Established tank problem with cloudy water

Hi everyone, I’ve been through a lot of posts and cannot find answers to my issue, I hope you can help. I have 1 goldfish in a 30g tank, Fluval U3 filter and no matter what I do I cannot get the water clear. I have tried water changes daily and 3 or 4 times per week and even after the water change it’s not clear for a while then cloudy, it’s cloudy straight away I’d doesn’t matter if it’s a 30% change or a large change. I test the water almost daily with the API freshwater test kit and the readings are always the same PH 7.6 ammonia 0 nitrites 0 and nitrates about 30ppm I cannot tell the exact reading of the nitrates although they are never 0. I’m going on holiday soon for 11 nights and am worried about leaving the water in this condition incase it harms him but I really don’t know what else to do. Please help.

 

How long have you had the tank set up like it is? It could be dust from the substrate.. I have made that mistake before... I would suggest it may be a bacterial bloom but that will usually cause ammonia levels to spike, same with waste and old food from over feeding. Have you wiped the inside of the glass? I know that sounds silly but I have worried myself before only to clean the glass and find out it wasn't so bad. Id also check that your filter is working correctly and doesnt have a clog or a mechanical problem. Unrelated, I think it would be a good idea to introduce a friend for your goldfish once your tank is in better shape. I believe that some fish need a buddy, goldfish being one of them. I dont know if this will help much but I can imagine some live plants would help with some cloudiness. I am a total novice when it comes to that and right now I have very few living plants in my tanks, although I did just order some floating plants online since they are supposed to be a bit easier to keep.

I will copy some information I found regarding cloudy water, I hope it helps and keep us posted, keep doing water changes and keep testing/troubleshooting your water issue, im sure i won't be the only one to learn from you!

"Cloudy water occurs for many reasons, like when the filter fails due to power or mechanical failure, or if beneficial bacterial colonies die off due to the use of medications or a sudden change in water conditions"

"...Dust from the gravel if it was not thoroughly rinsed can turn the water cloudy. Bacterial blooms can also make the water appear cloudy, until the beneficial bacteria settle onto a surface to grow. If too much food is added to the aquarium, not only will the dissolving food make the water cloudy, but new bacteria growing to consume the extra nutrients will make the water cloudy."

"If the filter becomes too dirty it will lose its filtering capacity and the water may become cloudy. Water changes, cleaning the filter, increased filtration, and commercial chemicals added to precipitate suspended particles in the water will all help make the water clear again"

"The use of rocks in your aquarium can affect water chemistry. It is often very difficult to know how and if a rock will affect your water. But, there are some ways to determine if the rocks you are about to use in your aquarium are safe or not. If adding vinegar or other acid on the surface of the rock causes any bubbling, it is best not to use it in the aquarium"

"In freshwater aquariums, using gravel made from limestone, dolomite, aragonite, crushed coral or oyster shells will raise the hardness and pH of the water. It is better to use a quartz gravel for freshwater aquariums if the fish are not a species that requires the water to have a high pH (basic) or alkalinity. Always thoroughly rinse any rocks or gravel being use in a aquarium to remove any contaminants and dust."

"Does the water have foam on the surface? If you take some water and put it in a closed container and shake it, does it produce foam? Foam is an indicator of protein wastes in the water."

"It’s actually a good thing to have your fish go without food for a day to let their digestive systems settle down. Excess food is problematic and can lead to cloudy aquarium water. The only fish you don’t want to do this with would be fish who lack stomachs, like goldfish" --just something i never knew about goldfish and wanted to share

Ill send more later if I can, I hope any of this helps!

 

Wow, thank you for your reply, and the information. He has been in this tank for 6 months and haven’t had much of an issue with the water until recently, I almost always clean the glass when I do a water change and rinse the filter sponges in the tank water, I’m obsessed with the filter working. The ammonia is reading 0 thankfully. I have always been unsure about how much I should be feeding him as there is lots of different advice out there. As much as he can consume in 2 minutes but when I feed him gel food he can eat a piece in seconds as it is just mushy, if I feed him peas he just swallows the halves whole or chews for a few seconds then they are gone. I can say apart from if I feed him a pinch of sinking pellets there is never any food left decomposing as he is always sifting through the sand. So am I not to starve him? I think he would probably break through the tank if I didn’t. I would love to have a friend for him but I’m scared of disease which a new fish could pass on.

I don’t think I have foam on the top of the tank just bubbles from the filter and air stone but that’s a good test.

I do have a couple of stones in the tank which I purchased especially for aquariums but I will still carry out the vinegar test.

So should I be changing the water daily or every few days to see if it settles, I’m unsure?

