| Keeping the water in your fish tank clean is a | | | | an imbalance in the level of nutrients in the water |
| priority for any Aquarist. Despite water looking | | | | to the levels of bacteria. This may be because |
| clean it may not be safe for fish to live in and can | | | | there are too many fish in the tank. As you go |
| ultimately kill them. Thus water should be tested | | | | through starting up a new aquarium the level of |
| and replaced on a regular basis. You may notice | | | | nutrients to bacteria will stabilize and the cloudiness |
| at times that the water becomes unusually | | | | should dissipate. |
| cloudy. This may cause you some concern that | | | | If the water becomes cloudy in an established |
| your fish may be in danger and that you can't | | | | aquarium then it might be because the filtration |
| see what's going on in the fish tank. This article | | | | process has broken down or that you are putting |
| will examine what causes cloudy fish tank water. | | | | too much food into the tank. |
| Why and how it occurs and how to treat it. | | | | To remove the cloudiness you can do a few |
| The most common cause of cloudy water is | | | | things. |
| what is known as bacterial bloom. Bacterial bloom | | | | You can wait for the tank to become established. |
| is when there is an explosive growth in the | | | | You could add a bacteria starter that will help to |
| numbers of bacteria in the fish tank. Bacterial | | | | process the waste. |
| colonies develop in response to nutrients in the | | | | You can do a partial water change of 10-20% . |
| water. These nutrients are often excess food, | | | | Bacterial bloom is generally not harmful to the |
| fish excrement or plant debris. The bacteria act | | | | aquatic life in the tank so the cloudiness of the |
| as a filtration device in the tank to remove these | | | | water is more detrimental to the viewing of the |
| waste products and make the water safe for fish | | | | tank than anything else. Having said this it is |
| to live in. When the bacterial growth occurs the | | | | always a good idea to test the fish tank water |
| water will appear cloudy or milky. | | | | regularly (as part of a weekly water change for |
| Bacterial bloom can occur when the tank is new. | | | | example) for any pollutants so that you can take |
| It occurs when the tank is new because there is | | | | any remedial action necessary. |