A fish tank can be one of the most beautiful aspects of a home. It can be colorful and bright and create a calming ambiance in any home. With the correct care and maintenance, an aquarium can thrive! Keeping it clean is time consuming and requires some dedication, but it makes the whole experience worth it.
Some possible causes of a less than clear aquarium include:
Grey, Cloudy Water - Gravel residue, dissolved constituents, or bacteria blossom.
If your tank has a grey or white colored cloudiness to it once you initially fill it, this may be from the gravel containing residue. Make sure to thoroughly clean all gravel before putting it in the tank. An aquarium that's pH is too high will also cause the water to be cloudy. You can treat the water with conditioners to balance the pH. If the tank has been full for a while and the water turns cloudy it may be a bacteria blossom. Usually this resolves itself but can be helped along by vacuuming the gravel, removing excess food, and performing partial water changes.
Green, Cloudy Water - Too much light, excess nutrients, phosphates, or nitrates.
A green colored cloudiness is almost always an algae problem. An over-abundance of algae can be caused by too much light and can be easily fixed by turning the lights off more often or removing the tank from direct sunlight. If excess nutrients, such as phosphates is the cause of the green water, it may be the source of the water used to fill the tank. Test your tap water to see if it has a high level of phosphates. If it does, you may need to fill your tank with RO water (can be found at your local pet store). If excess nutrients, such as nitrates is the cause, it may be a direct result of fish wastes. This can usually be fixed by a water change and regulating the number of fish in your tank.
