by Jaimela King

Created on: October 28, 2008

Cloudy water in an aquarium is not a pleasant sight. We enjoy gazing at our tanks, mesmerized by the antics of our playful aquatic pets and our bodies and mind are soothed by our interaction with this piece of nature. Then our view is suddenly clouded by water that is no longer clear, we are immediately concerned about what reasons for a now cloudy vision of our fish. Not only is our view of these beautiful marine creatures compromised, but the cloudy water gives us an ominous message that all may not well with our marine friends.

What causes water in the aquarium to become cloudy? There are many reason and I will give you some of the more common ones.

1) Decaying plants and food: We hear a lot about the virtue of not overfeeding fish. Sometimes this is not easy to stay on top of. You may assign the feeding role to your enthusiastic children who want to ensure that their pets are not left hungry. However, when food remains uneaten and nestles beneath the gravel in the aquarium, you have an unseen danger lurking in your aquarium, with the attendant results of cloudy water, which is only a symptom of the deteriorating health of your aquarium fish. If the thought of plastic plants sends shivers down your spine, you probably are using real plants in your aquarium, which is great until they start to die and rot and are not removed.

2) Light Exposure: While some light is good, too much can be a disaster to your aquarium. When an aquarium is placed in direct sunlight, and when artificial lighting is too intense or on continuously, the result is poor fish health and growth in addition to cloudy water.

3) Bacterial blossom: This occurs when the aquarium is fairly overcrowded at one point in time. This may be due to the addition of fish while not adhering to the capacity limits of the tank. A high fish population means a lot more waste, placing a heavy biological strain on the tank. More waste leads to an increase in bacteria which feeds on the waste and the result - cloudy water.

4) Poor filtration: A good filtration system is a must. If this is absent or ineffective, there is no help to deal with all the waste produced, leaving you with a cloudy tank. A filter is an essential part of any aquarium, as it works to rid your tank of dirt, soluble chemicals as well as waste deposits.

5) Phosphates and Nitrates: Both nitrates and phosphates are an unfortunate by product of tank wastes and produce cloudy water. Phosphates can also develop from a water source that is high in phosphates.

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