What Are the Causes of Cloudiness in Fish Tanks?

A fish tank can be an exciting hobby that can decorate your home or office. Fish tanks do require a lot of maintenance and regulating of the environment for the water to stay crystal clear and the fish healthy. In the event you have cloudy water in your fish tank there are a few possible conditions to blame.

  1. Incomplete Cycling

    • Before you add fish to your fish tank you have to perform ̶0;cycling.̶1; This step is where the biological elements of the tank are run through the filter to aide it in removing waste later when fish are placed in the tank. Near the end of this cycling process the water may become cloudy or milky in appearance. The only way to counteract this is to allow the tank to finish the cycling process and clear up on its own. Do not add chemicals if you are in the middle of the cycling process because this can damper the process entirely.

    Dirty Equipment

    • Often when a fish tank is first put together we forget to thoroughly rinse the new equipment we have purchased. Decorations or fish tank equipment that have not been rinsed with cool water prior to installation can lead to a cloudy or grayish appearance to the tank water. Remove equipment and rinse it with clean and cold water and replace it in the tank.

    Dissolving Equipment

    • In the event you have added in your own fish tank decorations that were not purchased from a reputable pet store supplier, you may have decorations that are dissolving in the water. This can include paint dissolving, metals eroding and plastics breaking down. In the event a decorative piece is breaking down, remove the piece from the tank and allow it to re-cycle itself.

    Chemical Additive Reaction

    • Chemicals that are added to your tank water and mixed with other chemicals may cause a cloudy appearance to your tank water. This is why it is important to only add the chemicals that are actually needed into the tank and be sure to read the labels for any interactions with other chemicals prior to mixing them.

    Too Much Feeding

    • Fish have small stomachs. To us humans it can be easy to overfeed our fish. When food is left to dissolve and sit in the tank it can leave a cloudy appearance to the water. Limit the amount of food you give to your fish to what they can consume within a two-minute period and remember that a fish's stomach is smaller than their eye.

    Bad Filter

    • If your filter is dirty or not cycling correctly it can leave a cloudy appearance to the water. Ensure you change your filter when it is dirty and maintain its cycling as the manufacturer̵7;s directions state.

    Too Many Fish

    • Too many fish in a fish tank can create a lot of waste and algae growth, which leads to cloudy water. Have less than 1 inch of fish per gallon of water to keep cloudiness under control.

    Bacterial Growth

    • In the event your fish tank is too crowded, bacteria can begin to grow and over-multiply. When this occurs, your tank will be left with a cloudy appearance to the water. This can also raise the ammonia levels in your tank to dangerous levels for all living organisms in the tank. Skim your tank regularly to remove any bacteria floating on top and use foam-depressing agents to contain bacterial growth.