Novice aquarium owner. Help please?

[yardsales]

Hi, I am relatively new to being an aquarium owner. I got my own apartment in January and I live here by myself. I am a gardener by profession so I truly enjoy plants and all things living. So I wanted to liven up my new place. I first started by adding some house plants and opening the windows to let some natural light come in, but I still felt like the place was missing something. One day while scouring youtube I came across a popular YouTuber named "The King Of DIY" and was amazed by his passion for fish and thought I should get a fish tank. So being a newbie to this I went to my local pet store and impulsively bought the first fish tank I saw, which was a 5-gallon betta tank and also purchased a couple of fish to add to it. Now at the time, I didn't know how what I was purchasing were Bettas. Long story short I learned through trial and error that is a big no-no. Feeling terrible about that situation I felt like I owed it to the bettas to do a little more research before ever buying another fish. So I studied up on tropical fish and learned how to properly set up, maintain and care for a community tank.
Fast forward to May and I am now an owner of a TopFin 20-gallon hexagon tank and I needed some fish to fill it. I purchased 2 Flame Gouramis, 1 Powdered Blue Gourami, 3 Neon Tetras, 3 Stripped Danios, 2 Orange 'Micky Mouse' Platies, 1 Rose Barb, 2 Guppies and 1 albino Sucker Fish(not sure on the exact name). Everything was going great for about a month when I lost my first fish. It was a neon tetra and sadly the rest were going to follow their friend in the next few days... after the tetras died I felt like I should do a full water change because I was afraid the water was contaminated by the death of the Tetras and the ammonia their bodies released(You can laugh, I did not know better). After the full 20-gallon water change I then lost 1 Flame Gourami and 1 Powdered Blue Gourami. However, with this tragedy, I did gain some valuable knowledge.
Fast forward and it's June 18th. I have not lost any other fish and started to feel like I was getting the hang of this. I was getting tired with the decorations and layout of the tank. So when it was time for my monthly water change I decided I wanted to spice things up a little. I now wanted my fish tank to look as natural as possible. I purchased a new centerpiece, some black and white gravel, and a few live plants. I took my siphon and cleaned the gravel and then removed the old decorations. I siphoned out the old water and added it to a brand new tote. I set up my siphon to where the old water ran through a net before entering the tote so all the debris would be caught in the net. Then I carefully took out my fish and put them in the tote. So I could begin the process of decorating. Once I finished decorating I then added 5 gallons of water I purchased at my local pet store that was already adjusted with the right pH, water hardness, etc. Then I added 15 gallons of the old water that was in the tote and also added the fish at this point. So now I have a full 20-gallons of water in my tank. After adding the new plants and new water I have noticed for the last few days that my water is extremely cloudy. When I do a monthly water change I remove about 25% of the water and then fill it back up with the water that comes out of my refrigerator, I thought this water would somehow be better than regular tap water as it is filtered. Every time I do this I add a water conditioner called Stress Zyme and Stress Coat by the company API. I follow the instructions and add 5ml per 10-gallons of water. I also add a few drops of 'AquaSafe' by the company Tetra. It supposedly makes tap water safe. However, my pH has always been around 7.6 and to my knowledge, it hasn't harmed any of the fish. They all have grown quite a bit since I purchased them and their color looks better than ever.
Now finally, the point I've been trying to get to. Since adding the new gravel, live plants and the water I got from my local pet store I have noticed the water has been extremely cloudy. I thought this was normal and it usually goes away after a few days. But it has been a couple of weeks now and I think it is only gotten worse. I let my girlfriend add the live plants and when she did I think she didn't remove enough of the spongy part that holds the roots together. I fear my fish have maybe swallowed or ate some of this debris and now I do not know whether to siphon out some water to remove the debris or whether to just leave it alone. I do not want to shock the fish by removing too much water in such a short time. I thought I could solve the problem by adding a new filter. I purchased the same brand of a filter; however, the one I got is supposed to be for a 30-40 gallon tank and filters about 80 more gpm than the old one. If someone could give me some advice on whether I should remove the live plants and clean the water or should I get some type of chemical. I truly do not know what to do.

Heres a video of how my tank looks today.
https://vimeo.com/user97675256/review/343706558/3c1e4845c2

 

[Back in the fold]

I envy you your newness to the hobby. This is a great hobby. The learning and the hands on are fun like you will not believe but soon find out. The technical and science advice you will find here is unbelievable. We just may be in the Rennaisance of the hobby if not a renewed Golden Age. Sorry, getting a little geeky. Learn the history of the hobby. Read Dr. Wm. T. Innes' book , "Exotic Aquarium Fishes". Get a subscription to Tropical Fish Hobbyist magazine and start the adventure. And now for the best advice I never took, don't make big changes and wait a while before fixing what isn't broken.

 

[AguirreTheWrathofPlecos]

First off your aquarium vid link is dead as a door nail. States "page not found".

My friend, when I hear stories like yours I cringe. Not because of anything that you've done or not done, but rather the apathetic and thoroughly ignorant people that work in these chain pet stores. Most of what you've done wrong here is because of them. That is assuming that you made it abundantly clear to these store personnel that you are a complete noob, correct? Even if you didn't, how could any imbecile ring up two male bettas and not make certain they weren't going in the same tank? Then there is the snake oil that is preconditioned water. Rubbish! What should have happened is you go in, they sell you a set up and tell you how to set up your tank, and then BEFORE selling you any fish they require you to bring in a sample of water in a clean glass jar/container so that they can test your water and start making community residential recommendations accordingly. They should have told you all about cycling your aquarium and NEVER adding the numbers of fish that you have to such a small brand new tank in the first place. Instead of the mostly thoughtless "money in the till" approach that sees them sell their new novice customer live plants for their brand new aquarium. Good grief! The unconscionable if not thoroughly inept treatment that you've received is sadly not uncommon these days. The FIRST thing that I would recommend that you do is find the oldest and most established small FISH/pet store you can come up with. Look for "family owned", or in business since such and such time.Then politely approach their counter and ask if they would be willing to become YOUR fish store because you are new to the hobby and need to be taught the right and most basic way to keep your fish healthy & thriving so that you can actually enjoy the hobby.

