GloFish Facts

If there's one little fish that tends to get a bad reputation in the fish community it's none other than the GloFish so, today I'm here to debunk a few things.

First off, these glowing freshwater fish are generally just danios, barbs, and tetras that have been genetically modified with jellyfish DNA while still unhatched from their egg. When a GloFish breeds its offspring will retain their parents glowing abilities, but if you're trying to mix neon shades through breeding than it's anyone's guess as to what color the offspring will be (I'd assume they take the most dominant gene in terms of colorization rather than combining two different shades). While you can breed these fish they actually have a patent which makes them illegal for you to sell. Therefore the company selling Glofish can technically say that the fish you purchased was not injected directly themselves, but the original fish they created was (although I noticed they don't bluntly state that on signs at Petco).

GloFish at Petco

The GloFish was supposedly created back in 2003 to help detect pollution in water as the GloFish company claims that when these fish are exposed to polluted water containing certain metals, etc it will cause them to glow, while in safe water they wouldn't. For those in the aquarium hobby, you'll notice the fishes glowing effects under a fluorescent light so, no polluted water needed. Also, these fish don't really glow as they actually just absorb light and re-emit it.

A few other concerns I noticed online is the introduction of these fish into the wild and their effects on the environment while also noting that certain temperatures may result in killing these tropical fish while still possibly leaving a few remaining if they happen to find better temperatures in certain areas of their habitat. According to the GloFish company, their fish pose no further risk to the environment than their non-glo counterparts as the DNA gene they're injected with comes from a natural source (With that said I'm going to assume this jellyfish gene came from a freshwater jellyfish rather than saltwater since these are not at all saltwater fish), but it is said that you shouldn't consume these fish (as with most ornamental aquarium fish). Therefore it is said that these pose no threat to wildlife if consumed (I guess that's a different story if a person consumes one directly). According to the Florida Division of Aquaculture, these fish pose no threat to their environment in accordance with the FDA (which can really be a whole different topic on its own but we won't dive that deep in this post).

According to PetMD these fish have the same lifespan as their non-glo family members which is around 3.5 to 5 years, and they require the same habit and diet. Overall, if all this is, in fact, true then there's really no reason not to invest in our modified GloFish friends unless you just enjoy the fish in its original non-modified glory. In which case, there are more naturally neon-colored fish in the wild such as the ever popular neon or cardinal tetra.

When to Hand Feed Fish

This post is based solely on my experience and opinions with hand feeding fish versus using something like an auto feeder. There are some fish keepers who are big fans of having their fish approach them for food. I personally do not like hand feeding fish for numerous reasons although hand feeding a fish may not be completely unavoidable depending on the fish you are keeping.

Why should you stop hand feeding?

1. Bare hands touching food or the fish could cause illness in your fish from bacteria (wear gloves or pour food into its habitat).
2. It's not natural for all types of fish to approach something that could harm them (fish tend to associate outside tank/pond movement with food so, they could associate a cat, raccoon, or something else possibly harmful to them as delivering their food source as well). If you have schooling fish that approach you for food they can manage to jump from the aquarium in the huddled excitement.
3. A predatory/carnivorous fish could end up biting you during feeding.

When should you hand feed?

1. When you can't use an auto feeder to feed your fish (not all food may fit or work in a feeder).
2. If you choose to have your fish approach you... all the time (although a fish is not a dog so why make it act like one).
3. When you have predatory/carnivorous fish that require food movement to attack/eat their prey (try to use tongs or something similar during feeding to avoid introducing bacteria and keeping yourself from getting nipped).

Doctors Foster and Smith & USPS - Review

I have ordered from the website Doctors Foster and Smith once or twice in the past and I don't remember having as many issues as I have been experiencing recently. I am not even sure it's completely their fault so much as it is USPS but here's my review with what I experienced over the course of several weeks in regards to a recent purchase (an item I have purchased from them before in fact).

On July 10th 2017 I made a single item purchase on the DFS website. According to USPS, my item should have arrived July 15th but at the latest, I was expecting it to arrive by July 19th (based upon the DFS shipping time frame). When my item did not arrive I decided to contact the DFS customer service on their website about my item not arriving and that I checked the tracking on USPS and it appeared stuck at a sorting facility, etc. I then got an automated number from the DFS site stating "Your Question has been Submitted" and then it gave me a reference number stating "A member of our support team will get back to you soon" and that was on July 21st.

