cloudy water again!

[Jaime]

I have a 10 gallon tank stocked with 3 gourami's, 2 loaches, 2 female betta's and one guppy...A few plastic plants and small rocks on the bottom...The tank has been set up since December and no problems....I clean 1/3 of the water weekly (by vacuuming the rocks), add salt and Aqua plus to the new water (which I age for a few days in a clean bucket)...I use a Aqua clear 150 filter and change the sponge bi-weekly and the carbon monthly....
For the past few weeks the water has been getting cloudier...Now, one gourami is missing some fin hair (can't think of a better description)..It looks like a patch of white on his top fins. One female betta has a white spot on the top of her nose.

What am I doing wrong?...I also have a problem with my goldfish tank, but I'll type that question separate...

Help anyone??
My daughter is afraid that her fish are going to die.

 

[Randy]

Some tanks take up to 5 weeks or more to fully cycle, again i think it is a bloom of beneficial bacteria. I dont think your tank is fully cycled yet. Carbon only is effective for a week or two so u might want to consider changing it more then just once a month. Are you testing the water, if so what are your results. You should be testing for ammonia, nitrites, nitrates. You will no that your tank is completely cycled when you get readings of , 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites, and nitrates are detected. Same goes for your goldfish tank.

 

[Rocketman]

Also, try washing your sponge, (starting after your tank cycles,) instead of replacing it bi-weekly. Some people never change their sponges, but many can get them to last over 6 months.

Also, about your goldfish. Try selling them to your LFS (Local Fish Store.) Most will give you half credit for them. Also, they may test your water for free, most do. You will need, like I said, a specialized fish store for this though. A General Pet Store, such as Petco or Pet Supplies Plus (if you guys have those in Canada,) will most likely not do this for you, although they may buy back your fish.

 

[Jaime]

Thanks for the input in regards to my cloudy problem..I haven't tested the water for anything but PH and that seems okay..What type of tester would you people recommend for neophytes?

Also, Rocketman, thanks for the reinforcement about rewashing sponges, I have just heard about that and will be trying it. Other information I received said that I had to discard them after they turned pink, (which was after 2 days)...went through alot of sponges before I caught on to that one....

Randy, thanks for the carbon tip, I have been getting mixed messages about that too...

There is alot of mis-information out there...

I wish I had found this site sooner...