Hello, I have two fancy-tail guppies in a plastic 5 gallon tank, and it has been established for about six months now. Both fish are doing fine, but recently i did a big water change because the tank was beginning to look cloudy, and it was due anyway. I changed the filter cartridge and scrubbed the sides (and i think my scrubber is making the tank plastic itself cloudy due to leftover yuckiness and maybe even scratches so im also wondering if there are such things as disposable tank scrubbers and if so where can i get some?) and after i did the water change, the tank looked great and was crystal clear for maybe two days and has gone cloudy AGAIN! granted, my tank gets dirty kinda quickly because the fish only eat a fraction of the pinches i give them, but i i frequently use my net to swish the water around and net some dirt out. Ive been considering get ghost shrimp or a snail to eat the food the fish dont but i figured that shrimp and snails poop too, so they wouldn't really do any good. Any advice?
Cloudy Water.. :(
- Thread starter FancyTailBeginner
- Start date
Is your tank plastic or acrylic? There are special sponges for those kind of tanks. Do you have any decor or live plants in your tank? What is your water change schedule? You can get a suction type vacuum to clean the bottom. There are videos on You Tube on how to do this. Do you ever test your water for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate? It is possible you are having a bacteria bloom - which is not a bad thing - you need the beneficial bacteria in your tank.
What are the numerical values for your Ammonia, NitrIte, and NitrAte?
When you do your water changes, how exactly are you doing them and what dechlorinator are you using? Did you previously clean the filter media, and if so how?
To give you an idea... I have 6 Celestial Pearl Danio in one of my tanks. When I feed them I take 2 flakes and crush it up for them. Any more than that would be too much. You can try feeding less and feeding every other day (a lot of aquarists only feed every other day) to see if that helps with the cloudiness.
When you do your water changes, how exactly are you doing them and what dechlorinator are you using? Did you previously clean the filter media, and if so how?
To give you an idea... I have 6 Celestial Pearl Danio in one of my tanks. When I feed them I take 2 flakes and crush it up for them. Any more than that would be too much. You can try feeding less and feeding every other day (a lot of aquarists only feed every other day) to see if that helps with the cloudiness.
I used test strips for those when i first began but the results were the same every time, so i felt i was just wasting money. I replied to a reply to my post (the first i believe) telling about my water change schedule that i have thought is best for such a little tank. I dont have a dechlorinator because i only use bottled distilled water, but i do have a something called StressCoat Plus which adds aloe vera and dechlorinates water.
Perhaps when you changed out the filter media you caused your tank to go back in to a cycle or even a mini cycle. Here's a really good article that I keep on hand simply because it holds a wealth of information that I like to share with others.
Bacterial Blooms Explained - New to the Hobby Questions and Answers - Tropical Fish Forums
Bacterial Blooms Explained - New to the Hobby Questions and Answers - Tropical Fish Forums
a milky color to the water suggests to me bacterial bloom. also for testing the water i strongly recomend that you replace the strips with liquid test kits. they are more reliable and accurate then the strips. I would recomend API test kits myself.
One of the worst parts about small tanks is that they can have issues so fast. if the ammonia happens to spike it spikes really quick, as well as other things. when things go bad they go bad in a hurry. thats y i suggest to friends to buy the biggest tank they can afford or fit into their house/apt. I know sometimes they seem overwhelming but in reality they tend to be easier to care for.
One of the worst parts about small tanks is that they can have issues so fast. if the ammonia happens to spike it spikes really quick, as well as other things. when things go bad they go bad in a hurry. thats y i suggest to friends to buy the biggest tank they can afford or fit into their house/apt. I know sometimes they seem overwhelming but in reality they tend to be easier to care for.
Welcome to the forum. In order to be of any help we need some more information - like how long has the tank been set up? Do you know what cycling is and do you understand testing your water for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate? Your pH will have nothing to do with this problem, but the amount you are feeding your fish might.
Coming from the experience that I've had (and the advice of numeral PetSmart fish-tank workers), if your fish are doing great in cloudy water and everything you're doing is normal (I would leave the filter cartridge alone for a few days and see how it works out), your water may get clearer by itself.
Oh, and, if you think it's an algae problem, you can go ahead and buy a Ghost Shrimp. I had one for a long while and he really kept my tank clean (also, I never really saw him pooping too much. I don't think a shrimp's poop will hurt anything in your tank for now).
Let me know if you have any more questions.
Oh, and, if you think it's an algae problem, you can go ahead and buy a Ghost Shrimp. I had one for a long while and he really kept my tank clean (also, I never really saw him pooping too much. I don't think a shrimp's poop will hurt anything in your tank for now).
Let me know if you have any more questions.