On July 22nd at 12:08 am I finally received notification from USPS that my package had finally arrived at a different sorting facility. Then at 2:08 am, it had arrived at a distribution center and at 5:53 am for some reason it was still at the same 12:08 am facility, very strange. Along with that last notification, USPS stated that "The package is delayed and will not be delivered by the expected delivery date. An updated delivery date will be provided when available. Your item arrived at our ---- destination facility on July 22nd, 2017 at 5:53 am. The item is currently in transit to the destination". So on the 23rd, I did not see anything again from USPS which is probably because it was Sunday so, by Monday (the 24th) I was hoping to receive another notification from USPS as there was now no definite date of when my package would be arriving. Another odd thing that happened was that my local USPS called me on the 20th when I only signed up for text notifications and all his message said was how the item has not yet arrived at the facility and that I could contact him if I needed to and he left me a number. Personally, from a business perspective, I always prefer to have things in writing (maybe because I'm a Blogger) but when it comes to showing proof of events that happened I feel it's more reliable to an extent (I've watched Judge Judy, haha).

So back to DFS with that reference number they gave me stating how they would get back to me soon. I sent them a notification on the 21st in regards to my order and by the morning of the 24th, they finally got back to me. They were very nice about the situation and told me they would pay back my shipping costs and if I didn't receive my item by the 26th to contact them again. Luckily for DFS my item finally arrived before their new date. Worst case if I didn't hear from USPS or DFS that I would have sent my problem over to PayPal since I purchased through them and from my years of experience it is usually better at solving such online payment issues which would have at least gave me my money back from DFS. When my product did arrive everything in my package was fine, and I really don't know why USPS was holding the package as it was only a MagFox that I had ordered. Overall, my DFS experience went well but USPS has let me down numerous times now and I'm really glad it wasn't a package of live fish or something similar.

Treating Eye Cloud

When it comes to "eye cloud" or "cloudy eye" it is said to happen due to a shift in low pH; dietary deficiency (lacking in Vitamin A); bacterial/fungal infection; or the presence of ammonia. Personally, I feel this is more related to a possible bacterial/fungal infection. What I found to work well as a quick remedy is API MelaFix which is used to treat bacterial infections. MelaFix contains tea tree oil which is often used as an antifungal and it also helps to repair damaged fins, ulcers, and open wounds.

Eye Cloud

Eye Cloud looks similar to fogged up water goggles, as it's just a smokey looking film over the fishes eye/s (in the image here you can see my fish Boba with some minor eye cloud appearing). It may be very likely that a fish that gets eye cloud continues to have some reoccurrences of this happening again in the future. Some other remedies I have come across online but not yet tried myself are Tetracycline Hydrochloride; Nitrofurazone; Sodium Sulfathiazole; Sodium Sulfamethazine; Sodium Sulfacetamide; Victoria Green; and Acriflavine. Nitrofurazone is the only medication I'm familiar with using when it comes to goldfish so, I would probably start with that if you're not having luck using MelaFix to clear up the eye cloud as this should clear up in a week.

Aquarium Updates and DIY's

Lately, I have had a few aquarium mishaps, the first being that I managed to crush my glass intake tube as I was trying to pull it apart from the tubing. That said, there has to be an easier way to separate those two pieces so if anyone has any tips on that please leave me a comment below and let me know as I have yet to see anything on that topic. Luckily, I didn't manage to cut myself as the tube shattered in my hand (I felt as if I was the Hulk that day) and I had kept the plastic intake tube that came with my canister filter originally so I will now have to use that one in the mean time.

