Cloudy Water

[imzunicorn]

I've been having some trouble with this tank for the last couple of weeks. I currently have 5 small axolotls in it, all about 3 inches or less. (They're only in there temporarily as I'm trying to give them away) However, this started a couple weeks ago when one of them died. The tank is bare bottom with a sponge filter, cover and fan. It's a 10 gallon and cycled. The only thing in there besides the axolotls and the filter are a few pvc pipes for hides.

When I found the dead one, it must've sat in there for about a day since I was busy and didn't get to feeding them that day. I took him out and did a water change because the water was all cloudy and of course, because there was a dead one. It was about an 80% water change. However, the water went cloudy again in one day so I did another large water change. This keeps happening, that the water gets cloudy again after a couple days, 3 days max.

I use a turkey baster to remove any feces on the bottom before feeding them everyday and I use a siphon when I do water changes. Nothing seems to be working and there is a weird kind of debris that sits at the bottom. It's like these brownish white flakes. The parameters seem fine and none of the axolotls seem to be stressed or discomforted by the water, but I literally can't see the bottom when looking into it and barely see them when I look through the glass.

My boyfriend is the one that's into fish and aquariums, but when I suggested that it was the filter, he said it couldn't possibly be. Maybe he's wrong though? What's causing the cloudiness? As far as getting rid of it, should I just do a large water change, then add water and change it out again until the water is completely clear? Because when I do the water change, it's still slightly cloudy.

 

[Olivia97]

Are you adding water to the tank via bucket? is there any debris in the bucket? Do you often wash the sponge out? The only thing that would make sense is the filter isn't functioning properly maybe/ post some photos? Unfortunately a complete tear down may be a course of action...

 

[imzunicorn]

Yes, it is with a bucket and I do rinse it out before adding fresh water. I believe the sponge was rinsed out once in a bucket of tank water about a month ago, though not washed per say. It's fairly new though, only had it around 3 months.

I was actually wondering if I should just take it all down, rinse out the tank and start again. It would be easier than doing a bunch of water changes. I really don't know what to think of it though and I really don't have any idea what that debris is that collects at the bottom.

And I could provide pictures, but I think it's literally too cloudy to catch on photograph correctly.

 

[Olivia97]

Yea that's the problem sometimes, at least its only a 10 gallon. I also found that in my bucket were these tiny particles like of the actual bucket coming off. Its a tricky one, and considering there's no substrate it makes the problem even more complex, maybe the pvc pipes? have you tried replacing them.

 

[axybaby]

Hi Imzunicorn, how odd we are both having similar problems together!
Im sorry youve lost a little one
I'll keep you posted on how my water clears up as I'm going to do daily water changes in hope that its not my slightly higher nitrate level feeding a bacteria as advised by another member.

 

[mackinthebox]

what are your water parameters? Ammonia, nitrate, nitrite...
it sounds like a mini cycle, you may have interrupted the cycle in your tank during a water change and cause a bacterial bloom
what color is the cloudy water?

just keep up on water changes and be sure you use dechlorinated and treated water
even if you do a full scrub down youre going to have to do water changes anyway as a full tear down will interrupt your cycle again

Before you do anything check your water parameters
with having an axolotl die and decay a bit in the tank youre going to have had a lot of food in the tank for bacteria and this could easily cause cloudy water
Im fairly certain you just need to allow you filter to complete the cycle process again, once its fully populated by beneficial bacteria your water shouldnt be as cloudy

post water parameters though so we can be more certain