What do i do about cloudy water in my aquarium??? [Archive]

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katieklop68

10-30-05, 10:34 PM 10-30-05

I have a 30 gallon aquarium with goldfish and a betta. Ive tried everything I can think of and nothing has worked so far. I've put in a filter to get rid of amonia, Ive tried two different types of drops to remove cloudiness, and i change the charcoals and filters regularly. Ive changed food and feeding times ( I thought I might be overfeeding). But the water is STILL cloudy. The fish seem happy and it doesnt seem to bother them at all, it just looks bad. Does anyone know whats causing it, and how I can clear the water??? Thanks.

Sorathien

10-30-05, 10:54 PM 10-30-05

well, for one, goldfish are cold water fish, and bettas are tropical. also, goldfish get 10-14" long and bettas stay about 4" long (including tails). they should NOT be housed together.

second, how many goldfish are there, and how big are they?

mr gerbil

10-31-05, 04:56 AM 10-31-05

How many goldfish are there?

Goldfish are coldwater fish, bettas are tropical fish. They should not be kept together- find the betta a tropical tank.

Also, how long have you had the goldfish for?

And finally, do you have a water test kit? Water conditions are often a problem with cloudy water. If you don't have one, pet/fish shops will usually test the water for free.

shev

10-31-05, 02:08 PM 10-31-05

Could be a number of things, bacterial bloom from excess nutrients (over feeding and too much fish waste) or maybe an ammonia/nitrite spike, which would mean youre not finished cycling. could be the early stages of green water, goldfish are the number 1 fish for causing greenwater (which is a suspended algae).

Be patient, keep up with your water changes, and increase the amount of water changed. dont overfeed. and dont use any chemicals that claim to fix the problem.

katieklop68

10-31-05, 03:16 PM 10-31-05

There are 3 goldfish and the betta. The pet store told me that bettas were pretty much the only tropical fish that I could house with goldfish because they were aggressive enough that the goldifish wouldnt mess with them or try to eat them (one of my goldfish is bigger than the others), and that they could handle colder water. So far the betta is working out just fine, Ive had him over a month and he seems happy. I've had two of the goldfish for 2 years now and the other one for a couple months. Ive never heard of anything called greenwater....is it harmful?
And I realize that goldfish put off a lot of waste, so I keep the filters clean all the time. What do you mean "Im not finished cycling"?
And how much and how often do I need to change the water (you said to increase this)? Thanks.

Shrelana

10-31-05, 04:01 PM 10-31-05

I thought my bettas were happy in 1/2 gallon bowls of cool/cold water (room was cold), I was totally surprised when I put Osiris in a 10 gallon with the water temperature set at 78. You might be as well if you put your betta in warmer water....

shev

10-31-05, 04:28 PM 10-31-05

I was referring to the nitrogen cycle. fish produce ammonia which is made into ntirtes by bacteria, which is then made into nitrates from another kind of bacteria. then the nitrates are removed through regular water changes or plants. thats the cycle. if you dont have a large enough bacterial colony to convert all of the ammonia to nitrites and nitrites to nitrates, then you arent finished cycling. nitrites and ammonia in the water will cloud it up.

Cottontail

10-31-05, 04:46 PM 10-31-05

Very true. He knows what he's talking about.

The betta will definately be happier in water about 75-80 degrees, as mentioned before.

The cloudy water may be due to overfeeding. Has anything changed from your normal routine recently?

katieklop68

10-31-05, 06:30 PM 10-31-05

The water in my tank is usually about 76-78 degrees....and the goldfish dont mind.

I feed them once a day, and nothing has changed in my normal routine. And they eat all of the food that I give them. Could it be the type of food?

mr gerbil

10-31-05, 11:08 PM 10-31-05

I wouldn't think it would be food, unless a large amount was being wasted and decomposing in the tank.
Get the water tested.
Also, regarding the betta...he should really be in a tank of his own- both because of goldfish being coldwater fish, and because they create a lot of waste.
And regarding the golds, you might have to think about upgrading them soon. That's just an estimate, as I don't know how big they are...could you post a picture?