Red spots on Ramen - before (top image) and after (bottom image)

For those of you that don't follow me on IG I have lost 2 of my goldfish recently (Pocky and Ramen) due to some red spot/sore problem (as seen in the photo here). The size of these red sore looking spots would range from half an inch in size to smaller dots, and it was not caused by anything hurting them in the tank. Honestly, I probably could've prolonged their lives by not removing them from my main tank and placing them in 5g buckets for treatment but I didn't want to risk further harming my healthier looking fish and after months of trying to remedy this, I figured it was time to let them go (Ramen was basically stuck on her side for a month and began having trouble eating so, I didn't want to prolong that any longer). I'm not even sure what this is as I haven't been able to find many photos in which to identify this. I believe this may be VHS (Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia), but I could be wrong as I have never dealt with this before. I tried tons of different medications, etc and I failed with all of them. Whatever this is, it's definitely highly contagious for my goldfish (not sure about other fish as this is just a goldfish tank currently). I noticed when I did my large weekly water changes it often would clear up a bit but over the course of a week it would reappear but the red spots would jump to random places on the body (not really the tail or head area). Sometimes there would be an almost grayish scab that would appear in the center but not always, which you may think is a parasite but I don't believe that was the case (I even dosed with Prazi). Whatever it is I believe to be an internal virus of some kind (I'm not a vet but that's just my best guess) and both fish suffered from Swim Bladder Disease before that occurred.

I am beginning to feel as though fish that end up with Swim Bladder Disease are more susceptible to having secondary issues. Perhaps a weak swim bladder could be a sign of a weak immune system (or SBD weakens a fish in general). It just seems little is known on how to remedy true Swim Bladder Disease without the aid of surgery and the fact it's called a disease makes me want to relate it more to a poor immune system which may have been affected by certain medications, or it could just be a heredity issue. I know some aquarists feel SBD can be remedied with diet change but I feel those results are temporary from my experience, and a major SBD issue won't truly be resolved by diet alone.

Also, I finally got around to trying out my Virkon tablets which are better at killing nasties than bleach and I will say that... it's not that bad. It does have a slight odor to it but I don't find it nearly as offensive as bleach or ammonia. Also, someone mentioned to me that they stopped using this product because it is corrosive, and actually in its powder/tablet form it is corrosive but once you get it to a 1% dilution in water (1 tablet + 1 pint of water) it is no longer considered corrosive (according to the label). Personally, I really like this product thus far as it doesn't seem to leave any residue as with bleach, but I would avoid using it directly on anything metal or electronic just to be on the safe side in terms of corrosiveness (the same can be said for products like Windex). 

Carpet mold from the tank when I started scrubbing it out.

As for my last mishap I learned that if you're using an untreated wood stand of some kind for your aquarium and it has an entirely flat base that rests on your carpet (I was using the top of a wood hutch) than you are basically asking for a mold problem. If any water goes near your carpet, overtime that moisture will creep under the wood base and thus you're very likely to end up with some mold, which was my experience this week. I ended up with some dry black splotchy looking mold and the best way I found to clean up this mess (first dispose of the moldy tank stand and find something better if possible) is to make an ammonia dilution (2 capfuls of ammonia per 1 gallon of water). Using an abrasive brush scrubber you'll than scrub over the carpet in circular motions with the ammonia mixture until the mold coloration removes (or is killed rather) and then you'll repeat this with some clean water. Next use a wet/dry vacuum to suck out the water from the carpet (and its surrounding areas) and then use a fan to help further dry out the area. The carpet may require an additional cleaning after this initial one has had time to dry out as it could still be a bit discolored.

That's all I have to share for this week and I have been super busy lately (hence the lack of posts) but I am working on putting together some new posts before I start back up at University the end of the month so do come by again soon!

All-Natural Aquarium Glass Cleaner - DIY

I actually found an amazing all natural glass cleaner online and I altered it slightly for better use on aquarium glass. I found a lot of DIY window cleaners online which used alcohol and I didn't like the idea of having that near my aquarium inhabitants, nor using vinegar regularly on aquarium glass because it can eat away at silicone. This recipe uses tea which is acidic in pH but it's more natural and makes me think more of a blackwater habitat so, I don't feel it's going to affect the silicone.

What you'll need...
1 - Spray Bottle (that holds at least 1 Cup of fluid)
1 Cup - Distilled Water, hot
3 Tea Bags - Black Tea, Organic (or English Breakfast; Irish Breakfast; Classic Black; Wild Forest Black)

Steep the tea bags in the cup of hot water for 5 minutes, remove tea bags, and allow to cool. Pour the tea into the spray bottle and attach the sprayer. Shake mixture before use and spray on glass. Wipe vigorously with a paper towel or cloth until the surface is dry.

Side Note: Don't be like me and try drinking this, it's extremely bitter (bleh).

