Cloudy water in cycled tank

[brendude]

I've had a fluval 5 gal for a couple of months now and it keeps the nitrate a d nitrite levels at a constant 0 so Im pretty sure there isnt a bacterial bloom of that kind. I dont have any pics on hand at the moment but the water is just really really cloudy. Ive only kept 2 snails in it since the waters cloudiness would make it hard to see the fish. Anyone know whats going on with the milky color? Last time I tested the water pH and nitrate, nitrite, and co2 hardness all checked out. Im not sure if it has anything to do with alkalinity or something but Id appreciate any help. I dose flourish excel, flourish, flourish iron, and scrape off some pottassium off a pill (checked out its ingredients, they dont hurt anything as far as im aware and the water was cloudy before anyways), and i get about 2watts per gallon. Ive also done 100 percent water changes twice, goes the same in about 1 week

 

[V227]

Probably not a bacterial bloom, more likely an algae bloom. Causes: too much nutrients and waste in the substrate and water; Too much light. Really concentrate on gravel vacs and bi weekly WC's until things clear up.

 

[brendude]

Yeesh is there anything else I can do, my parents hate it when I gotta use my siphon. Do they sell anything for this kind of stuff or would I just have to cut back on dosing stuff, would root tabs be a better supplement to clear things up?

 

[TMaier]

If your nitrates are 0, why do you think the tank is cycled?

I doubt it’s green water if they are 0.

A bacterial bloom would be a good thing to get the cycle going.

 

[V227]

If you want to be a successful aquarian, a siphon is going to be one of the most important tools you own. If you are dosing your tank with fertilizer, it's likely you are just feeding the algae, making your tank water cloudy. I don't know which is better, plant tabs or liquid fertilizer but I do know that regular WC's need to be done.

 

[brendude]

If your nitrates are 0, why do you think the tank is cycled?

I doubt it’s green water if they are 0.

A bacterial bloom would be a good thing to get the cycle going.

Everything stays at 0 cuz fluval has a hella good filter for this stuff, even if it was a bacterial bloom they dont last like 3 months

 

[brendude]

If you want to be a successful aquarian, a siphon is going to be one of the most important tools you own. If you are dosing your tank with fertilizer, it's likely you are just feeding the algae, making your tank water cloudy. I don't know which is better, plant tabs or liquid fertilizer but I do know that regular WC's need to be done.

So root tabs would feed the algae to a similar extent then?

 

[TMaier]

Everything stays at 0 cuz fluval has a hella good filter for this stuff, even if it was a bacterial bloom they dont last like 3 months

Never, ever, ever seen a cycled/established tank with 0 nitrates.

The ferts alone should be increasing the nitrates.

Oh well, I learned something is possible.

 

[brendude]

I mean Im not sure really whats going on either, thats just my assumption that the tanks filter wont let it cycle? For months its all been at zero and I've also got the water checked at petco and petsmart, they say the same thing