Is it the Flake/Crisps or just bubbles?????

[Friend-o-Fish]

I have a 55 gallon tank with just two corys, one rainbow shark, a Tex Cichlid and a Jewel Cichlid. My water is testing fine as far as ph and hardness, but it looks a little cloudy from a distance. When you get up on it the cichlids come right up to you and you can see them just fine but when you are far away or the fish are at the back of the tank it seems a little cloudy. You can see stuff floating around in the tank but upon closer inspection it looks like it is just tiny little bubbles swirling around and then floating to the top. I tried to use the cichlid granuels but they wont touch it. I use the bottom wafers for the cories and the shark and the jewel will actually catch those as they go down and eat them, but the Tex will only eat Crips and Flake (same for my malawis in the 20 gallon<-Kinda cloudy too.). Could that be causing the cloudy look. Alos i have the tank right infront of a white wall, would that make it look like that too?????????????? And what can i do to get rid of the cloudy look???????? (on a side note i do monthly 25% water changes and it still looks like this)

[OrionGirl]

Nitrates? Ammonia? These things are important to test as well. How old are the setups? Filtration?

I'd plan on doing more frequent changes--25% monthly is pretty light for a tank that has some larger fish in it.

[Friend-o-Fish]

my fish are still juvys and none are over 3 inches. :huh: I found a test kit at my lfs, but it just tests ph and hardness, and I can't find anything to test for the rest, i have been beating my head off the wall for that. I Have been to Petco, Petsmart, and my local. The only one haven't tried is PetBizzare, cauze they are like and hour and a half away from me. How often would you suggest the water changes and how much? My fish are beautiful full of personality, and seem to be very healthy, it is just the cloudiness that is buggy me ( I just sold 6 rainbows that were gorgeous).

[OrionGirl]

Without knowing nitrates, it's hard to say. I'd start with 25% every week, and then see how things run.

You can order test kits online from many stores, or work with a manager to get some ordered through the store. Also might be worth it to see if any of the stores provide free testing--many places do, and while not ideal, it at least gives you a starting point.

[Friend-o-Fish]

Do you know a good site to get it from online, I prefer to shop online anyways?

[Friend-o-Fish]

The set up is only like 2 months old, they were in a 20 gallon and i moved them to the 55. I let the tank setup for a month befor i added them, with one water change.

[budrecki]

http://bigalsonline.com

[Friend-o-Fish]

wich one should i use? The only multi-test kit I saw was for reefs. Can i use the one for reefs on my FW?

[Roan Art]

Get the Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Freshwater Master Test Kit. Has everything you need:

http://www.bigalsonline.com/catalog/product.xml?product_id=19383;category_id=3111;pcid 1=3233;pcid2=

Roan