Ever experienced the cloudy water problem in your aquarium? There is no single answer as there is no single cause. The colour of the cloudiness should give clue to a couple of basic causes which are highlighted below to aid your understanding.1) White or Grayish Water
- Gravel Residue – Water could get cloudy immediately after setting up a tank with insufficiently washed gravel. Solving this problem is simle by rinsing the gravel and draining the cloudy water.
- Dissolved Constituents – If the cloudiness still persists even after washing the gravel, the next most likely cause of the cloudiness could be due to the existence of a high level of dissolved constituents such as silicates, phosphates or heavy metals. Use the appropriate water conditioners to remove traces of these dissolved constituents should resolve the problem. Alternatively, if your budget allows, use RO (Reverse Osmosis) water for better results.
- Bacterial Blossom - If the cloudiness appears some time later after the tank has been set up, it could most likely due to the bacterial bloom as the new aquarium goes through the initial break in cycle. The cloudiness problem should resolve by itself as the bacterial colonies are established over time to clear wastes from the water. Comat this problem by removing any decaying plants and excess uneaten food, vacuuming the gravel regularly and performing partial water changes. A flocculent may be used to remove particles of debris by clumping them together so they can easily be removed by the filter.
2) Green Water
- Green water is due to algae growth, caused by:
- Excessive Lighting – Direct sunlight or leaving the lights on for too long will result in algae growth. Cut down on the lighting hours or move the aquarium to a location away from direct sunlight.
- Excess Nutrients such as phosphates and nitrates also fuels the algae growth, and can be reduced getting rid of them using appropriate phosphate or nitrate removal products. Phosphates come from decaying matter such as fish food, and water source itself. Nitrates naturally increase in level over time as a result of nitrification process by the bacterial.
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6:34 am on November 8th, 2010
very nice and informative post about aquarium’s water.
2:45 pm on November 11th, 2010
I used to get the Greyish color but not the greenish in color. For my case, it is the food residue. Thanks for the explanations!
10:56 am on November 23rd, 2010
Nice and informative article~ Keep the posts coming