Cost Effective Media

Having used canister filters for awhile now and a bunch of different types of media I decided to share what I feel are some of the best and most cost-effective media items you can get.

Course Media
Typically I find most course media is some type of porous plastic material, similar to that of a shower pouf. That being said you could use a shower pouf, however like a lot of others out there you can step into your Dollar General Store and pick up a 6-pack of plastic scouring pads for $1. I honestly love using these scouring pads more so than course media made for an aquarium because they collect a lot of muck inside the pads. Most of this plastic media can be easily hosed out and reused numerous times before you find the need to possibly replace it, which makes it some of the most cost effective media you'll come across. Also, if your plastic media is like that of Easter grass you should probably just toss it because loose stuff like that doesn't hold together and won't do as good of a job at collecting big muck particles.

Medium Media
Foam Media is generally used as a medium grade media, and I have found this may be most similar to thin foam mattress toppers, and the one with crates in them will allow for a bigger surface area for bacteria and such to accumulate. Keep in mind if you try using a foam topper that it isn't treated with odd chemicals or something (or perhaps soaking/rinsing it well may help if you detect odd smells). Foam media tends to rinse out pretty well to be reused again but may require a bit more squeezing compared to the course media. I also find many people tend to skip out on this type of media so, it's up to you to decide if you want to use this or not.

Fine Media
A lot of people like to buy polyester quilt batting from a craft store (or similar) to use as fine filter media. Keep in mind that this material needs to be replaced more often than your other media because I have found it generally breaks down after a month or two and it becomes almost sludge-like and difficult to clean thoroughly (so just toss it after a month). This is also one of the most important types of media to have in your filter as it keeps the finest muck particles out of your good biological media. You'll want to make sure the batting is 100% polyester, is not mildew resistant, and doesn't contain any additives.

Special Media
There are tons of gimmick media type products on the market from media claiming to reduce nitrates to clarifying water. Take these types of products with a "grain of salt" (as the saying goes), and know that some of these things may not do much of anything and may just cost you more money in the long run. A lot of people love to use carbon based media and honestly I don't notice significant changes from using it whether it's in pad-form or a loose form that you place into a filter sock. Carbon can be good or bad as it can possibly remove any water treatments from your tank and create clearer water. There's also Seachem Purigen which is popular to some people and while I'm not sure what impurities this stuff removes it does change color over time (so it must do something, right?), but don't expect miracles with any of this stuff. If you don't notice changes in your tank, water stats, or with your aquariums' inhabitants than I'd say it's probably just a waste of money in the long run. Also, if your media is decent, setup properly, and your filter has had time to cycle (at least a month) then you really shouldn't have a bunch of problems with your tank water (although some inhabitants do prefer certain types of water over others, in which case you may need something like an RO filter). More natural items people use to help with their water stats are things like seashells, driftwood, or peat, but these items may be unreliable or hard to adjust.

Biological Media
Some of the best biological media that's also the most cost effective is natural lava rock (just be a bit wary of chemicals in some of these). Most people will probably suggest rinsing out your media every month, but it's been said you should replace your biological media every 6 months (especially if you want to avoid possible health issues with your aquatic friends down the road). Although I recently spoke to another aquarist who stated "some manufacturers will tell you to replace the biological media every 6 months but that is ridiculous - the media should be nicely bedded in with aerobic and anaerobic bacteria. The anaerobic bacteria generally take 4-6 months to get established but aerobic should only take 2-3", so to each their own. To clean your media a bit more thoroughly of possible nasties that could be lingering around... a friend of mine suggested using equal parts water and vinegar (a gallon of vinegar is also fairly inexpensive and it's great for removing hard water build-up on your tank). Keep in mind this vinegar solution will not eliminate all nasties, which is why you should eventually replace it. To help kick start your bio media you'll probably want to invest in some bacteria balls as this will help you avoid water cycle issues (but still be sure to keep a close eye on your water stats during this time, just in case). You'll probably want around 2.5 to 5lbs of bio media per 30 gallons of water in your canister setup in order to better sustain your aquarium's bio-load. Also, if the lava rocks are too bulky you can easily hit them with a hammer or ax to break them into smaller pieces. As a side note, avoid buying ceramic rings as its smooth surface won't allow bacteria to build and accumulate, but its best use is redirecting water inside your filter (just in case you got some of this for free with your filter setup and don't want to waste it). 

