Cloudy Water, Help Please :)

[abarry01]

Please help, im getting irritated because of the cloudiness; my tank just looks terrible! I am not a new fish owner, but used to having a 1gal-5gal tank and now I just recently got a 10gal. I have 2 black moores (goldfish) one of them is very small and the other is about 3in including fins. I also have 2 very small albino clawed frogs. (I know all of these can grow very large, but will upgrade to a bigger tank soon!) I have a heater and a 2-10gal tetra whisper Internal Power Filter. I have been getting my water tested at the local fish store because I have been in the middle of cycling. My nitrites and amonia have been getting lower and lower almost good. But it't taking a couple of weeks, and my water is always cloudy. So cloudy to where I can only see my fish when they are towards the front of the tank.(I cant really tell if it is a white, green or yellow cloudiness) After reading some posts I have turned the lights off because I usually keep them on for long periods of time. I have done 2 diff 20% water changes (inlcuding cleaning the gravel and making sure the filter is clean) since I started my cycling which was about 2 weeks ago. Iv been using prime and cycle for treatment.

Please HELP with some info that I may not be aware of! I want my fish to live in a nice clear tank!

Also I read on a post that I may need a more powerful filter is this true?

Thank you!

 

[Noahs ark6]

Hi

It's likely a bacterial bloom, if so, you dont need to worry about it, it's nothing bad, just doesnt look that nice, it will become clear again in a few days to a few weeks. They often occur during a cycle. 10 gal isn't realy big enough for 2 goldfish. If possible a bigger tank would be good
Sorry, i've never had experience with that filter.

 

[abarry01]

I figured it is just a Bacteria Bloom but it has not gone away for like 2 weeks now.... And yes I know I do need a bigger tank because I know they are very dirty fish but at the moment I really can not afford one or have space, but when I move I will eventually get a bigger tank. Thanks for the advise tho!

 

[Noahs ark6]

It will go, have you nearly finished your cycle?

 

[abarry01]

Pretty much...just doing what the local fish aquarium place is telling me to do. Weekly putting 5ml of the cycle and 3 days prime and then a few days nothing. Then bringing in a sample, its getting better everytime I go to get my water tested but I have been feeding my fish/frogs a little too much trying to make sure the frogs get their food before the moores get to it. I'm thinking with all the waste and extra food (even tho my moores will eat everything at the bottom of the tank, they never stop) there is still some food in the middle of the rocks that I can see.

there seems to be quite a bit of algea in the tank too...I can feel it on the glass and on the decorations, I dont want to add another fish to my 10gal but im not sure if it would be good to get an aglea eater or not

 

[abarry01]

Any other suggestions from anyone reading this post??

 

[fluttermoth]

I'd do one or two bigger water changes; 20% doesn't sound like very much.

 

[abarry01]

I was thinking about doing that before I started reading other people's forums and got distracted with a bunch of information I already know! haha but the only reason I have done small water changes is so I do not take the good bacteria thats been forming while cycling. If I do a 50% water change do you think that will ruin my cycling and have to start that all over again?

Thanks!

 

[riffraff]

the bacteria wont be really in the water it`ll be growing in your filters, so big water changes are fine and good


riffraff

 

[drobbyb]

Hi abarry01. Two goldfish in a 10 gallon aquarium is the biggest problem, like stated above. Appropriate housing for a single black moor is 30 gallons with over filtration if I remember correctly. Unfortunately your cloudy water problem will most likely not go away on it's own. You are going to need to get a hold of a previously cycled oversized filter. I would recommend one rated for a 50 gallon tank. But the problem you may run into is getting hold of one that is pre-cycled and the current that it will create in a 10 gallon tank. Perhaps you could get some pre-cycled media such as ceramic rings and replace the media in your filters (you are going to need more space than one standard 10 gallon filter provides to accommodate the waste production of two black moor goldfish and 2 clawed frogs) from your local fish shop. The issue is going to be surface area of the media in question and standard filter inserts or filter sponges are not going to have enough. Ceramic rings like those designed to go into canister type filters give quite a bit more surface area than either of the standard types that fit into hang on the back type or under gravel type filters that normally go onto 10 gallon set ups.

 

[tomtomtom1230]

Hi abarry01. Two goldfish in a 10 gallon aquarium is the biggest problem, like stated above. Appropriate housing for a single black moor is 30 gallons with over filtration if I remember correctly. Unfortunately your cloudy water problem will most likely not go away on it's own. You are going to need to get a hold of a previously cycled oversized filter. I would recommend one rated for a 50 gallon tank. But the problem you may run into is getting hold of one that is pre-cycled and the current that it will create in a 10 gallon tank. Perhaps you could get some pre-cycled media such as ceramic rings and replace the media in your filters (you are going to need more space than one standard 10 gallon filter provides to accommodate the waste production of two black moor goldfish and 2 clawed frogs) from your local fish shop. The issue is going to be surface area of the media in question and standard filter inserts or filter sponges are not going to have enough. Ceramic rings like those designed to go into canister type filters give quite a bit more surface area than either of the standard types that fit into hang on the back type or under gravel type filters that normally go onto 10 gallon set ups.

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