Ok, so how do you people do it? I do water changes very frequently, like 3 times a week and the water's still not as clean as the ones I see at pet shops or public aquariums. Whenever I ask the people who work there, they just reply with "frequent water changes", which I do but isnt helping much. Does anyone have another strategy to keep the tank nice and clean?
Well, what's the size of your tank? Does it have a filter? What kind of creatures do you have in it? How long was the tank set up before you got fish in there? Why do you say it looks dirty? Is it a cloudy white? If it's a cloudy white, that's simply sediment needing to settle. Too many water changes can prevent it from settling, and it will continue to look cloudy. I only do a 10% water change once a week for all 3 of my fish tanks. I've never had a problem with dirty water (except when a friend dumped the entire container of fish food in there).
well depending on your tank size i would get a whisper brand aquarium filter hey are easy to clean and they keep your tank very clear and tank cleaning should only be needed about 2 times a month cryptkeeperthewicked@yahoo.com 4 details
i have a 30 gallon tank
well we need more info... you might be changing the water more often so...
1. what size tank?
2. filtered?
3. does it have a light, if so how long do you have it on a day?
4. what kind of dirty... cloudy, green, brown?
5. what fish do you have and how many of each?
6. how long have you had the tank set up and how long have you had the fish (did you get them together, like the tank and the fish the same time)?
7. when you change the water, how much of the water do you change?
answer those then we can help better. different things can cause a tank to look dirty.
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how long have you had the tank? if it's been less than 2months it WILL get better.
know that pearlscales are messy fish that get big. a 10gallon tank is a little tight and you might need to upgrade as the fish grows.
start doing 10% water changes 3 times a week, no more than that. once it stops being cloudy switch to 25% once a week.
cloudy mean you probably have a bacterial bloom (which is good thing!). your tank is building up bacteria that breaks down the waste in the water to less harmful stuff. however, it's still toxic when it builds up so you'll always need to do weekly water changes.
if you don't test you water I'd suggest getting a test kit for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate. or at the very least take a sample of your water in to a pet store to be tested. if the ammonia and nitrite are at 0 do a 50% water change to remove some of the cloudiness then let the tank go for a week. if it's better start doing 25% weekly water changes (only 1 a week!). if it's not better do 10% water changes 3 times a week until it get better, then switch to 25% water changes once a week.
good luck!
1. what size tank?
2. filtered?
3. does it have a light, if so how long do you have it on a day?
4. what kind of dirty... cloudy, green, brown?
5. what fish do you have and how many of each?
6. how long have you had the tank set up and how long have you had the fish (did you get them together, like the tank and the fish the same time)?
7. when you change the water, how much of the water do you change?
answer those then we can help better. different things can cause a tank to look dirty.
-------
how long have you had the tank? if it's been less than 2months it WILL get better.
know that pearlscales are messy fish that get big. a 10gallon tank is a little tight and you might need to upgrade as the fish grows.
start doing 10% water changes 3 times a week, no more than that. once it stops being cloudy switch to 25% once a week.
cloudy mean you probably have a bacterial bloom (which is good thing!). your tank is building up bacteria that breaks down the waste in the water to less harmful stuff. however, it's still toxic when it builds up so you'll always need to do weekly water changes.
if you don't test you water I'd suggest getting a test kit for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate. or at the very least take a sample of your water in to a pet store to be tested. if the ammonia and nitrite are at 0 do a 50% water change to remove some of the cloudiness then let the tank go for a week. if it's better start doing 25% weekly water changes (only 1 a week!). if it's not better do 10% water changes 3 times a week until it get better, then switch to 25% water changes once a week.
good luck!
Well at first u must ask your self if u feed them a lot bec. this would make the aquariums be nasty u must feed them rarly bec. fish do not get hungry quickly u do not clean them more than 2 times a week the secret in the food
your cleaning too much, its casing your nitrogen level to sky rocket and making your tank cloudy, you should change 20% of water once a week with a syphin that you run through the gravel gently. never change or rinse the filter cartriges or clean the filter the same day you clean the tank. give it a couple days to readjust. what kind of filter do you have? i recomend filters with bio wheels .
use topfin water clarifier and it makes your water sooooo clear and i have a 10 gallon tank and havent cleaned it all summer and its still soooo clear
me
because the people at the pet store clean them every day or every other day and they have super huge filters!! the one at petsmart is like the size of a room!
i clean my tank about everyother week, first i scrub all algae off sides, then clean the gravel while doing water change(usually around 25%). get a good filter, i used aqua clear i think the name of it is. and your water should be cloudy after you clean it, otherwise your doing something wrong. if yourlightheats the water you need to go for a lesser watt bulb, ive seen people cook their fish before.