I have small 3.5 gal tank. I have the filter hotrodded a bit – solid bio media filters activated carbon filter sheet, and some coarse sponge filters.
It just won’t stay clear. I’ve tried some additives like Clarity and algae fix, but it stays cloudy.
Fish is happy and active – and the levels read good! What am I doing wrong.
Posted by Viperboy2727
3 Comments
I love your flamingo, man.
Sorry, I have no solutions to offer. Just flamingo love.
How cycled is your tank, what is the ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate levels? Typically algae blooms like you’re seeing come from newly established tanks that still have some ammonia in the water. Also it looks like it’s getting direct sunlight which will only exacerbate the issue.
I personally avoid using any chemicals in the tank other than purigen because it just adds variables that can make typical troubleshooting more convoluted.
If your tank is in fact not fully cycled, you’ll need to look into fish-in cycling and follow the steps. Aquarium Co-op has the easiest to follow guide imo.
If your tank is cycled and you’re still having this issue, try turning off the lights and blocking that direct sunlight for a couple days. Avoid water changes in that case as you’ll just be adding more nutrients for the algae to feed on. It will clear on its own in time.
3.5gal is too small for a betta fish, I’m sorry. Small tanks are also not very beginner friendly, they tend to be very unstable due to the small water volume.
Did you cycle your tank before adding the fish? New tanks tend to be cloudy when they’re not ready yet. If you did, maybe you get too much algae growth (based on the greenish tint) which you could solve by shortening the periods where the lights stay turned on, or it might be due to the filter being not strong enough. Also don’t use activated carbon in filters unless you’re trying to filter out medication, it does not help removing ammonia, nitrite or nitrate.