| Cloudy aquarium water is suffered by most | | | | keepers hate is green water. This can be caused |
| aquarium keepers at one time or another. There | | | | by a variety of things and depending on the |
| is no single answer to what causes it and the | | | | cause the solution will be different. It is caused by |
| solution usually depends on the color of the water | | | | algae growth and its presence shows that the |
| and the cause. | | | | balance is out in the aquarium. Prevention is the |
| When you are first setting up your aquarium you | | | | best cure here but if you have got green water |
| can sometimes get white or grey cloudy water. | | | | you need to test to find out the cause and then |
| This can be down to the gravel not be washed | | | | deal with it. |
| well enough to start off with simply causing the | | | | Too much light can cause problems in the |
| water to wash out residue from the gravel. | | | | freshwater aquarium. If your tank is in direct |
| Simply start again, drain the tank, rewash the | | | | sunlight that will favor algae growth. Don't leave |
| gravel and refill the tank. One tip is to put a | | | | the lights on for two long. Twelve hours a day of |
| saucer on top of the gravel as you pour in the | | | | between two and four watts per gallon is plenty |
| water. | | | | for the plants. Give more light and the algae will |
| Sometimes the water can react with your gravel | | | | start to outgrow the plants. |
| causing chemicals to leach out of the substrate | | | | Too many nutrients like phosphates and nitrate |
| clouding the water. If you test some of your | | | | swill cause an algae bloom. In a planted aquarium |
| substrate before filling the tank you can usually | | | | you want the plants to take up the nutrients and |
| predict this. Test your water pH, add some | | | | deprive the algae so look after the plants, change |
| substrate and leave for a couple of days before | | | | some to a fast growing variety that will use up |
| testing again. If the pH has risen showing an | | | | more of the nitrates. In the short term, water |
| increase in alkalinity you may well need to change | | | | changes will reduce nutrient levels and help to |
| the substrate or use water conditioners. | | | | control the algae. |
| Once a new tank is set up you can often get a | | | | Phosphates and Nitrates are produced as a result |
| bacterial bloom a few weeks later as the nitrogen | | | | of the nitrogen cycle. Decaying matter in the tank |
| cycle starts. This will settle down in time as the | | | | is converted to phosphates and then nitrates by |
| balance within the tank is found but can be | | | | friendly bacteria. Keep the levels down by having |
| controlled through partial water changes in the | | | | a good routine of cleaning, water changes and |
| early days. Excess food or too much fish waste | | | | good housekeeping. Remove any dead plant |
| can add ammonia to the water as it decays | | | | matter before it decays, don't overstock the fish |
| causing a build up of friendly bacteria. Vacuuming | | | | and only feed then what they can comfortably |
| the gravel when doing regular water changes will | | | | eat in a couple of minutes. Anything not eaten will |
| help to control this until the biological cycle kicks in. | | | | add to the load and potentially cause green water. |
| The other type of cloudy water that all aquarium | | | | |