strange water fogginess recurring problem

[fishman0000]

hello I am not a newbie at aquarium maintenance but I do have a strange problem. a couple months ago I had a 10 gallon aquarium with about four fish in it two tetras two catfish and a plico and also a small crab, and suddenly the whole biological system came out of whack I did really nothing to it I was cleaning the tank and doing weekly water changes and then suddenly the water got incredibly cloudy and incredibly smelly after trying a host of different things I just decided to upgrade them to a new tank a 17 gal and I did everything that you're supposed to do while setting it up I placed the fish in a day and a half later everything was going fine and then about a month later the tank got cloudy again it is not as bad as the first time but I'm just wondering why. I'm cleaning the gravel when it needs it I'm doing weekly small water changes and monthly filter changes in no matter what chemicals I put in that supposedly stop this it doesn't seem to affect or makes it worse can someone please tell me what's going on

 

[Mumma.of.two]

Hi! Welcome to AA!
One thing that really stands out is you changing the filter media monthly. By doing that you are resetting the cycle in your tank. Is the water cloudy/milky white? That would be a bacterial bloom. Common in cycling tanks. Once your tank has settled it will clear on its own. You probably have a much bigger problem going in in your rank than cloudy water. Do you own a test kit? Can you test your water? I'm guessing the ammonia and/or nitrite is high. you will need to do daily water changes to keep these under control.
Please read these articles.
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/artic...-to-Starting-a-Freshwater-Aquarium/Page1.html

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/artic...g-but-I-already-have-fish-What-now/Page2.html

http://www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/246850-bacterial-blooms-explained/

If you have any questions don't be afraid to ask!

 

[fishman0000]

I have ammonia pH test kit but not nitrate. But I have one question I have been changing the filter like that for about two years with no problems until the end how long would you recommend keeping the filter medium in

 

[Mumma.of.two]

I have ammonia pH test kit but not nitrate. But I have one question I have been changing the filter like that for about two years with no problems until the end how long would you recommend keeping the filter medium in

Can you test the ammonia? You will need a nitrIte and nitrAte test.
You leave it there until it is literally falling apart. Even then you don't throw it out. You take the old media and put it next to the new for 2-4 weeks to seed the new media with nitrifying bacteria.

 

[fishman0000]

I built this instead

found out what it was. yes I did have a problem with changing the filter to frequently but after some closer looking at the filter and a strange occurrence of the filter tripping the sensor on the power strip I realized that the cartridge filters pump was going bad. so after some engineering I built my own canister filter, I've just tested it and it works amazingly the cloudiness is almost gone I blame that on poor circulation of the old filter here is a video if you would like to see it

Ponish filter mark 2.0 - YouTube

ps I now realize why in the old tank it got suddenly cloudy after months of perfectly clear water I believe the poor circulation caused a bacteria bloom that the filter could not handle because of decreased efficiency