Cloudy Water In Your Fish Tank?

The cloudy fish tank water can be caused by various reasons. Some of the well-known cloudy fish tank causes are the formation of debris from new substratum, bacterial blossom, chemical imbalance, and presence of green floating algae in your aquarium.

Formation of Debris from New Substratum

This is one of the most possible reasons for cloudy fish tank water where the aquarium has been set up recently, maybe a day or two. Many different kinds of gravel and sand substrates that are available in the market may still have some impurities; therefore, it is strongly advised to wash them thoroughly before you put them into you aquarium tank. The more you prewash them, the less the possibility for the development of cloudy fish tank water. You can wash the gravel by rinsing them with water in a bucket. You can wash sand by rinsing them in half a bucket full of water; stir the water turbulently and pouring away the dirty water. You must repeat this until the water becomes clear.

Bacterial Blossom

The bacterial blossom is not harmful to you aquarium fish; they will just cause cloudy fish tank water. If there is bacterial blossom in you aquarium, the water will appear as a greyish haze. This condition occurs due the sudden growth of various bacteria in your fish tank; this usually happens in a newly setup aquarium. This occurs because of the formation of imbalance between the bacterial population and the level of waste nutrients. Usually, this condition will be sorted out automatically when the tank matures. You can also quickly control this situation by performing a partial (maybe 15 to 25%) water change. If your aquarium is new, you must avoid overfeeding to help cut down the waste levels. Periodically, you should remove the decaying plant parts, uneaten food, etc.

Chemical Imbalance

The causes for chemical imbalance may be complex; however, it is very commonly occur if you use hard water, which includes more minerals. If you use many chemical additives in your aquarium, the chemical imbalance may develop. You can control this problem by using an aquarium water conditioner. You can also try out regular water changes to control this imbalance.

Presence of Green Floating Algae in Your Aquarium

If green floating algae are present in your aquarium, which will look like a thick green cloud, you cannot see your fish properly. However, these algae do not directly harm your aquarium fish. To get rid of this situation, you must avoid keeping your aquarium where direct sunlight falls; you should not leave the lights on for more than 12 h a day; and you should not feed your aquarium excessively.

Generally, a series of more plentiful water changes (approximately 30 to 40%) every few days will prevent your aquarium from cloudy fish tank causes. You can use UV sterilisers as a part of your filtration system to destroy green floating algae, as well as other pathogenic organisms. Diatom filters are also very effective in resolving this issue.