Cloudy water

[RobVG]

Edit: I should have searched the forums first. I think I've found my answer.

I'm not a total beginner but I've only kept a few tanks in the past.

It's an 18-gallon bowfront, under gravel filter with two uplift tubes (air only), and just 2 goldfish.
I moved them from a 5-gallon tank to this one 4 weeks ago. I had this problem with the first tank as well.

For the first week or two the water was clear. Now it's milky. In an effort to clear it up today, I did a 50% water change. (Have been doing 25% about 3 times a week). Afterwards it was still a little cloudy but later in evening it was just like it was before the water change.

I'm wondering if the gravel could be causing it?

A little history: for the earlier 5-gallon tank, I used Petsmart's house brand "Topfin". Its coating was white and continued to flake off no matter how much it was rinsed. Later I read the reviews and there were several reports of it turning the water cloudy, and a few people even said it killed their fish. But the complaints were only about the white not any of the other colors so this time I bought the blue.

Here's the weird part. When I vacuum the gravel gently, I see what looks like normal fish and food waste. If I plunge it into the gravel it brings up a fine white cloud.

With goldfish, I didn't think I was going to need a test kit to keep track of the nitrogen cycle. It likely hasn't cycled yet, but it just doesn't seem like a waste problem? I could easily be wrong. That's where you guys come in

P.S.

It's not as bad as it looks in the picture.

 

[Naughts]

Cloudy water usually rectifies in a few days.

If you moved the filter over from the 5 gallon to this tank, you will be in a better position. The cycle uses beneficial bacteria, a lot of which lives on filter medium (sponges, ceramics, floss). It is best not to clean the filter on a new tank for 6-8 weeks.

Water quality is just as important to goldfish as any other fish so I recommend getting a test kit. Goldfish produce a lot of waste and are sensitive to nitrates so it is important to keep up your good water change schedule, especially as we don’t know if the tank is cycled.

Adding live plants, especially floating ones, will help a lot. And take care not to overfeed.

 

[RobVG]

Cloudy water usually rectifies in a few days.

If you moved the filter over from the 5 gallon to this tank, you will be in a better position. The cycle uses beneficial bacteria, a lot of which lives on filter medium (sponges, ceramics, floss). It is best not to clean the filter on a new tank for 6-8 weeks.

Water quality is just as important to goldfish as any other fish so I recommend getting a test kit. Goldfish produce a lot of waste and are sensitive to nitrates so it is important to keep up your good water change schedule, especially as we don’t know if the tank is cycled.

Adding live plants, especially floating ones, will help a lot. And take care not to overfeed.

Thank you for the advice