cloudy water - goldfish

[Jaime]

Help again...I have a 10 gallon tank with 2 goldfish. I do not have any rocks on the bottom as I soon discovered that these fish are dirty..I have a few plastic plants weighted down and use an Aqua clear mini filter.
I have dealt with cloudy water after 3 or 4 days of change. It seems that I have to change the entire tank weekly. Is this normal?. The fish don't seem to mind, but I am concerned that I am disturbing the bacteria growth. I don't seem to see any wastes in the tank, these fish eat it.

Babysitting fish is not easy.

 

[TJcanada]

How big are these GF and what variety? How old or new is the tank? What's the feeding schedul like - and how much? What sort of filtration is being run? You said "babysitting" - are these your fish?
Sorry but a 10gal tank is just to small to house 2 GF of any sort, jmo.

Regards, TJ

 

[Jaime]

Thank you for replying so quickly. The goldfish are a common pet shop variety. Actually, when sold them to my daughter, they never mentioned needing anything but a bowl ..I learned fast that it wasn't so...Unfortunately I don't have room for any more larger tanks. (my daughter already has a 10 gallon community tank and a 5 gallon molly and betta tank).
I have since learned not to buy fish or ask advice from a general pet store, but it still leaves us with the goldfish to deal with...

Is the cloudiness due to overcrowding in the 10 gallon tank?
My daughter feeds the goldfish once in the morning and once in the evening.
By filteration - are you referring to the filter system?..She has an Aqua clear mini using carbon and sponge....
If this tank is too small, the fish will have to go, which brings up the next question, where does one take an unwanted fish?
Thanks for your patience with this newbie mom and daughter..

 

[Randy]

Sounds to me like a bloom of beneficial bacteria. Most tanks get this cloudiness. Last a couple of days then clears up. NO need to add any chemicals to clear it up. It will clear on its own. Save your money and just let nature take its course. Try feeding only once per day, your fish will not starve, during the cycle process. How big are these fish? If there just little now a 10 gallon is fine but most goldfish grow 6+ inches so your tank is probably not very suitable for this type of fish.

 

[TJcanada]

If the tank is newly set up then I would have to agree with Randy.... This cloud is something all new tanks seem to experience when becoming established, the degree of density differs with each system. Cloudiness can also result from the water quickly becoming dirty - uneaten food, fecal matter from fish decaying in the substrate, etc.

Again, goldfish will grow, depending on the variety they can become anywhere from 6-8" to 12" to even 18"+...they aren't meant for small tanks, and the smaller the tank(less water volume) the harder it is to manage in my opinion. Water quality can take a turn for the worse very quickly in a small tank. So if you aren't able to upgrade the tank in the short term for housing them you might want to call the store you bought them from and return them in exchange for other fish that would be more suitable.

Just my thoughts.......

Here's a link you can check out....a ton of info concerning fish keeping - http://www.skepticalaquarist.com

 

[Jaime]

Thanks for the input...
Randy, the tank was set up for quite a while and the water got so cloudy that you couldn't see the fish anymore.
TJcanada,
As I don't have any more room, the best option would be sell (or trade) them back, however as they belong to my 10 year old daughter, she may have words on that.
I have been playing with the option of building an outdoor pond for them....I'm learning by lesson though, I will get all the information before looking at that!
Thanks all for your thoughts....

 

[conniepatton]

cloudy water in my fish tank

Help!!! :help: I have had my goldfish tank now for over a year and suddenly whenever I change the water in it, it wont take long and it will get cloudy. I have 4 Golfish in a about 40 gallon tank. Feed in the morning and at night. sometimes only once a day. What can cause this milky water? :huh: It gets to the point that you cant see the fish anymore.
Plus one of them looks like is getting a white spot on his head.

 

[Roan Art]

Help!!! :help: I have had my goldfish tank now for over a year and suddenly whenever I change the water in it, it wont take long and it will get cloudy. I have 4 Golfish in a about 40 gallon tank. Feed in the morning and at night. sometimes only once a day. What can cause this milky water? :huh: It gets to the point that you cant see the fish anymore.
Plus one of them looks like is getting a white spot on his head.

Connie,

That tank is too small for 4 goldfish. You need 30 gallons for 1 goldfish, plus 15 gallons for each additional goldfish. That means that you need a tank that is at least 75 gallons to support those four fish.

Goldfish produce a LOT of waste and their tanks need to be double filtered. This means that your 40 gallon, for 1 goldfish, needs a filter capable of processing water from an 80 gallon tank. A 75 gallon would need a filter for a 150 gallon tank.

I suggest that you either upgrade to a 75 gallon tank and double filter, or get a 45 gallon tank, double filtered, for two of the fish.

In your 40 gallon, they are cramped for space and it is compromising their health. As your fish get larger and older, they will produce more and more waste material. The only way to deal with that is to:

a) double filter the tank
b) do more frequent and larger water changes

but those are not going to be the answer in the long run. Unless something is done to change the situation, your fishes' health will suffer. The white spot is most likely the start of that.

Goldfish can live 20 years or more if they are kept in an adequate environment.

Until you can get a larger tank or another one, I suggest you test your water for ammonia, nitrites and nitrates. Use liquids, not strip tests. Post your results here, along with your normal water change routine. Do one of your "normal" sized changes immediately.

We can advise once we find out what kind of condition the water is in.

Roan