My 10 Gallon, any tips on improving water clarity (poor video inside)?

[MartinBlank]

My first tank ever. Currently contains 6 White Clouds and a Male Betta.
Looking for tips on reducing the overall cloudiness. Do partial water changes (20-25%) on Sundays and Wednesdays. Use API Tap Water conditioner at water changes. Tested for Ammonia, Nitrites and Nitrates tonight and all came back at optimal levels (0 ammonia, 0 nitrites, under 5ppm nitrates.

3 of the white clouds have been in there for about 3 months, the other 3 white clouds for about a month and a half. Betta for only 3 days.

While shy, the fish seem to be healthy and do come out from behind the tacky castle to eat

I will admit I almost certainly feed the fish to much, which I am working on. Any other tips (other than cut back on the dang food) to decrease the overall cloudiness of the tank?

The tank / hood / heater / filter are an combo job from PetCo. Filter has the Aqueon logo on it and not much else.

Also, I am looking for your opinions and advice on a background. As you can see I went with black. At the time the plan was that it would really make the white clouds and planned for red betta stand out. Well there was a change of heart at the LFS and we ended up going with a very pretty, deep indigo blue betta. He is basically invisible when he is in the back of the tank (which is pretty much always at the moment, usually behind the castle and when he comes out to eat he stays back there).

So I am looking for ideas on what to perhaps change the background to so that the betta is a bit easier to spot.

Don't know if the cloudiness really shows through on the video but hopefully you can get the idea.. the water is a bit cloudy and the filter seems to be either spitting out or at least stirring up a whole lot of those white particles.

Or is this pretty average?


Video can be found here:
YouTube - Cloudy 10 Gallon Aquarium


Thanks all for your help

OH, and you'll notice the big fat white cloud about 2/3rds of the way through. Anything I should be worried about there?

 

[logansmomma1228]

Looks pregnant to me! Sorry I can't help you out on the cloudy water. The only thing I could say is when you put something in the water, but you'd think the filter would clear it up soon after.

 

[sniper]

wat i do if my tank gets cloudy turn off the lights and open the hood and fan it out for a minute and the next day its super clear agian

 

[taylorodw]

filter seems to be either spitting out or at least stirring up a whole lot of those white particles

If you put more water in the tank (top it up higher - I fill mine until it reaches the black line and you can't see where the water ends) the filter will cause less bubbling. It's hard to tell from the video but that would be my first suggestion for that problem.

As for the cloudy water, I don't know too much about that.

 

[MartinBlank]

wat i do if my tank gets cloudy turn off the lights and open the hood and fan it out for a minute and the next day its super clear agian

So you think the cloudiness might be an algae bloom? This tank is in our main family room... so hard to get to totally dark short of wrapping it in a garbage bag or something...

I will be doing a water change tonight... I will fill it up a bit higher (though I don't think those tiny white particles are bubbles, but something else). I will rinse the filter in the old tank water and see if that helps too...

thanks for the advice all

 

[BigJim]

Generally, cloudy water is due to a bacteria or algae bloom. Your white clouds look well fed. As you suggested, try cutting back on the food. I suppose it could be coming off your driftwood too. Cloudy water isn't normal. The water in my tanks is actually clearer than the glass of the tanks. A bag of activated carbon or filter floss in your filter can help polish your water.

What kind of light fixture do you have? If you have an incandescent fixture, try replacing the bulbs with spiral CFLs in the daylight/6500K spectrum. It will really brighten up your tank and help with the dark shadows.

 

[MartinBlank]

No driftwood. Just fake plants and the castle

The bulb in there is fluorescent tube (the length of the tank). I am assuming I could get a similar bulb in that form though as well? But if it is an algae issue, couldn't this make it worse?

Tonight I will get either some pictures or some video of the filter itself (as I don't really know where I would put floss )
Thanks again!

 

[BigJim]

My mistake on the driftwood. I mistook an upside down plant leaf for a piece of driftwood. You're correct about more light possibly making the algae worse, but, since it's not green water, it looks like a bacteria bloom to me. Besides, it's not really feasible to upgrade the bulb wattage in a fluorescent fixture.

 

[MartinBlank]

No worries.

And a bacteria bloom is usually caused by an excess of waste in the tanks, i.e. overfeeding... I will try and cut back.

And that white cloud with the big belly... nothing I need to worry about?

 

[dkpate]

At night at my house, I put a beach towel over the front of the tank. The tank is completely dark from midnight to 6am.
If your cloud is not prego, you can try feeding boiled, de-shelled peas, which is a laxative, and will help with the bloating.

 

[MartinBlank]

Are white clouds live bearers? I thought they were egg layers. I guess I need to check!

We turn the aquarium lights out around 8 PM each night, but the room itself of course still has lights on, so I will try the beach towel thing to really make it dark in there.

 

[MartinBlank]

Well in doing the PWC last night I rinsed the filter real well in the removed tank water.. I did notice that the filter had a nice green tint to it and so did the tank water when I was dumping it. So very likely an algae issue (again, caused most likely by overfeeding).

So I wrapped up the tank overnight in a towel to keep it extra dark. Didn't notice a huge difference this AM but will keep it up.

I did pull the background off entirely and that made a big difference as far as visibility in the tank.

About those boiled peas. I assume you boil them and then take the skin / shell off? Wouldn't the insides be pasty after boiling? Or is that the idea?

Thanks

 

[BigJim]

Don't boil the peas, blanch them. The shell should come off very easily after that.

 

[dkpate]

I get frozen peas, put them in a coffee cup of water, pop in the microwave for 3 minutes, run under cold water, pop the middle out onto a spoon, and mush. Then I just scoop a little on my finger and swish it in the tank. My fish LOVE peas.

 

[MartinBlank]

Update:
This evening it looks to me that the water has cleared up quite a bit, so the beach towel strategy seems to be having some effect. Or it is my imagination

Haven't tried the pea thing yet. Maybe tomorrow night!

Thanks!