How do I get rid of "cloudy water" ?

As a new aquarium enthusiast you have set up your aquarium, stocked lovingly and carefully with your favourite fish. You feed the fish each day, make sure the light is on, filter is running and all is well. After about 5 days, the water turns cloudy. What do you do ?

Canada Aquaria hobbyists have years of experience in navigating the nuances of aquarium keeping. Here are their responses and suggestions. If you have experienced "cloudy water" post a question, and we'll be right back with a simple and clear answer, from experts who have been there.

Cloudy water can be the result of many things.

Cloudy after adding gravel

Gravel usually should be washed when first purchased. Dump the gravel into a bucket, and washing out using several rinses in tap water, should reduce the amount of fine grit that will suspend itself when you add to your aquarium. Finely suspended grit does not usually present a problem unless you have fine leaved plants or fish in the aquarium (where their gills may get irritated). After a few hours the grit will settle down, or if you use a power filer of some time, the grit will get filtered out. However you should still clean out the filter as the sediment will clog the pores.

Cloudy after adding water

Water of differing saline concentrations will cause cloudiness until the halocline mixes to form consistent salinity. High bacterial counts will result when you add high nutrient broth to an active microbial population since the bacteria will start to peak after a few hours. This is also dangerous since your water parameters, suitable for fish, will not be stable. Chemicals in the water such as heavily chlorinated or chelation agents will cause this disturbance. Regardless of the cause, the water will not support your fish and should be changed with a secure source, like bottled water or known conditioned water.

Cloudy after adding food

Overfeeding causes nitrogen loading to occur as well as increasing the amount of bacterial which may cause cloudiness. If you are using frozen food, this is a sign that nitrate poisoning is occurring so you do perform a large water change to remove the food, siphoning out the cause.

Cloudy

Water clarity is important and is the "window" into the health of your ecosystem. If you cannot see to the other side of the aquarium, you may have a problem. Your water should look as if you could drink it, unless you have peat or tannic conditions specific for your fish. Cloudy means that there is a cause for concern unless you have just added gravel or food. Overfeeding is a major cause of temporary cloudiness, and reducing the amount and frequency will help immensely. If you have not "cycled" your tank, then this is a more serious condition, as the nitrogen cycle is still immature and will not support a fish population.

If you have cloudy water, post a message here as each circumstance cannot be generalized without knowing, in more detail, the specifics in oder to diagnose the cause.