Cloudy aquarium water is a common problem that even experienced aquarists sometimes face. It can be fatal for your fish. To avoid this, you need to understand the causes of this trouble and eliminate them.
Why is the water in the aquarium cloudy?
An aquarium is a microcosm where organisms appear and die. It consists of a subtle relationship between fish, plants and bacteria.
When a new aquarium is set up, a huge number of bacteria build up over the course of a few days and overgrowth in the water. This leads to its clouding. This process is quite normal and natural. Before putting the fish into the aquarium with new water, you just need to wait a few days until it clears itself. Due to lack of food, most bacteria will die out, and the biological balance of the water will normalize. In this case, it is strictly forbidden to change the water, because it will also become cloudy. It is best to add a little water from an old aquarium where the balance has long been established. If there is no such thing, it's okay, the balance in the water will regulate itself, it just takes more time.
Overfeeding of fish can be another cause of cloudy water. Excess feed that your pets do not have time to eat sink to the bottom and begin to rot. As a result, the water starts to deteriorate. In such an environment, the inhabitants of the aquarium cannot feel good, and a long stay in bad water will destroy them.
With a large number of fish in the aquarium and, at the same time, poor water filtration, it becomes cloudy. The inhabitants of such an environment will certainly begin to poison the body with decay products, which will lead to their death.
Cloudy water can be caused by algae. There is a certain species that, when overgrown, leads to a cloudy environment in the aquarium and emits an unpleasant odor at the same time. Another problem may be too much light or excess organic matter on the bottom, which stimulates the rapid growth of microscopic algae, and as a result, water bloom will occur. It becomes opaque with a greenish tint. If there is a lack of light, the plants in the aquarium will turn brown and start to rot, which will ruin the fish's habitat and harm their health.
What to do with cloudy water in an aquarium
It is not difficult to deal with cloudy water, the main thing is to understand the causes of cloudiness and adhere to certain rules in the future.
First you need to determine the cause of the cloudy water. If it consists in overpopulation of the aquarium, then filtration should be intensified or some fish should be moved to another place. If the reason is the accumulation of excess food at the bottom, then you need to reduce the dose of food or purchase bottom fish that will eat up the settled food. If there is a problem with lighting, you need to darken the aquarium or increase the light. In order to prevent the rapid growth of algae, it is recommended to keep fish or snails that eat the plants. In order to maintain biological balance in the aquarium, it is imperative to have a good filter corresponding to the size of the container with water. You need to understand that the water in the aquarium is alive, and in order to maintain a balance, certain conditions must be maintained. At the same time, it is not advised to use chemicals, they can lead to even greater disturbance of the environment and require a longer recovery.
In maintaining the balance in the water, its change plays an important role. After starting up a new aquarium, there is no need to change the water for 2-3 months until the balance is established. Subsequently, the water should be replaced 1-2 times a month. At the same time, draining only 1/5 of the total volume of the aquarium and adding a new one as much. If you change more than half, then the habitat is disturbed, which will lead to the death of the fish. In small aquariums, the water can be changed less frequently, provided a good filter is in place.