Just one last piece of information as you're taking off in what is an extremely wonderful and rewarding hobby. Three words at this point will keep a smile on your face. Keep It SIMPLE. Don't approach the care of your new tank from a "better fish tanks and gardens", or what is a purely aesthetic perspective. Set it up minimal, keeping your community very limited in size until your tank is fully cycled. You can read about "cycling" your new aquarium on this forum in a thousand different places by searching the word, or you can depend on your local independent fish store to educate you firsthand. If you're in a pet store, no matter how big, that does not rigidly adhere to a business philosophy wherein their new customer is WELL worth 10 minutes of their experience based knowledge and efforts, you're in the wrong store. Just be polite and patient as small successful fish stores are often quite busy in what are high traffic times frames. (weekends and evenings mostly)

And remember: The real mark of a truly great pet store is never indicated by what they sell you. It's indicated by what they will not sell you unless it's right for the life that you're purchasing from them. This is the highest benchmark that there is. Operating a pet store is a serious responsibility that all too few take seriously these days. Don't be a victim of those that don't know that they don't know.

WELCOME to this forum and welcome to the hobby!! You're going to LOVE it!

 

[Naughts]

Hello yardsales,
It's unusual that your cloudy water isn't clearing, you may be right about the fibre/sponge from the p!ant roots. Try doing a daily 25% water change with a gravel clean for a few days and see if it improves.
I would recommend weekly 25% water changes rather than monthly. Frequent water changes are not a problem as long as you de-chlorinate the new water and have a similar temperature. They are particularly advantageous when the tank is cycling.
Also, if you don't text your water, buy a test kit (liquid tests are more likely to be accurate) and keep an eye on the nitrogen cycle, this could be compromised because you changed the gravel and fi!ter.
good luck!

 

[Naughts]

#test not text!

 

[Back in the fold]

That was awesome! That should be printed up and handed out. That was the most well thought out and practical advice I've ever read. Learn it, know it, live it ! Wrath, you are my hero.

 

[yardsales]

Hey, AguirreTheWrathofPlecos. Sorry you can't see the video, I tested the link and it comes up on my screen. Thanks for the reply and advice! I really do appreciate it.
Yes, I have made it abundantly clear that I am certainly a noob and new to this hobby. One of my main problems is I live in a very small town(pop. 380). I am fortunate we have a pet smart 30 minutes away. But I did just find another local, family-owned pet store. They are further away and a lot more expensive but I don't mind because they seem a lot more knowledgable and passionate, also their products seem to be geared more towards experts, but they do have some of the really popular brands like API, and Tetra.
I am just really concerned about my water clarity. The water is extremely milky and has been for about 9 days. I recently added some new gravel. I made sure I washed it thoroughly, and I did add 4 live plants at the same time. I've read about bacteria blooms and algae blooms, but honestly, I am still hazy about those terms. A couple of the plants are decaying and I've considered that to be a factor. I try to avoid putting my hands in the water as much as I possible. But yesterday I did use my siphon to pick up some of that spongey material that the roots are held together with. I forget what that material is called but when I added my plants I tried to peel off as much of it as I could, rinsed them off and then buried them in the gravel. However, my girlfriend did plant one and she did not remove the spongey material. I called the pet store back and they told me this isn't toxic and should not hurt the fish. I already assumed it wasn't toxic, But I worry about some of the fish maybe trying to ingest it.
When I discovered this family-owned pet store I gave them a call and told them my situation. They told me to bring in a sample of my aquarium water. When I got there they did a few tests and everything seemed fine until they did a test for my phosphate levels, and nitrates. The phosphate levels were off the charts. They took a sample of the water, added some drops of a reagent and the colors quickly changed to a very dark blue, almost purple and did not even match any of the corresponding colors that were shown when matching the color to a specific ppm level. Also, the nitrates were about 0.25ppm. They did recommend PhosGuard for me and actually gave me a bottle for $3.99. I am not sure if this is a good deal but I felt like they were truly trying to help. They gave me some pantyhose and explained how to use it. But I am just nervous to add something like that. I read the instructions and it says to add 85ml(1/3 cup) for every 100 gallons of freshwater.
So now I am at the crossroads of whether to try to remove some of the live plants and add the PhosGuard. Or maybe I should keep the plants in there and just add the PhosGuard. But before I do any of that I'd like to get as much advice and knowledge as I can. Simple is better right?
I hope you understand I am not trying to complicate this any further than I already have. I am just trying to explain this as best as I can and voice my concerns.

So, milky water... Can that be a symptom of high phosphate levels? Maybe because of the newly added gravel? Maybe because I just recently added 5 gallons of the water and cleaned the gravel? Or can it be because of the live plants I just added? Or maybe a combination of all of that? I just don't like disturbing the fish and their environment. Hopefully, I clarified my situation and you can provide an explanation.

I took some pictures of all the stuff I have ever purchased or added to the tank, and I also took a video of my fish tank this morning.
Video
Picture

I look forward to your response.