How do you guys keep your water so clear?

superrob750 · 3 months

Let your filter keep running dont mess with it.

nightfly13 · 3 months

If I had to guess the problem, it's overfeeding. Do they finish all food within 30sec?

jeddles · 3 months

I wouldn't do 25% daily, that would stress your fish out, 25% weekly is the way to go.

Is your tank over crowded? maybe too many fish in there for the filter to handle?

notjhh · 3 months

Try some filter floss and activated carbon.

Also, I have to agree with jeddles - 25% water changes daily is only hurting things. Try 25% a week instead.

MeinLiebling · 3 months

Make sure you're testing for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate. A lot of the time, the tank doesn't get a good chance to cycle and bacteria will build up in the water column if the filter doesn't have enough micro-filtration. The filter floss and activated carbon that were suggested would be good for giving the bacteria a nice home to live in.

Overfeeding might be the reason that there's a pollution issue. I know from my roommate's experience (I ended up deemed Fish Lady) that guppies always look like they want more food. And they WILL eat whatever you add to the tank. You have to keep in mind that their stomachs and their bellies are totally different stories. Their stomachs are tiny (think about the size of an eyeball, maybe more), but they'll keep eating and keep pooping. You only need to make sure they eat about stomach-size two times a day. Any left-over food that makes it to the bottom of the tank will just foul up your water, and any food that they overeat and don't get a chance to properly digest will also be food that could have just as easily not gone into the tank.

roaringbeast · 3 months

When I started out, I didn't wash my gravel really well during tank setup and ended up with cloudy water. If nothing else works, you might want to try washing it again (of course after taking everything out).

easyRyder9 · 3 months

You should definitely bring a sample of your water to a LFS to have your ammonia and nitrites tested. When/how often have you been changing your filter? There's a pretty decent change your tank is still cycling - read up on biological filtration. Don't replace the filter pad, don't rinse it off for at least a few weeks (and never under hot/cold/chlorinated water). In a small tank like yours, a significant amount of your beneficial bacteria will be present in the filter pad, and by removing this bacteria you are causing a re-cycle. While it's certainly possible that you've been overfeeding, the cloudiness itself likely results from your bacterial filter being unable to handle the amount of waste you're introducing.

What exactly did you do when setting up your tank? Did you immediately add fish or did you perform a fishless cycle? You should strongly consider using a product such as Nutrafin Cycle to get your filter where it needs to be.

noooonan · 3 months

Activated carbon will keep water crystal clear.

mg8100 · 3 months

i have the same issue as you only in a 30gal tank. eventually quit trying to fix it and only did 25% water changes once a week. few weeks after that i had crystal clear water. just need to get the filters time to setup a bacterial colony.

mrcandyman · 3 months

25% water changes DAILY??? No! You need to let the bacteria grow.

Personally, I don't believe in water changing. I prefer a planted aquarium with a decent filter, and just adding water as necessary, and cleaning filter media. Sometimes I'll siphon the bottom if it's getting a build-up. I've had tanks for MANY years and used to manage the fish and reptile department in a pet store. Never had an issue with doing this.

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