Proper Aquarium Size for a Betta

Often I find people wanting to put a betta fish in any type of tiny vase looking object around, and while you may be able to keep a betta fish alive in something like that, it may not be the healthiest of habitats for your betta. Now read closely as I am about to divulge to you my discovery on what size tank you should actually have for a betta fish. The minimum size tank you should have for a single betta fish is... 10 gallons! If you're thinking this is too big for a betta fish than hear me out.

If you have ever put a betta fish in a 20-gallon breeder tank (or perhaps larger) than monitor the betta's swim pattern by measuring its distance swam before it pauses. I found that a betta fish will swim close to half the length of a 20-gal breeder tank before it pauses briefly and continues swimming again at about this same distance every time. Which makes a 10-gal aquarium the ideal size in length for a betta fish. Now, this probably seems like it's a very roomy tank for a betta, but you can try adding a few smaller fish into this setup as well because let's not forget that a 10-gal tank also has width and height to it. While my betta was also in this bigger 20-gallon tank for over a month I also discovered its fins began to grow out more, which was not something I had ever seen happen before with a betta fish kept in these 3-gallon (or smaller) environments, and to myself that's even further reasoning as to why a betta shouldn't be kept in a tiny environment (a bigger environment will generally have more stable conditions as well).

Betta's I would say are close to 2-inches in length at adult size, which means you may be able to get away with adding several neon tetra's which are about 1-inch in length (be sure to do research on tank mates for your betta because they don't get along well with numerous types of other fish such as other betta fish, guppies, goldfish, etc.). There may be some exceptions to this rule of tank mates, but I prefer not to risk it as it can cause fish injury, death, or having to return tank mates. An aquarium should be fairly stress-free for all its inhabitants.

You should be able to find a 10-gallon aquarium for a mere $10 in-store at Petco (they have a $1 per gallon sale about twice a year and I found select Petco's may always carry the 10-gal's for $10), and it's money well spent for a healthy betta fish habitat. You can also find inexpensive secondhand aquariums from Craigslist, LetGo, local antique shops, and sometimes even yard sales. In terms of cost for aquariums, I generally stick with the $1 per gallon rule, and no more than $4 per gallon for larger used aquariums (if the aquarium has a lid, etc. than obviously, the cost will be a bit more).

Preferred Filter - Poll Results

Not long ago I posted a poll up in the sidebar and asked everyone what their preferred filter of choice was, and the results are now in so, be sure to come by again to participate in the next poll!

The top two choices for aquarium filtration were Canister filters at 46% and Power filters at 26%. Sponge, Undergravel and some Other type of filtration were all tied at 20% which left Wet/Dry filters at 6%, and no one appeared to like Internal filters which showed at 0%. 

As for my opinion on the best filter, it really just depends on your setup and what you want to achieve.

Canister filters are great if you need something that can house a lot of beneficial bacteria, but I don't find they always clean the best, although you can add inline UV sterilizers or inline heaters so they are pretty customizable in terms of what you can do. 

A Power filter I find can generally clean better than a Canister filter, but they often lack the capacity to hold a lot of beneficial bacteria which a Canister is more capable of doing. Generally, a Power filter is not as customizable as a Canister filter but Power filters are becoming move advanced with bigger boxes to house more media and built-in UV sterilizers (which before this was mostly a Canister filter feature). 

Both Sponge and Undergravel filters have their place in the aquarium world, but they often don't offer any media benefits, they aren't that customizable and personally, I find them to be more of secondary type of filtration used alongside a Canister or Power filter. They're good if you don't want a lot of water current in a tank, or if you need more surface agitation, and personally the Sponge can give a little beneficial bacteria while an Undergravel filter is really just made to disperse gas from waste and cycle water with carbon which helps to remove discoloring and water chemicals. 

Wet/Dry or Sump filters are very similar to a Canister filter but they're generally on a much larger scale. The reason these may lack popularity based on this poll is because they can become costly and it takes some amount of knowledge at times to set these up properly. These do allow for more water aeration in comparison to the other filters mentioned on here. For large aquarium setups having one of these can practically double a tank's water capacity.

