Article From SubmitYOURArticle.com: Is Your Freshwater Aquarium Cloudy?

A cloudy freshwater aquarium should not be a
reason to panic because even tenured aquarium
hobbyists experience this from time to time. This
is nothing new and for all you who know, the fish
don't even mind so long as you take care of it
and ensure that you have control of the
situation. Most often than not, it is the fish
tank owner who is more upset than the tank
residents. Clean water is important in an
aquarium. Although generally speaking, cloudy
aquarium water does not create a harmful
environment for your fish, but it certainly
destroys the appeal. We naturally want the water
clear so we can enjoy watching the view inside.
Cloudy aquarium water can arise from a number of
reasons such as annoying algae, some residues
from the decorations like the gravel, or excess
food.

there can be several reasons that a tanks water
can become cloudy and an expert will have many
possible answers for the tank owner, as there are
many different causes. It depends on the color of
the water and the conditions that give the water
its color.

What causes white or grayish water?

Gravel Residue

When you fill your freshwater aquarium with water
the first time and after a couple of hours your
tanks water turns cloudy, the gravel that you put
in your fish tank may not have been washed
thoroughly. Empty the tank and give the gravel
some more rinsing until the water runs clear into
the drain. It is not surprising for new rocks and
decorations to cause cloudy water even if they
were rinsed prior to placing them in the tank.
When they get soaked in the tank, tight dirt that
was not washed away by rinsing, loosens up. You
can get all of the dirt loose by soaking the
gravel for 2 to 3 days in a separate container,
and then give them another rinsing before you
place them in the tank

Dissolved Elements

What happens if washing the gravel doesn't solve
the problem? As mentioned above, there are
several answers as there are several causes. So
if thorough gravel cleaning does not solve the
problem, the second most likely cause is
dissolved elements such as heavy metals,
silicates or phosphates. Test the water to
determine the pH level and if it is found to be
high, water conditioners can generally solve the
problem.

Reverse Osmosis (RO) may be chosen because not
only does it help in resolving cloudy water
issues, but if the water contains toxic elements.
Using an reverse osmosis unit purifies and
softens the water.

Bacteria Bloom

There are instances when after the aquarium is
set up, water remains clear for days, sometimes
for several weeks. This seems good so far, then
suddenly the water gets cloudy. When this
happens, the gravel is not the cause anymore but
bacterial bloom. While doing your research prior
to your purchase of the tank and the rest of the
equipment, you surely have read something about
'cycling' the tank. The initial cycle that the
aquarium goes through typically results to cloudy
water. This is because after several days or
weeks or even months, bacterial colonies begin to
start that will clear waste from the water. Once
the cycle takes place, the cloudiness clears
itself.

New fish tank keepers sometimes tend to panic
upon seeing the water in the tank turn cloudy.
Our advice is whatever the cause, never panic.
Instead find what's causing it because that can
always be resolved. Keeping the aquarium free
from debris such as decaying plants and excess
food, regular gravel vacuuming and doing partial
water changes are all steps to maintain
cleanliness of the tank and will resolve most
bacterial bloom cases. Flocculates, sold at fish
shops, are also used as water clearers as they
make debris bunch together which then are cleared
by filters. So be sure to regularly clean your
filters too which will help maintain their
efficiency.

What causes green water?

Needless of an explanation, green water is caused
by algae growth. The difficult part comes in its
removal especially if you do not know what's
causing the growth.

Excess light is the most probable cause and the
cure is easy. When a freshwater aquarium is
placed in a spot where it gets direct sunlight
like in front of a window or when tank lights are
on for too long, or the tank lights are far too
strong, it promotes algae growth. Simply move the
tank out of direct sunlight or lessen the time
the lights are on and that will do it. If it is
not possible to move the tank, try a UV
sterilizer to control the algae.

Too much nutrients such as phosphates and
nitrates also makes a good reason for algae
growth. a water change will provide the owner
with a quick fix but the problem will come back.
But the source of the excess nutrients has to be
removed or the problem will persist.

The presence of high phosphates can come from a
couple of sources which are the old water in your
tank, and decaying substances. Also, you may need
to reduce the amount of food you give to your
fish.

Fish wastes' byproduct makes nitrates naturally
rise in the aquarium after some time and that is
why a water change is a required maintenance as
part of upkeep of an aquarium. So do not over
crowd your tank with too many fish, or you will
regularly face a problem with high levels of
nitrates.

In general, a partial water change removes about
10-15 % of the water and can clean the gravel and
help remove any excess uneaten food in the tank.
Your fish are a good telltale sign of a real
problem so check them if you're not certain of
the tank water being bad. If they are alright,
you just might need to give it some time, because
if it's bacteria that is causing the problem, it
will resolve itself. This may not be applicable
in all cases. There are times when you will
really need to make sure that the problem is
under control.

It is advisable to keep a smaller 'quarantine
tank' in such cases so that you can transfer your
fish to the other tank and deal with the problem
in a more direct fashion. If you need to relocate
your fish to an guarantine tank, then be sure
beforehand that the quarantine tanks temperature
and water PH are the same as the main tank or
your fish may get very sick quickly and die.

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To recieve professional help in getting your
maintenance for your aquarium done right and
learn more about what is wrong with your fish
tanks water, read:
http://www.freshwateraquariumcenteronline.com/fres
hwater-aquarium-cloudy/ .

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