I'm depressed!

[ravekiss]

No matter what I tried my tank doesnt ever stay crystal clear. I upgraded from 10g to 20g. For about a week the 20g only had about 9-10 small fish, yet it would get cloudy. I tried everything. I'm getting very depressed everytime I look at the tank. I vacuum the gravel ever so often. Do regular water changes. Feed only what the fish could eat in about 2 mins. I tried runng 2 filters for weeks (Aqua Clear 50 & Whisper 20). Tried jungle water clear, tried Accu-Clear. My tank is so cloudy that if you look through one side (length wise), you cant see thru the other at all. I am so depressed.

[TheOldSalt]

Cheer up.

Stop meddling so much with your tank. You just set it up and dumped a bunch of fish in it, so of COURSE it's going to be cloudy. That's just what happens as the bacteria have a population explosion so big that you can see them. They die back in a little while, provided you quit messing with things, and the water will be clear again. There's really nothing you can do about it without making a real mess of things, so just let it pass. All those things you've been doing to clear the water are only making the problem worse, because you are preventing the bacteria from eating up the ammonia and nitrite, which not only poisons the fish, but means there's that much more food for the bacteria to eat and continue multiplying, leaving you with cloudy water. Just leave it alone and watch what happens over the next week or so, but first do another water change to dilute the accu-clear, which is only really making things worse.

[MyraVan]

I'm still pretty new to fishkeeping, but it seems to me that doing what you mention in your other post (reducing your overstocking) would help you get rid of your cloudy water. You've got way too many fish in that tank! I bet that if you had left it at the 9-10 small fish level that you started with, it would have cleared up long ago.

[Mr Aquarium]

My Mom has a 20g and I had all my fish in there with her's, she is running a AC300 on hers and her water is spotless, when i would get in there and move things around stiring up the gunk in there it would only tank 45m to an hour and it was clear again,
Just upgrade to a AC300 and your troubles of cloudy water will proly be over.

[Scuba Kid]

i agree with oldsalt. the tank will be a little cloudy at first during your cycle. just leave it be for a while and it will clear up.

[Fishfirst]

check your water parameters... see how far along you are.

[UgLy_eLf]

Agreed leave your tank alone for a while.

Some other stuff you could try that wont desturb your tank:

Put a little more carbon in the filter.
Check if you're over feeding, I over fed a couple of times and the water stayed cloudy for nearly a week.

[turtlehead]

IT's cycling, baterial bloom. Stop adding chemicals in the wat, it'll go away soon enough, don't change the filter.

[fishfreaks]

i agree with everything mentioned above, we had the same problem. we did a water change and let the tank be, and it cleared up on its own!

[Cichlid Man]

No offence Ravekiss, but you always seem to have so many problems with your fish tank, fish dieing and and now leading to "depression" don't you begin think that fish keeping isn't really your thing. It if it, then shouldn't you do ALL your research before going out and buying fish? I mean you seem to have been keeping fish for such a long time but you always seem to be having problems with them. If I sound rude then I don't mean to be, but every post I read of yours makes fish keeping sound so difficult, fish keeping is a joy to me, and I hardly have any deaths or water problems (not boasting).
I mean, whats the point of keeping fish if you don't enjoy it.

[Damon]

Though the tank is still cycling, you may want to look at a different viewpoint also.
It will stay cloudy until established but your filter media may not be adequate. A smaller micron polyfiber media may be the route for you in the future.

[nuthingspecial]

yeah dont worry. it will clear up. what kinda fish do you have in it? btw my 30 gal fish tank it almost ready, or i think atleast since the nitrites are almost gone and the nitrates are at about 15, and it doesnt have any cloudiness

[ravekiss]

I love pets and all animals but I cant have anything other than fish in my apartment...before I moved here I had 3 cats and a dog. All I have now are my fish. After the dog and cats and before I had my tank I always felt a part of me missing. It completed me when I bought fish...I love them dearly, they make me very happy.

[chrisinha]

that's what is important: you love your fish!
the water will cleared up (i had the same problem with my turtle's tank a while ago), you just have to be patient. think this way: you're learning!

[fishouttawater]

Okay, I am VERY NEW to a large tank. Just two weeks ago we got a 29 gallon tank. Until then for years we have just had a 5 gallon with one goldfish. I started cycling with no fish. Read tons of stuff on here, the day AFTER I put in 5 fish. The first day, the water was clear, the next morning I got up and said, OMG, cause it was sooooo cloudy. I was so worried that all the fish were going to die. I got on here and read this forum site, for hours. I left the cloudy water for two days, and then did a 25% water change. Now my water is crystal clear, and gorgeous, my fish are so happy, and are actually silly during water changes, come and look at the gravel vac and watch me. The thing i have NEVER done, not ONE SINGLE TIME, is put any chemicals in it. I test religiously everyday, I have all the chemicals under the sun, (actually a little laboratory), but, be patient, and don't fiddle. READ READ READ. These people, I have noticed a handful in particular, know what they are talking about. This site is so valuable to me, you have no idea. and another, thank you thank you thank you to all who post here, and answer my questions. Soon.....I will be asking lots about plants.....after I am done reading that section, i nearly have this place memorized.

[Lexus]

did you mean to post this as a reply or as a new topic?

[fishouttawater]

Me? No, i ramble on too long, my point was, listen and wait, and don't mess with chemicals, i did and it worked, and that reading other posts will help, that is all, sorry, i really am long winded.