Internal filters are pretty similar to Power filters accept they take up much-needed aquarium space inside the tank and they aren't always that attractive to look at. Most the time I see people recommending these for shallow water pets such as frogs that can go in the water or on land.

As for other types of filters, there are new ones I hear about all the time and recently one of those is a Trickle/Shower filter. This type of filter is similar to a Wet/Dry filter although it usually sits above the water rather than below it. You'll also find Moving Bed and Powerhead filters, and I'm sure some other types that I can't think of at the moment but this should cover the most popular of filters you'll come across in the aquarium hobby today. 

Also, big THANKS to everyone who helped participate in my poll because you helped to make this post possible.

Cucumber Water in the Aquarium

I know, I know, it has been awhile since I have attempted any new little side experiments but being that I'm on summer vacation from University means that I have a bit more free time on my hands.

The Experiment
For today's experiment, I was curious what would happen if I added some homemade cucumber water into my goldfish aquarium (I'm not sure if you should try this with all types of fish but you can try it on yourself). I was originally hoping that it would work as a diuretic much like that of pea's being fed to a goldfish in order to alleviate some bladder issues because according to my research it's supposed to be more of a diuretic than that of peas. You may be wondering "why didn't you just feed it to them" and I did try to do that but they weren't that interested in actually eating it even though they acknowledged it being there. So by making cucumber water they basically have no choice but to ingest it via the aquarium water (right?). Cucumber water also allows the fish to get some nutrients and electrolytes in the process, just in case this diuretic ordeal doesn't work out, but as always try this at your own risk.

What you'll need...
1 - Cucumber (preferably organic)
2 Cups - Water, bottled

Start by washing the cucumber thoroughly. Peel the skin off of the cucumber. Slice the cucumber into 1/4 inch slices. Place the cucumber into a glass container of appropriate size. Add in the water (it should cover the cucumber), close the container, and place in the fridge for at least 24hrs. Discard the cucumber (or eat it yourself) and the pour the water into a cup. Allow the cucumber water to get room temperature and pour it into the aquarium.

Results
While I did not find that this worked as a diuretic (perhaps my batch was too small for a 30gal tank or maybe I should've turned off my filter) I did find this worked more as an appetite enticer (more so than when I used garlic drops for goldfish). Once the tasty cucumber water was added into the tank it took no time at all for the goldfish to quickly zoom about the tank in search of something tasty to eat (in which case I fed them some sinking pellets to watch them gobble those up). So perhaps if you have finicky freshwater fish that are into eating vegetables but they haven't been eating much lately then you could give this a try in order to entice them or perhaps force feed a sick fish (which is what I do with Vitachem).

Boba Painting for Sale!!!

For those of you that follow me on Instagram, you may have already seen my lovely acrylic impasto painting of Boba the telescope butterfly fancy goldfish. Thanks to YAG (click the link to purchase) I am now able to sell everyone a copy of my lovely fish friend. I don't know how long I will have this painting for sale so get 'em while you can!

Also, big thanks for everyone's support, I am so blessed to have wonderful fish followers like you and I am happy to announce that Guppy-Guide has now reached 200 Followers on Instagram.

Fish Room / Bedroom Tour

I finally got around to putting together a video of my Fish Room / Bedroom! This is my first official Guppy-Guide video on YouTube so let me know if you enjoyed this in the comments below and I'll see about making more video content for you in the future. Thanks for watching and don't forget to LIKE and SUBSCRIBE.

Donation Updates

I finally found a great way for my wonderful readers to help contribute to my fish keeping hobby on here!

I have recently teamed up with the site Razoo which enables you to donate money so that you can help me to provide new content for my fish keeping hobby on here as well as other social media sites. Although it is not required for you to donate, as I do create the content on here of my own free time and free will, it is always greatly appreciated, especially if you found this blog to be helpful to you. You can either click the link provided here, or the one in the sidebar.

For more ways to help contribute to this blog, you can also check out my Cafepress shop for some cool fishy goodies.

Thanks again!
Guppy-Guide

Cloudy Aquarium Water - 8 Remedies

This is an updated post which I have chosen to revive again! I'm here to bring you yet another revamped version of what I feel are some of the best ways to help clear up cloudy aquarium water.

