I rinsed it well in a bucket of water twice (until the water ran clear) as well as boiled it to sterilize. My water isn't cloudy, there is just this sludge on everything and it didn't start out that way either, it just formed over time. It's not affecting any of the inhabitants, just more of an eyesore. I would think that if it was clay that six months of water changes and vacuuming would have eventually cleared it up which is why i am baffled.
edit: The cloudiness i was referring to is from when i do water changes. The particles are so small that they take forever to sink back down to the bottom of the tank. My parameters are normal,
ammonia 0, nitrites 0, nitrates .5 and my
pH is 7.6. I feed twice a day flakes in the morning, a couple sinking pellets at night with the occasional veggie treat. lights are mostly off and if they are on its for about 4 hours tops.
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