Why is my aquarium cloudy?

When your aquarium's water is cloudy and gray colored, it means that you have a bacterial bloom in your tank. A bacterial bloom is when the bacteria in the tank multiplies at such a high rate and in such high numbers that they can cloud the water. This bacterial bloom is caused by an excess of nutrients in the water. Usually, the water goes cloudy when you: first set-up the tank, do a water change, over-feed the fish, add new fish into the aquarium, and introduce a contaminant into the tank. When you first set-up a tank, the fresh new water has lots of nutrients and trace elements in it. Bacteria will use the nutrients and trace elements to grow and multiply and thus, cloud the water. When you do a water change, the fresh new water added to the tank can cause cloudiness. When we over-feed our fish and find uneaten food in the tank, this food will soon begin to rot. The rotting process will release a large amount of nutrients into the water. Again, the water can become cloudy. When we add new fish to our tanks, we can get cloudy water. This is because with the increase in fish, we get an increase in fish waste, which is a very good nutrient for bacterial growth. One more reason a tank can go cloudy is by the introduction of a contaminant that the bacteria can use as a nutrient. Unwashed dirty hands, liquids, and chemicals are a few examples of sources of nutrients. Please note that in a filtered and aerated aquarium, the actual bacterial bloom is in itself not harmful to the fish. It is merely unsightly. However, the actual cause of the bloom may be harmful. If left alone, the cloudiness will go away, usually taking from a few days to a few months, depending on your specific situation.

How do I get clear my tank?

To clear the tank and to keep it clear, we must control the amount of nutrients in the water. In the case of a new tank or water change, we recommend that you wait for the bloom to subside. It will take just a few days (usually 1-5) to clear. In the case of over-feeding, we recommend that you give your tank a water change and to clean the gravel thoroughly of all uneaten food. Uneaten floating food must be removed also. The addition of a liquid bacterial supplement will help clear the tank quickly. The use of activated carbon and other chemical filtration media will also help clear the tank by removing the excess nutrients from the water. After adding new fish to your tank, you can add a liquid bacterial supplement to help with the processing of the additional waste. This can prevent the tank from going cloudy. In the case of a contaminant, the best thing to do is to give your tank a water change and add a liquid bacterial supplement. Please be aware that even with the water changes and the addition of a bacterial supplement, your tank will still need a few days to clear. Nothing short of a 100% water change can clear a tank immediately.