Aquarium Filter / Cloudy Water solution?

sobeitjedi

Hi.

I bought an aquarium (120L) in November and have used it for some minnows & cold water fish (approx 15 fish).

Seems like no matter what I do, I cannot get the water to be clear.

I have a Fluval U2 filter running.
I've tried Aqua Pure Aquarium Crystals & Interpet Quick Clear Aquarium Treatment - both don't seem to make a difference.
I've also used an AQQA Gravel Cleaner to change some of the tank water too, but although the water is coming out dirty and I'm replacing with clean, there's still an element of cloudiness in the tank.

Any suggestions?

At the moment I'm thinking of replacing the filter? I can't use a filter which sits on the aquarium rim as the tank has a hinged lid so there's no space. Should I opt for an external filter? Been looking at allpondsolutions EF-150? Need the filter to be quiet as it's in a home office.

Any suggestions gratefully received. 

jlfrs01

What you describe here is atypical of a new set-up. The cloudiness is most likely "bacterial bloom" which is a spike in phosphates and ammonia from fish waste and any uneaten food or decaying plants. This is usually exacerbated by over-stocking before the "good bacteria" in filters is established to break these down into less harmful substances.

If you're new to fishkeeping you may be making the common mistake of washing your filter media under the tap which kills off this good bacteria. I'd hold off from replacing your filter for now and try the following:

1: Run your filter at full pelt (it will have a flow adjustor)

2: Feed your fish every other day and only enough food that it's gone in less than a couple of minutes

3: Syphon away any uneaten food on the bottom (top up the water afterwards and always add a water conditioner)

4: Do a weekly 25% water change. Only rinse out the filter media in the syphoned out tank water before putting back in the filter

There's more to read in this link here: https://www.thesprucepets.com/cloudy-aquarium-water-1378803

sobeitjedi

Thanks for the reply.
The filter has been running at full since installation. I think this is why I'm disappointed in the filter - if it's running, why isn't it clearing the cloudy water?
I have been feeding the fish every day, but only a very slight pinch.
There's no food on the bottom that I can see
I have done two 25% water changes in the last 10 days. 

jlfrs01

sobeitjedi said:

Thanks for the reply.
The filter has been running at full since installation. I think this is why I'm disappointed in the filter - if it's running, why isn't it clearing the cloudy water?
I have been feeding the fish every day, but only a very slight pinch.
There's no food on the bottom that I can see
I have done two 25% water changes in the last 10 days. 

It can take several months for the bacteria to colonise in a filter and as it's less than 2 months in I'd hazard a guess it's still too early.
I'm a fan of external power filters, it means you can go big and removing the filter from inside the tank is not only easier for cleaning but aesthetically more pleasing. The one you're thinking of getting looks good to me and the self-priming function is very useful to get the flow going, just remember to give it a jiggle after turning on and after a clean to get rid of any air. A bigger filter should mean more bacteria and that should lead to clear water more quickly. I'd also look to "seed" the filter with more of the Crystals added inside and keep the Fluval running alongside to help speed things up.