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My tank has been cloudy for quite a while now. I have been doing water changes but those don't seem to be working. I have tried using a chemical to clear it up and that has also failed. Any idea about what could cause cloudy water?

OK to answer your question it has to be established what you have been doing wrong or what is causing the problem.
Hwe are a list of questions and requeste.

First how old is the tank and what have you done to it in the last month or less
Complete info about the tank, size, filtration, water changes percentages and how often.
All water peramiters ph etc
List all the inhabitants and their sizes.
Filtration type and how often is it cleaned and how do you clean it.
Substrate type and depth.
Plants live or artifical.
Finally your full feeding program the food used how much and how often.

Have a look in [link=My Profile] http://www.fishprofiles.com/forums/member.aspx?id=1935[/link] for my tank info

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Betta 11Gal Desktop & Placidity 5ft Community Tank Photos

Keith

Near enough is not good enough, therefore good enough is not near enough, and only your best will do.
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-The tank has been foggy for almost a month now and I havent had any changes at all
-The tank is probably 5 months old and the last thing done was a water change.
-Its an acrylic 30 gallon, I don't know the exact filter name but I know its an AquaClear, I take 25% of the water out on water changes.
-pH=6.5
-alkalinity is between 80-120
-Hardness=75ppm (soft)
-Nitrite=0
-Nitrate=40
-Ammonia=0
-1 Pleco (12in.), 8 Tiger Barbs (medium sized) , 2 Silver Dollars (2.5in) , 4 Corys (small), 1 Chinese Algae Eater (2in)
-External FIlter, just cleaned it today.
-Pea Gravel Depth=1.5-2in.
-Artificial Plants
-Real Rocks (checked internet for safety, had them since beginning with no problems)
-I feed the Barbs Tetra Flakes (pinch), the Dollars eat Wardly Algae Pellets (8-12 pellets), the Corys get what they find, the Algae Eater eats the algae, the Pleco eats Wardly Algae Disks (only 1 at night ONLY)
-Everyone but the pleco is fed what is shown above in the morning, and everyone including the pleco is fed what is shown above at night.

Hi,
In looking at the stocking and the type/quantity of fish
food. I would say that you have a bacteria bloom.
The only ways to eliminate it is through frequent water
changes, vacuuming the gravel (a section at a time) with
each water change, and cutting back on the fish in the
tank. That 12 inch catfish should be the first to go.
At that size it is THE biggest polluter in the tank.

Frank


-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

Removing the 12 inch Plec will go a LONG way toward solving your problems. At 12 inches, that fish is a candidate for a 75 gallon minimum, and I personally would hesitate to put that in anything smaller than a 125. That fish on its own is probably producing more excrement than the rest of the fishes combined - Plecs are infamous for being industrial scale polluters.

I would also replace the Chinese Algae Eaters with something more appropriate such as Otocinclus, because they are probably the MOST inappropriately named fishes on the block - here in the UK we call them Sucking Loaches, and they reach 12 inches in length as well. Not only do they eventually become big, but any herbivorous tendencies that they might have possessed as a juvenile go straight out of the window once they acquire some body mass, and they become useless for algae control.

The Silver Dollars will be problematic too. Strictly speaking they're shoaling fishes, and need to be in a group of 6, which isn't going to happen in a 30 gallon. A 55 is the minimum setup to keep them happy because they hit 6 inches in length depending upon species (and if you have something like Metynnis schreitmulleri you're looking at 8 inches per fish). Wave bye bye to the big Plec, the Sucking Loaches/CAEs and the Silver Dollars, and get 4 Otocinclus for algae control. Bacterial bloom problems should come to a fairly rapid halt once you've done that, and given the system a 50% water change and deep gravel vac.


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

The thing is that I have had those fish in there the whole time I've had the tank and it only recently has started fogging. I think I'm going to do what Frank says but I can't get rid of the fish because they have no other place to go. I have tried to convince my mom to let me get a bigger tank but she wont let me.

After asking all those questions it seems all the problems can be solved by following all the excellent infomatiom that has been given to you.
Before I even read any of the replies that big cat fish certainly would be the first to go.
It is going to take some time but several good water changes will certainly help also cut the feeding by half while you are doing the water changes also several good filter cleanings would not go a miss.

Please let us know how things go.

Have a look in [link=My Profile] http://www.fishprofiles.com/forums/member.aspx?id=1935[/link] for my tank info

Look here for my
Betta 11Gal Desktop & Placidity 5ft Community Tank Photos

Keith

Near enough is not good enough, therefore good enough is not near enough, and only your best will do.
I VOTE DO YOU if not WHY NOT?
VOTE NOW VOTE NOW