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Very cloudy tank

3K views 6 replies 5 participants last post by  1077 
#1 ·
hey guys i have a 55 gallon cichlid tank and the water lately has been very cloudy i have done a 50% water change two days ago and even used something that claims to uncloud water but that dosent seem to work either any ideas how to make it uncloud?
 
#2 ·
Need all info you can provide about the tank.
How long has it been running,how many fishes,what type of fishes,what specific filtration,substrate, feeding schedule, and types of food.
 
#4 ·
#5 ·
well its a south american cichlid tank with two oscars, 1JD, pleco, and an electric blue crwfish to help keep the gravel clean.( I know its over stocked but hopeully when i move out i will get a much bigger tank for them) they are all still babies. I feed them 2-3 times a day with hikari gold cichlid pellets, algae wafers and mealworms and crickets,along with blood worms and plankton with the occasional beef heart cube. I think it might be my filter cause i got a starter kit and i dont think that its a good longterm filter but my tank is only a month or two months old, im thinking of getting a marineland penguin 350 filter for a 75 gallon, and possibly an undergravel filter for extra clear water.
 
#7 ·
I believe this tank to be overstocked as you have noted,underfiltered,and over fed.
This is leading to cloudy water, and will continue as the fish get larger.
These babies you have should grow at a rate of around one inch per month, and are serious waste producing fish.Would rehome at very least,one of the Oscars and the pleco who provides no benefit here.
The more food you offer,the more the problem will be compounded.
The fish you are keeping would be large load on 90 gal tank and filtration for these fishes should be in the range of 600 to 700 gallons per hour with large canister or two smaller canisters which have way more capacity for both mechanical media as well as biological media.
If you are indeed going to get larger tank,(many folks never seem to get around to this) you will need the larger filters anyhow so I would increase the filtration now, and also increase water changes to 50% minimum ,twice a week.
Would also reduce feeding's to twice a day and smaller amount as well .
Much delay in this, will result in sickly fishes sooner than later.
 
#6 ·
Undergravel filters are not really used anymore as they tend to be hard to keep clean properly.
Look at undergravel jets instead.

"I feed them 2-3 times a day with hikari gold cichlid pellets, algae wafers and mealworms and crickets,along with blood worms and plankton with the occasional beef heart cube"

DO NOT FEED too much Plankton, I think that might be your problem, Plankton is not really a food used too much in freshwater tanks, filter feeder corals etc, it is extremely beneficial, not so much in freshwater.

Plankton can multiply very quickly and cloud your water. 2-3 times a day is too much if you are feeding that mix every day, it could be a bacteria bloom as well from uneaten decaying food.

What re your parameters (Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate etc)


 
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