Having aquarium at home can be a very exciting experience. Read this article about before you build your fish empire get inspired from these aquarium designs.
The designs are really cool! Watching the fish swimming inside the aquarium is a really interesting view. However, how if the view is not clear, or blurry instead? It won’t be a beautiful view again, and it will be very annoying.
Aquarium problems are commonly experienced by its owners. The most common problem is cloudy water. As an aquarium owner, you need to be knowledgeable about the causes and how to handle this problem. Let’s see the causes of cloudy water in aquarium and how to solve them.
Causes of Cloudy Water in Aquarium
If you are asking what causes your aquarium to have cloudy water, there is not any single answer to this question. You can figure out the causes of cloudy water in aquarium based on the color it shows.
The color of the water in your aquarium is able to tell you the underlying reasons of why cloudy water appears.
If you are a beginner, you can see the ways of fish tank care tips for beginners.
Grayish or White
There are some reasons why your aquarium has grayish or white cloudy water.
- Bacteria blossom
Cloudy water is does not instantly appear once your aquarium is set up. It takes days, weeks or even months to form. Bacterial bloom is one of the most common cause of this problem.
Bacterial colonies will be established in several months or weeks. These bacterial colonies are in charge of clearing up waste from the water. However, as time goes by, the cloudiness of water will resolve itself as the decaying plants or excess food will cause the water to be “milky”.
- Gravel residue
If you experience cloudy water right away or within an hour or two after filling the tank, it might be because of the residue after your aquarium being washed.
Try to drain the tank and rinse the gravel again until there is no water left. You might get the idea of how to clean up your aquarium by looking at these easy ways to clean your fish tanks.
Green Water
This is another water color that might indicate some other problems in your aquarium. The problem will be mainly because of algae.
- Excessive nutrients
Phosphates and nitrates are the nutrients that support algae growth. These two types of nutrients should be reduced. You can change the water regularly or directly remove the sources to get rid of them.
- Too much light
Light is needed for plants, in this case is algae for growth. If your aquarium is exposed to too much sunlight or light, it will speed up the algae growth. Try to reduce the amount of light exposed to your aquarium or move to the other place that is out of direct light.
- Phosphates
Phosphate is one of the nutrients mentioned earlier that support algae growth. There are two sources of phosphate: decayed food and the water itself.
You need to test your water first to check the presence of phosphate. If you do have water that is rich in phosphate, then you need to use a phosphate remover as the water treatment.
The other cause is decayed food. Try to reduce the amount of food you give to your fish to reduce the amount of phosphate in the water as well.
- Nitrates
Nitrate is also another nutrient that is responsible for algae growth. Nitrate is commonly formed over fish waste. One solution to this problem is by removing them regularly and changing the water as well. Keep your aquarium water clean and adequate for its size.
How Do You Solve the Problem?
After knowing the causes, you may start thinking about how to solve the problems of cloudy water in your aquarium. Let’s see the ways to solve the problems.
- No overfeeding – your fish will not get starving if you don’t give too much food for them. Make sure you just give adequate food for your fish. Uneaten food will nitrify the bacteria to break it down. As a result, your aquarium will have cloudy water. Fish in nature commonly don’t eat very often, just feed them once a week or twice a week. If you are having beta fish at home,you can check the ways to healthily feed your beta fishes.
- Make sure your aquarium is not overcrowded – Many fish will result in many waste and more uneaten food that cause the cloudy water. Just put adequate number of fish in your aquarium.
- Use activated carbon media to the filter – activated carbon media will be beneficial for clearing the water and absorb nutrients that the bacteria bloom feed on. Filter is one of the essentials things for your fish tank. Make sure you have it.
- Have a water test – Make sure your water is free of ammonia and nitrite as they are in charge of making cloudy water in your aquarium.
After looking at the causes and the ways to solve the problem, you are supposed to be more aware of your fish tank or aquarium problems, especially the presence of cloudy water. Though it is not a serious problem, but you still need to prevent your pet fish from dying. Be a responsible owner.