Cloudy Water

[Brookelynnb]

I've had my tank going for about 2 1/2 months, and it is very cloudy still. Like watery milk in a way. I got a bad start with my tank in the beginning by immediately adding fish (new at fish) I ha my water tested about a week ago and they said it was good to add fish, so now I have a dwarf frog, and 2 angel fish! It's a 10g btw

Why is my water still cloudy? I do 15-20% water changes about every 5-6 days!

 

[Teakwood]

Hi! For 1 I will start saying that 2 angels will quickly out grow a 10g, they get very big. Also you had a pet store test your water? Did they use strips? Investing in your own API test kit is a great thing to do, as you can monitor your levels yourself and don't have to rely on someone else to know what they are doing. Do you regularly change your filter pads? If so you shouldn't as that's where the good bacteria that cycles your tank lives, you should swish them in used tank water to clean them to keep the good stuff alive. Only change them when they are falling apart. Hope that helps

Edited to add: you can find the API test kit on amizon for about 20$ and its an absolute life saver for an aquarium keeper. Also it's probably a bacterial bloom, possibly from a mini cycle if you recently changed your filter pads.

 

[Brookelynnb]

I haven't changed my filter pads, at all! I've taken them out a few times to rinse them, but that's it!

Ill look into a test kit, but I have been having Fish n Chirps test the water with the colored drops!

 

[Teakwood]

I haven't changed my filter pads, at all! I've taken them out a few times to rinse them, but that's it!

Ill look into a test kit, but I have been having Fish n Chirps test the water with the colored drops!

It's awesome they test with a liquid test kit. Do you rinse them in the sink or in used tank water?

 

[Brookelynnb]

In the sink!

 

[Fishperson]

It could be a bacterial bloom, but that doesn't seem likely in a 2.5 month old tank. Like Teakwood said, angels will outgrow a 10 in like, a year, maybe less. Could we see some pics of the tank? What filter are you using, and what substrate do you have?

 

[Fishperson]

You shouldnt rinse it in the sink, the beneficial bacteria live primarily in the filter so you should rinse it in the tank.

 

[Teakwood]

Yep, if you recently rinsed the filter in the sink you may have killed off most of your good bacteria, and be having a mini cycle. Keep and eye on your parameters and it should clear up fairly quickly.

 

[Brookelynnb]

It's not as cloudy anymore!