MY fish tank will not stay clean, please help!?

Question

I have a fish tank with 4 Cichlids, one Oscar, a Florida Gar. We have two standard filters running and even and under gravel one, but for some reason it is constantly cloudy. We change the filters regularly and have emptied half the water and refilled it, we also got extra carbor filters to put in there hoping that would help. What are we doing wrong?

Answer 1

Make sure you continue using carbon filters. And remember, only make 30% water changes, no more. To make a water change, you MUST use a gravel vacuum. If you aren't currently using one then buy one at the store. They are cheap. After changing the water, add AmmoniaClear, or any ammonia remover. Remember to dissolve it in water first. There will be a lot of ammonia in your tank right now, because my guess is that you are overfeeding your fish. OVERFEEDING IS KILLER! It is better that your fish are a little underfed then overfed. Uneaten food causes MAJOR lethal bacteria growth, (which can cloud water) and the nitrate, nitrite, and ammonia levels will soar (which is very, very bad!) Hopefully, you are conditioning your water, but keep in mind that some water dechlorinaters and dechloraminators are better than others. AmQuel+  is the best water conditioner. Not only does it remove Chloramine (Combination of Chlorine and ammonia) it also removes nitrates and nitrites. So when you change 30% of the water in your tank, don't add the conditioner you are using, add AmQuel+. Also add NovAqua, this is very important for the health of your fish. (All of these products can be bought at a local pet store.) Continue to use these products. The next step is to replace all your filter cartridges. Also, if your tank is over 40 gallons, you should have a canister filter, not a power filter. Change your water and filter cartridge once a week (remember, only 30% water changes) for the next month and a half. Also, use StressZyme once a week as directed. This is VERY important. It most likely will clear the water, because the important beneficial bacteria in it will help stabilize your aquarium and clear the water. Lastly, Check your fish. Do they seem sick? Are their fins clamped to their sides? Are their tails rotting; Is there tiny white things lining their fins and tails? These are all signs of disease. If this is the case, add extra NovAqua (about 1 and 2/3 the amount suggested on the labeling) and a little extra stress zyme. If they do have white bubbles on them, they probably have Ich, so treat them with QuIck Cure to cure them.

For further questions, feel free to contact me at [e-mail].

P.S. If your water STILL isn't clear after 2 months of this, then get water clarifier, but ONLY if you did what I told you for two months and your water still is cloudy. (Because it is a bad chemical.)

Answer 2

I don't know much about gravel, but I filled the bottom of my tank with white sand (I got it from home depot, cleaned up the very tiny sand.) This is from my own experience.

Your tank should be cloudy in the first couple day. Change the water, but LEAVE the sand alone, don't wash it or anything.

- As the bacteria begin to develop, the water will eventually turn into green (this is a good sight, don't worry.)

- Keep changing the water (just haft or 7/10 percent of the tank)

- The water will eventually be clear after about 1.5 months.

- Now what you have to do is just add more water and no need to change anything.

Don't forget that you still need a filter to clean the water too and add some conditioning salt each time you change the water.

If you live near creek, catch some small clams, add them to the sand. They will help keep the water clean.

My tank water is clean, what I need to do is just clean the glass sometimes.

Remember, this is from my own experience, some might disagree, but it worked for me.

Your goal is to develop bacteria in the sand that help balance the ecosystem in your tank.

Some people even add a little rain water or creek water to the tank. That pushes up the bacteria development process in the tank.

Answer 3

I think that you will find that your under gravel filter is the problem.I got rid of mine altogether & now just run a normal filter by itself & never had cloudy problem re-occur.Under gravel filters pull dirt beneath the gravel & thats where it sits & then gets disturbed by the fish--Hence clouding the water up.Hope this helps.

Wolf

Answer 4

Don't over feed your fish, and keep the tank out of direct sunlight, Good luck.

Answer 5

How big is the tank? How big are the fish? My guess is that you're probably overstocked.

Have you tested the water lately? How long has the tank been set up? Could be a bacteria bloom. If you've done a "too-thorough" cleaning, there's a chance that you caused the tank to start cycling again by killing off the "good" bacteria colonies that help keep the water in good condition.

Answer 6

If is Cloudy green...I know what happen cuz it happen to mine. (But yesterday it was gone!Yay!) Anyways....is call Algae. All you do is clean 75% of water and make sure u leave 25% left in the tank. You can use a gravel cleaner is much easier (What I do...) I hope I help...see ya and I hope it works...

Answer 7

Are you overfeeding them? The  filter should be working properly...