1. Don't overfeed fish. If you find your fish don't consume all the food you're feeding them then the food will dissolve into your aquarium water and cause it to get cloudy. Overfeeding may also cause the tanks inhabitants to excrete more waste as well. Keep in mind that having too many aquarium inhabitants can also lead to cloudy water. In this case having adequate aquarium filtration could help with cloudy water issues.

2. Clean decor: Thoroughly clean any decor in your aquarium. Often times if you don't rinse out new aquarium decor like substrate it can leach debris and such into your aquarium water and cause cloudiness from free floating particles. New driftwood can also leech into your aquarium water (some people actually want this for certain aquarium setups) and in this case, water will generally get a tea color tint to it. If your water gets this tint and it's unwanted then you can try adding in activated carbon to the filter system. A lot of people will soak or boil driftwood as this helps to cut down on the leaching effects it leaves in the aquarium, and it may take numerous attempts to get completely get rid of this tinted water issue.

3. Water changes: Depending on how quickly your aquarium gets dirty from its inhabitants, it may be time to start doing some partial water changes with clean water, this is often the best way to remove cloudiness or discoloring from aquarium water. Adding in some aquarium salt may help to clean 'established' aquarium water, which may help remove cloudiness. Therefore, I would suggest not using aquarium salt in an unestablished aquarium.

4. Plant waste: If you have live plants in your aquarium you may find they decompose a bit, especially if they don't have the proper habitat needed for proper growth. Decaying plant matter can also cause water to become dirty and cloud. Also be sure you don't leave your aquarium light/s on for extended periods of time as your cloudy water may be caused by algae bloom (which is often green in color).

5. Chemicals: Some water chemicals may cause water to get cloudy, be sure you're using the proper amounts and perhaps find different products to use if this is the issue. There are also some chemicals on the market that claim to help clarify aquarium water which could possibly help eliminate cloudy water (generally these products help the free floating particles cling together and get trapped in the filter media). Adding in additional active carbon into your filter may help remove discoloring and smell from the water, but it can also remove chemicals. Certain medications (such as Methylene Blue) can cause cloudy water because it killed off any beneficial bacteria the filter system may have had and now the tank is going through bacterial bloom because it needs to go through the water cycling process again.

6. Cycle: Sometimes in new aquarium setups where water hasn't gone through the cycling process it can cause the aquarium water to get cloudy from 'bacterial bloom'. Bacterial Bloom is generally cloudy white in color, compared to Algae Bloom that is generally cloudy green. Once the filter media gains enough beneficial bacteria it can help combat some possible cloudy water issues. Be sure to check your aquarium for nitrite and ammonia during this time as these can be deadly to your aquariums' inhabitants. To help speed up the process there are various water chemicals you can add, although I personally prefer using live bacteria balls in my canister filter. I have also had success using Tetra SafeStart which I find to be readily available in most stores with aquarium goods.

7. Oxygenate: If your aquarium water continues to be cloudy or has a very dense amount of cloudiness, then you may want to add in an air diffuser to ensure the fish are at least getting adequate amounts of oxygen in the water while you continue to remedy the cloudy water. Algae bloom or 'green water' can cause fish to suffocate and die without added oxygenation. You'll want an air diffuser that gives off fine air bubbles, as larger bubbles usually just agitate water at the surface. I suggest using a wooden air diffuser such as those made by Lee's. Also, if you can attach the air diffuser to the center (or a bit off center) base of the tank rather than the sides, it allows the air bubbles to fully disperse within the tank. If you have substrate than this will be harder for you to accomplish and instead just attach the diffuser to the widest wall of the tank while trying to center it close to the base of the aquarium. Doing this will help fan out the air bubbles while giving the bubbles more time burst before hitting the surface.

8. UV Filter: When all else fails in terms of combating a cloudy tank try using a UV filter system. A UV filter helps to sterilize tank water and is often used to remove algae bloom, although don't expect this to remove algae attached to surfaces in the aquarium. Generally, you don't run a UV filter all the time, just when it becomes necessary. A UV filter also won't kill your beneficial bacteria otherwise, you wouldn't be able to use these at all in a tank if that were the case. These units can also be pricey, along with bulb replacement maintenance that you'll probably be doing on them in the future. Another reason not to run a UV filter all the time is because depending on its housing unit it can melt the unit over time and thus leach harmful chemicals into your aquarium.