WHY is my fish tank so dirty!! brand new filter, 10 gallon tank?

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drums4life584

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My fish tank is constantly cloudy even after i clean it! I have 5 fish and a frog. 2 of the fish are sort of big, and 3 of them are really small. Im not sure why my tank is so cloudy. I have a filter that is rated for up to 20 gallon tanks!! please help me!
 
I have had the same problem. To make the tank look cleaner you can buy an algae eater or a snail. Hope this helps!
 
It is a algae bloom it will settle down over time and do not overfeed!!! this will cause more problems in the future such as high nitrates and phosphates which become harmful
 
Since your tank is rather small, it can get dirty rather quickly. a general rule of thumb for fish in a tank is an inch of fish per gallon. maybe your two bigger fishes are a bit too big for your tank. also, if your fish are goldfish, they do poop alot.
if your fishtank isn't overpopulated, it might be because you're feeding them too much food. try to feed just a pinch three times a day.
also, make sure to change at least 10% of your water a week. if your tank is too small for all your fishes, buy a bigger tank, and just put your current filter in.
hope this helps :)
 
The new filter is why the tank is cloudy.

When you replace a filter, you remove all of the good bacteria that convert the harmful ammonia to less harmful nitrates. When you get rid of this, you'll experience a bacterial bloom (which is the cloudy water).Just keep on doing water changes and the bacteria will find a place to colonize eventually.

Also don't change the gravel, the bacteria lives there too.
 
first it depends on what kind of fish, but it sounds like you have to many fish. i would take that 20 gallon filter and get a 20 gallon tank.
 
It is probably because the tank, as you describe it, is new and so it is just beginning to cycle. Cloudy water is normal during this time; that is called a "bacteria bloom" and would be the development of the beneficial bacteria that will help your fish feel more comfortable in the tank. It will clear up once your tank has finished cycling, so don't worry.

Here's some more information about the cycling process:
http://www.firsttankguide.net/cycle.php
http://www.algone.com/cycle.php

Also, from my own personal experience I found that while my tank is cycling, if I disturb the gravel in any way (i.e. while siphoning it) the water becomes cloudy, since I have also disturbed the bloom of the beneficial bacteria. It all settles down back at the bottom in a few hours, though.

By the way, what kind of fish do you have? Your tank might be overcrowded since a 10 gallon is quite small. That's another story, however.
 
did u wash your pebbles/rocks/sand out enough. i mean really wash them out?? till the water was clear then rinse them again??? this could be your problem

also what type of filter do you have. Filters with carbon and spounge are good. And look into a bio filter. if you have not got one

how many times an hour does ur filter cycle the water. You can never have too much flitration

and do 25% water change every week and use a gravel pump to get all the crap out of your gravel..

water changes are so important
 
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