Cloudy aquarium water?

Question

i have a 20 gallon tank with four zebra danios in it i only started the tank about a month and a half ago. i let it sit to start to cycle for like two weeks added two fish they seemed to be going along fine so i added two more about 2 weeks ago the water was crystal clear the ammonia levels were 0 and now its all cloudy i just had an algae bloom and now the water is all cloudy the ammonia levels are still at 0 but the water isn't very attractive. help

Answer 1

it might be cuase you dont clean the filter you dont siphen the tank out every week or you have parasites of some kind

Answer 2

Does the tank get any direct sunlight?

Did you get check the Nitrite and Nitrate levels?

What type of filtration do you have on your tank?

Cloudy water is a sign there is a lot of particulate matter floating in your tank; most likely the after effects from the algae bloom.

It should clear up in about a week; you couple perhaps help speed this process along by doing a 10%-20% water change with conditioned water.

or depending on the lights you have on your tank you could add some live plants.  If you just have a single tube light above your tank, you can go with a low light plant such as Java Moss or Java Fern.  These are excellent methods in helping keep your water clear and parameters level.

Answer 3

if you say that the ammonia is zero, then it might be algae  if you have the tank close to a window then move it. try to keep the light of the aquarium for 8-9 hours that should stop the algae from growing so fast

Answer 4

It might be a small problem with the filter....

There's a kind of extract whereby they clear the tank for you.. You can ask ur LFS for tt.. I have not used it personally but I have seen those extract around...

Answer 5

For a tank that has only been set up for 6 weeks ,this is common it should clear up on it's own soon . It's just a little out of balance . The biggest mistake people make here, is trying to fix it and it usually goes all wrong. The bacteria in the gravel and the bacteria in the filter should solve your problem for you it just takes a little time.

Answer 6

Have you checked your nitrates? The only reason for an algae out break is if you have too many nutrients in the water of what it needs to thrive. Many of these are phosphates and nitrates.

I would say you could try a few different methods. You can try putting the tank in a complete blackout for 4 days, meaning wrapping it in garbage bags or something so that the entire tank is dark. This should work. Or there is the option of buying a diatom filter or UV sterilizer. But the first method is the cheapest. To prevent algae from growing, try to maintain low levels of nutrients for it. Try lowering nitrates with frequent water changes, and phosphates you can remove with media that goes in the filter.