Is cloudy water really bad? Dust or not?

by **justkeepswimming** » Sun Oct 22, 2017 8:42 pm

Is cloudy water always a cause for concern? I just don't know how to tell whether it's simply dust or a build up of bacteria.

by **kate_kuhli** » Mon Oct 23, 2017 9:01 am

Is it cloudy just after filling it up (meaning it's a new set up?) or after doing a water change?

by **duskyangel** » Fri Oct 27, 2017 10:02 am

It *can* mean a build up of bacteria. I would always test the water if it's cloudy. Just in case, if nothing else - it couldn't hurt.

by **tetrafan** » Sun Oct 29, 2017 7:04 am

Is it after doing a gravel vacuum? I've found that to happen to me sometimes. Partials of debris in the gravel rise up as you're using the gravel vac and take a little while to settle back down.

by **blenny** » Fri Nov 03, 2017 6:02 am

If it's after gravel vacing that the water gets cloudy than you might need to gravel vac more frequently. That means there's a lot of accumulation in the gravel and all that extra accumulation can add ammonia/nitrites to the water chemistry. Look at how much you're feeding your fish as well. It's common for people to overfeed their fish because of how "starving" they seem all the time and that extra food is part of the accumulation.

by **a201** » Fri Nov 03, 2017 2:36 pm

When aquariums cloud up its not typically a bacterial bloom but instead an algae bloom, which are relatively harmless. Algae blooms result from water chemistry imbalances, often seen in new setups.
If bacteria populations becomes so large as to actually be seen, the results would be catastrophic to your fish.

by **justkeepswimming** » Sun Nov 05, 2017 9:57 pm

The readings are okay, well except that the nitrates are a little high??

There is some algae in the tank that I've been meaning to take care of. That's a relief if that's all it is. An algae bloom being the reason didn't even occur to me!

Is cloudy water really bad? Dust or not?

7 posts