Aquarium Water Problems

Having a freshwater aquarium can be an exciting and wonderful experience, however, before you rush off to the nearest pet store to begin your new hobby, there are some things you should know about the puzzling but generally easy to solve water problems that new aquarium owners everywhere come across regularly:

Cloudy Water

In the case of cloudy water, there are many reasons this occurs, which means that there will usually be more than one cause for it and you’ll have to narrow it down as best you can. Here are some of the culprits:

White or Gray Water

1. Gravel Residue — Water which clouds up immediately, or within a couple of hours after the tank has been filled most likely owes its cause to gravel that has not been washed enough. The answer to this is simple. Empty the tank and rinse the gravel again until the water runs clear. 

2. Dissolved Constituents – If dirty gravel turns out not to be the problem, then it’s time to consider another likely cause, dissolved constituents. These can be phosphates, silicates, or heavy metals. While they are necessary in every tank, too high a level will cause the water to cloud up. Now you need to test the water, because the pH level (alkaline) is probably too high. Treating the water with conditioners should take care of the problem.

Something else to consider is buying RO (Reverse Osmosis) water. Not only will it clear up your cloudy water, but it has many other benefits as well. If your local fish shop doesn’t sell the water itself, it may sell units for making RO water.

3. Bacterial Bloom — Cloudy water may not be evident on the day you first fill your aquarium. It can show up days, weeks, or months later. If that’s what happens it can usually be attributed to bacterial bloom. You have to remember that your new aquarium has just begun adjusting to the initial break in cycle, and this causes the water to cloud up. What needs to happen is that bacterial colonies that are able to clear wastes from the water need time to develop. This process could take anywhere from several weeks to several months before it’s completion. As time passes the water will gradually become clearer.

Be careful not to fall victim to the urge to buy a lot of fish at one time and place them in the tank. This will overwhelm your filter and it won’t be able to do its work of cleaning the water because the helpful bacteria that need to grow haven’t developed yet. So it is important that you add fish slowly over a 6 to 8 week period while you “break-in” the tank.  

Another source for the cloudy water in bacterial bloom is decaying plants or excess food. The problem can be kept under control relatively easily. Be sure to keep the aquarium as clean as possible by removing debris such as decaying plants and uneaten food, vacuuming the gravel regularly, and performing partial water changes. It is also important to feed your new fish only lightly. All the food should be gone within 5 minutes after you’ve given it to them. You can even cut back feeding to every second or third day, which will cut down on excess food decay.  

If changing the water and vacuuming fail to remove all the particles of debris in the tank, a flocculent will do the job. Flocculates make particles of debris clump together so they can easily be removed by the filter. They are sold as water clarifiers, and your local fish shop should carry them.

4. Water Changes — If you notice that once you change the water it clouds up again, this is probably because the water coming directly out of the tap is cloudy. The solution for this is to let your water age a day or two before putting it into your tank.

5. Green Water — The reason for this occurring is simple — algae growth. However, getting rid of the problem isn’t so easy. Green water has a variety of causes:

  Too Much Light – Keeping the aquarium in direct sunlight, or leaving the lights on too long will cause algae to grow. So you need to move the aquarium to a new location where it will not be in direct sunlight, and cut back on the amount of time the lights are on.  

  Excess Nutrients — Nutrients such as phosphates and nitrates are a main cause of algae growth. Their levels must be reduced or you will not win the algae battle. Changing the water will help, but in most cases it won’t solve the problem permanently. Phosphates and nitrates must be nipped in the bud right at their source in order for you to rid your tank of them.

  Phosphates – Phosphates have two sources — the most obvious is decaying matter such as fish food, but they can also come from the water source itself. If the trouble is overfeeding, you can handle that easy enough by giving your fish less food. Dealing with a water problem is a little harder. You must test your tap water in order to determine if it has a high level of phosphate. If that’s the case, then you need to use RO water or a phosphate remover to treat the water. 

  Nitrates – There isn’t anything you can do to prevent nitrates from developing in the water of your tank as they are a byproduct of fish wastes. The only way to remove them is to change the water. Be sure and keep your filter clean, and make certain you haven’t overstocked your aquarium, or your nitrate levels will remain high.