Thank you so much for your advice it’s much appreciated.

 

Yeah it's a bioload issue. There is no way a comet can stay in a 30 gallon long term... they grow up to a foot and usually need to be in ponds. I'm not surprised your water is cloudy. The small tank and filter can simply not keep up with the bioload of the fish. That is why you cannot keep your water clear, especially if you are changing your filter. He already looks too big yet stunted from his environment. I highly suggest upgrading or rehoming him.

 

Wow, thank you for your reply, and the information. He has been in this tank for 6 months and haven’t had much of an issue with the water until recently, I almost always clean the glass when I do a water change and rinse the filter sponges in the tank water, I’m obsessed with the filter working. The ammonia is reading 0 thankfully. I have always been unsure about how much I should be feeding him as there is lots of different advice out there. As much as he can consume in 2 minutes but when I feed him gel food he can eat a piece in seconds as it is just mushy, if I feed him peas he just swallows the halves whole or chews for a few seconds then they are gone. I can say apart from if I feed him a pinch of sinking pellets there is never any food left decomposing as he is always sifting through the sand. So am I not to starve him? I think he would probably break through the tank if I didn’t. I would love to have a friend for him but I’m scared of disease which a new fish could pass on.

I don’t think I have foam on the top of the tank just bubbles from the filter and air stone but that’s a good test.

I do have a couple of stones in the tank which I purchased especially for aquariums but I will still carry out the vinegar test.

So should I be changing the water daily or every few days to see if it settles, I’m unsure?

Thank you so much for your advice it’s much appreciated.

I cant believe that is a 30 gallon tank! He is so much larger than I realized. I would definitely upgrade him, especially after seeing the last comment was posted-- and they sound a lot more certain than either of us . I have never had this type of fish and I am learning all of the time--and theres such a learning curve because stores will say one thing, online sites another... that's why I love this forum. Its SUCH a relief to have somebody take a look at what you've got and give you first hand knowledge and advice. Each type of fish has such special requirements, it really is such a science as well as intuition. I have african dwarf frogs in a 10 gallon and betta fish each in their own 10 gallon tanks (cause I didnt plan at all.. I jumped in and then realized how foolish that was afterwards haha). Good luck! Also, very funny about your goldfish eating haha. I know its good for some fish to fast for a day or two for digestive reasons but I had no idea goldfish have no stomachs.

 

The bacteria is having a hard time keeping up with that large bioload IMO

 

I’m so upset, I haven’t got a pond, he is my baby so will upgrade the tank as soon as possible.

 

I’m so upset, I haven’t got a pond, he is my baby so will upgrade the tank as soon as possible.

I hope the best for you both!

 

Ok so. I read and reread this thread about a dozen times. One thing comes to me.
1. You say you had the tank for 6 months now.
2. You say this is new, it wasn't always like this.
3. You say water changes and filter cleanings haven't done anything to change it, it's just as cloudy.
4. Water tests are fine.

Now observations from the picture of the tank.
1.The water isn't cloudy so much as its "blurry" kind of like saltwater when it meets freshwater and mixes kind of like brackish water appearing.
2. The substrate is a sand. And looks maybe 2" deep?

When you do water changes do you disturb the substrate every time to the bottom of the tank? Stir it up to oxygenated it?
I have a suspicion that you have anoxic zones in the substrate, compacted pockets in the sand down low that don't get much oxygen and produce nitrogen gas, methane gas, hydrogen gas, hydrogen sulfide, ect. Depending on what carbons and what bacteria might have established, but those zones, with time if left undisturbed and not purposely created and controlled, can lead to a situation where its always cloudy "blurry", but not necessarily dangerous or toxic because it's not significant enough off gassing but significant enough to funk up the water no matter what you try short of oxygenating the sand real good every so often with water changes.

So yeah, do you stir up the bottom really good with water changes or just change water and mess with the surface of the sand a bit?

I could be way off base.. not sure. But I'd think if it was a bacteria die off it would show in the tests, If it was bioload and waste it should show in the algae growth. If it was dust in the substrate, that should settle and should have been a constant problem for the last 6 months.

I'm kind of grasping at straws here to figure it out and that's about all I can come up with as a reason for what I'm seeing and what you said is going on.

 

Ok so. I read and reread this thread about a dozen times. One thing comes to me.
1. You say you had the tank for 6 months now.
2. You say this is new, it wasn't always like this.
3. You say water changes and filter cleanings haven't done anything to change it, it's just as cloudy.
4. Water tests are fine.

Now observations from the picture of the tank.
1.The water isn't cloudy so much as its "blurry" kind of like saltwater when it meets freshwater and mixes kind of like brackish water appearing.
2. The substrate is a sand. And looks maybe 2" deep?

