it is first soaked.?It will sink to the bottom of the aquarium after a while and the process can be sped up by vacuuming and partial water changes.?You should always soak new wood for a day or two separately before placing it into the aquarium.

These are some of the ways that you can solve a cloudy fish tank.

Firstly, do not over feed the fish.?The food that you feed your fish should be consumed under two minutes. Longer than this and the excess food will sink to the bottom and cause bacterial growth which will soon give you a cloudy aquarium.

Secondly, vacuum the gravel periodically.?To make this task easier, you can have bottom feeders in your fish tank to consume excess food that sink to the bottom.

Thirdly, limit the number of fish in your aquarium.?The rule of thumb which you can follow is the inch to a gallon rule.?An inch of a fish to a gallon of tank water.?Also be wary of fish that breed too fast such as Guppy.?Also, be prepared for fish that produce more waste than others, goldfish being the biggest culprit here.

Lastly, never do big water changes. This upsets the nitrogen cycle of your aquarium.?Always do partial water changes of never more than a quarter of the water in the tank.

Generally, a cloudy aqurium can be solved and prevented easily with a good routine maintenance.?Something as simple as water changes once a week can be effective to solve many fish tank problems, including a cloudy aquarium.