Help! struggling with faulty heater & cloudy water

have a problem.
a few months back in 2022 i got a 20 gallon tank and setup for my birthday(i originally had a 10 gallon for about 3 years) and ever since i got this tank it’s always cloudy. no matter what or how i clean it. and when i say cloudy, i mean CLOUDY. not dirty, but it looks like there is a giant smoke cloud in my fish tank less than three days after cleaning.

i only have one fish in my tank right now(my cichlid is insane, but that’s a topic for another day) so i doubt it’s them clouding the water.
anyways, i was in the middle of cleaning it a few minutes ago, and i leaned forward to flip the switch so water pours into my tank, i smelt.. burning? like melting burn.
of course i flipped out and was sniffing ever inch of my tank, half expecting it to be a faulty filter seeing as the tank wasn’t getting clean, but it wasn’t.
i leaned over to my heater and gave it a sniff, and that was it. it smelled horrible, like burning plastic .
the water was maybe a half inch away from the bottom of the heater, and i was WATCHING the heater smoke. of course i quickly unplugged it , and called my dad who bought the tank for me (he didn’t pick up, W father) .
i want to know if anyone on here knows what’s going on! every time i test it it’s fine, nothing wrong with anything, my fish is fine, but i wonder if the clouding came from the smoking heater. anyone help? pls?

 

the water was maybe a half inch away from the bottom of the heater, and i was WATCHING the heater smoke.

You are not supposed to turn on the heater when it's not fully submerged in the water. It may be toast and you might have to get a new one.

i mean CLOUDY. not dirty, but it looks like there is a giant smoke cloud in my fish tank less than three days after cleaning.

How are your water parameters? Have you tested recently? If the cloudy water is due to a bacterial bloom then you may be making it worse by doing frequent water changes. To combat that, you are supposed to let it ride and let the good bacteria in your tank to catch up to clear it. Maybe you have some food stuck in the substrate decaying? Increase filtration and aeration as the bacterial bloom will consume Oxygen depleting O2 levels in the tank. Cut back on feeding and wait it out and just do your normal schedule water changes. If you can, test your water if you haven't yet with a test kit just to make sure water parameters are in check.

 

You are not supposed to turn on the heater when it's not fully submerged in the water. It may be toast and you might have to get a new one.

How are your water parameters? Have you tested recently? If the cloudy water is due to a bacterial bloom then you may be making it worse by doing frequent water changes. To combat that, you are supposed to let it ride and let the good bacteria in your tank to catch up to clear it. Increase filtration and aeration as the bacterial bloom will consume Oxygen depleting O2 levels in the tank. Cut back on feeding and wait it out and just do your normal schedule water changes. If you can, test your water if you haven't yet with a test kit just to make sure water parameters are in check.

i test my water before and after i clean it with a test kit, not strips or anything like that i take samples of my water and do droplet tests and everytime i do them they come back fine.
i’ve worried that it was too much food or waste, and cut back on food before, i do it all the time just to see if it changes anything and it doesn’t
about the heater though it was probably dumb of me to leave it on, i’m not too smart with the electronic side of my fish tank, normally my dad helps me out with that stuff

 

You might be also cleaning TOO much. Overcleaning can make your system out of wack. Are you also cleaning your filter? If yes, how so? Bacterial blooms can take anywhere from a few days to several weeks to clear up depending on the tank environment. Feel free to post a pic of the tank.

 

You might be also cleaning TOO much. Overcleaning can make your system out of wack. Are you also cleaning your filter? If yes, how so? Bacterial blooms can take anywhere from a few days to several weeks to clear up depending on the tank environment. Feel free to post a pic of the tank.

i have a feeling i don’t clean too much, i clean maybe once every week (mostly on sundays or saturdays) and if i get busy i might skip a week and end up cleaning on a wednesday or something. i normally rinse my filter with water i’ve had out to like de-chlorinate it or sometimes i’ll use the water drained from the tank if i drain into a bucket or if the water is good looking enough. i wish i would’ve got a pick of the tank before i cleaned it

i have a feeling i don’t clean too much, i clean maybe once every week (mostly on sundays or saturdays) and if i get busy i might skip a week and end up cleaning on a wednesday or something. i normally rinse my filter with water i’ve had out to like de-chlorinate it or sometimes i’ll use the water drained from the tank if i drain into a bucket or if the water is good looking enough. i wish i would’ve got a pick of the tank before i cleaned it

and i’m confused on why my water is so cloudy because it’s not like there’s new algae or anything on the structures inside or the glass, it looks like a fog in the tank, not a dirt.

 

Filter should not be cleaned weekly. Leave the filter media do it’s job and establish the bacteria. The good stuff lives in your filter media, leave the filter alone for a few weeks. If your filter is getting clogged for some reason, you have other issues. Just a question, why are you rinising/cleaning your filter so much??

 

Filter should not be cleaned weekly. Leave the filter media do it’s job and establish the bacteria. The good stuff lives in your filter media, leave the filter alone for a few weeks. If your filter is getting clogged for some reason, you have other issues. Just a question, why are you rinising/cleaning your filter so much??

i most definitely dont clean the filter every week, im really forgetful and maybe rinse the filter every two or three cleans.. genuine question, did i say that i cleaned it weekly? i may have gotten mixed up in my frantic state of earlier today.