by Callista Meyer

Created on: October 21, 2008

Keeping a tank clean when you have fish can sometimes be an daunting task. Vacuuming, scrubbing the sides and 30-50% water changes weekly can sometimes still not be enough.There are many reasons why your aquarium may become infected by cloudy or grayish colored water. By taking into the color and circumstances as to when it appears you can narrow the causes down to a few simple solutions.

If your aquarium water turns cloudy or grayish tinged after you have filled the tank, chances are your gravel was insufficiently cleaned. This can occur immediately after filling your tank or an hour or two later. To solve this dilemma, you simply need to drain your tank of all water and rinse the gravel until it runs clear. This is one of the most common causes of cloudy discolored water.

If cleansing the gravel does not solve your dilemma, the next step is to test your ph balance in your aquarium. A high pH level means there are undissolved constituents like phosphates, heavy metals and silicates. If your ph balance comes back high/alkaline, you will need to treat your tank with a water conditioner sold in many pet stores for a reasonable price. Another option is to use Reverse Osmosis water which will need to be purchased directly from your pet store or they may be aware of where to purchase units that will reverse the osmosis in your own tap water for you to use.

As your new tank continues through it's cycle of life, you may find that the water does not discolor until months after you have it set up. It takes up to 3 months for your aquarium to build bacterial blossoms strong enough to rid the water of wastes. Overtime, this cloudiness will deteriorate on its own. Decaying plants and/ or food will also assist in this bacterial cloudiness. It is important to ensure you are properly cleaning your tank by removing any uneaten foods, decaying plants and vacuuming the gravel on a regular basis. If excess food is found often you may want to cut back your feedings to every second or third day.

A water clarifier will cause debris to clump together in your aquarium water making it easier to remove, but are not required for your aquarium set up. These are sometimes referred to as flocculate and quite often the debris will be removed via your filter. Although you must ensure your filter is in excellent working condition and clean.

If your aquarium water has a green tinge to it, you are facing algae growth which is difficult to get rid of. The easiest cause of algea growth to cure is that

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