When you do water changes do you disturb the substrate every time to the bottom of the tank? Stir it up to oxygenated it?
I have a suspicion that you have anoxic zones in the substrate, compacted pockets in the sand down low that don't get much oxygen and produce nitrogen gas, methane gas, hydrogen gas, hydrogen sulfide, ect. Depending on what carbons and what bacteria might have established, but those zones, with time if left undisturbed and not purposely created and controlled, can lead to a situation where its always cloudy "blurry", but not necessarily dangerous or toxic because it's not significant enough off gassing but significant enough to funk up the water no matter what you try short of oxygenating the sand real good every so often with water changes.

So yeah, do you stir up the bottom really good with water changes or just change water and mess with the surface of the sand a bit?

I could be way off base.. not sure. But I'd think if it was a bacteria die off it would show in the tests, If it was bioload and waste it should show in the algae growth. If it was dust in the substrate, that should settle and should have been a constant problem for the last 6 months.

I'm kind of grasping at straws here to figure it out and that's about all I can come up with as a reason for what I'm seeing and what you said is going on.

Thank you for your reply, I do on the odd occasion dig right into the sand all around the tank to break it up but not too often as I thought that would make the water cloudy and the sand is disturbed when I pour the new water in. I recently removed the black carbons separately in the Fluval U3 filter and replaced just with sponge and it appears to have worsened since doing that, I do have new carbons so I might put them back in to see if it helps. Separately of course at different times.

I really appreciate you taking the time to read my post and respond. Thank you.

 

Stop playing with the filter. The carbon is worthless after a few weeks anyway. However it was a home to some bacteria. Just leave the cartridge alone , leave it as is. Yes you can rinse them very occasionally but stop changing whatever you have in there it’s all a home for bacteria. Black fabric or foam it’s all a home for bacteria just as much as the ceramic media in the U 3 . ( edit even the plastic case of the U3 is a home for bacteria)

You could add more filters to help. That way when you gently rinse one filter the others are not disturbed .

Also .
Every hard surfaces is a home for bacteria. Stop touching the glass and gravel until the tank returns to as it was. Don’t even clean that rock ,it has the beneficial bacteria on it. When the water returns to the colour it was you can clean ONE panel of glass. The next week clean some gravel. The following week clean the rock.

One description for cleaning a filter that i have read is to dunk it like a tea bag.

I have a U3 in a 32 gallon along with a large sponge filter and a box filter.


Short answer.
Do a few extra water changes until the bacteria numbers grow back to a full house.

 

Stop playing with the filter. The carbon is worthless after a few weeks anyway. However it was a home to some bacteria. Just leave the cartridge alone , leave it as is. Yes you can rinse them very occasionally but stop changing whatever you have in there it’s all a home for bacteria. Black fabric or foam it’s all a home for bacteria just as much as the ceramic media in the U 3 . ( edit even the plastic case of the U3 is a home for bacteria)

You could add more filters to help. That way when you gently rinse one filter the others are not disturbed .

Also .
Every hard surfaces is a home for bacteria. Stop touching the glass and gravel until the tank returns to as it was. Don’t even clean that rock ,it has the beneficial bacteria on it. When the water returns to the colour it was you can clean ONE panel of glass. The next week clean some gravel. The following week clean the rock.

One description for cleaning a filter that i have read is to dunk it like a tea bag.

I have a U3 in a 32 gallon along with a large sponge filter and a box filter.
View attachment 846032
Short answer.
Do a few extra water changes until the bacteria numbers grow back to a full house.

Thank you, my tank used to be as clear as yours! I will continue to do extra water changes but I will leave the filter and everything else alone, I cleaned everything again yesterday . I really appreciate your advice.

 

Hi everyone, I’ve been through a lot of posts and cannot find answers to my issue, I hope you can help. I have 1 goldfish in a 30g tank, Fluval U3 filter and no matter what I do I cannot get the water clear. I have tried water changes daily and 3 or 4 times per week and even after the water change it’s not clear for a while then cloudy, it’s cloudy straight away I’d doesn’t matter if it’s a 30% change or a large change. I test the water almost daily with the API freshwater test kit and the readings are always the same PH 7.6 ammonia 0 nitrites 0 and nitrates about 30ppm I cannot tell the exact reading of the nitrates although they are never 0. I’m going on holiday soon for 11 nights and am worried about leaving the water in this condition incase it harms him but I really don’t know what else to do. Please help.

Your goldfish is absolutely phenomenal, is that just a “feeder fish” type of gold fish you see all crammed in the big box stores? Seeing one grown out like that tempts me to try 1 aswell