Why Is My Aquarium Water Cloudy?
Causes:
Bacterial blossom
- As the new aquarium goes through the initial break-in
cycle, the water can become cloudy or at least a little hazy. It might take several
weeks to establish
beneficial bacterial colonies that are able to clear waste from
the water. Over time, that cloudiness will resolve itself. Decaying plants or
excess food that remains uneaten can also cause the cloudy water seen in
bacterial bloom. Keep the aquarium clean by removing any decaying plants
and uneaten food, vacuuming the gravel regularly, and performing partial water
changes. It is also a good idea to invest in a UV steriliser, which simply kills the
microorganisms creating the cloudy aquarium water problem and helps to
control algae issues.
Gravel residue
- If the water is cloudy immediately or within an hour o
r two of
filling
the tank, it's probably due to
insufficiently washed gravel. Drain the tank and
rinse the gravel until the water runs clear. That should resolve the problem.
Dissolved constituents
- if washing the gravel doesn't solve the problem, the
next most likely cause of cloudy water in a newly
filled tank is a high level of
dissolved constituents, such as phosphates, silicates, or heavy metals. If you
test the water, you'll likely
find that the pH is high (alkaline). In these cases, treating
the water with conditioners will often resolve the problem.
Other things to try:
Ÿ
Reduce feeding. Overfeeding introduces a lot of organic waste and is one of the
main causes for cloudy water problems.
Do not perform large water changes as they can severely
affect the balance of
the aquarium leading to a further deterioration of the water quality.
A severely overstocked aquarium will result in excess waste so consider your
fish
population. We recommend to not exceed 1 inch of
fish per 3.7 litres of aquarium
water.
Why Is My Aquarium Water Green?
Causes:
Too much light
- Reduce the amount of time the lights are on, and move the
aquarium to a location out of direct sunlight. This will reduce the
photosynthesis that allows the algae to grow.
