Aquarium Water Cloudy White

We understand that seeing cloudy water in a new aquarium can be alarming.

Aquarium water cloudy white. This happens a lot with new hobbyists as the new aquarium goes through its initial break in cycle. White or grayish water. Milky white cloudy aquarium water is often just temporary. If your new aquarium isn t cloudy right away but a white or gray cloud starts to rise within a few days or weeks sometimes even months you re likely dealing with a bacterial bloom of some kind.

Usually a milky white tank is a result of varying factors either of which or all may manifest in your tank. Dirty substrate or decorations. In most situations the levels will be zero meaning there is no cause for concern. Dirty substrate or decorations or a bacteria bloom are the usual suspects.

If you ve just set up your aquarium and added water there is usually a slight cloudiness to the water. There are a couple of things that could cause white cloudy aquarium water. As the tannins slowly leach into your aquarium it will turn your water a yellowy brown color. Poorly rinsed gravel in a new aquarium can cause white cloudiness.

Have aquarium water tested for ammonia and nitrite as soon as the water begins to get cloudy. Restarting the filters after a shutdown can cause debris and tiny air bubbles to create a white haze. But the best advice is to be patient and wait it out. Adding supplements such as bacteria ph adjusters or calcium can also create a temporary milky white haze in the water.

The cloudiness is caused by residue from poorly cleaned aquarium gravel or dissolved mineral constituents but by far the main cause is bacterial bloom especially in new tanks. Some aquarists want their aquarium to turn a brown color adding untreated driftwood and leaves to darken the water. However based on the color and circumstances under which cloudy water appears it usually can be pinpointed to a couple of basic causes. You see wood leaves and seed pods release a brown dye when soaked in water.

With an intense increase in bacteria your water gets cloudy and turns milky white in a few days. Colored or epoxy coated gravel are usually very clean. This brown dye is called tannin. The ideal is to let the gravel stay inside the aquarium and wait until the white dust particles settle to the bottom.

Unfortunately there is no single answer as to why your aquarium water is cloudy because there is no single cause. However keep in mind that the water will turn cloudy whenever you partially replace the water or rearrange the substrate although the effect will disappear over time. Practically the cycle doesn t even end in that manner. This is caused by residual dust on the gravel.

Sometimes the color of a bacterial bloom may be brown.