Cloudy water

Wolf89 · Mar 5, 2019

I did a water change just this Saturday and the next day the tank looked soo good. But, it's already noticeably cloudy. I have a feeling it is because I feed to much. I squirt in a lot of frozen brine 3 times a day to make sure my mandarin gets some, but I have to do a lot to make sure it gets by the other fish and lands in front of him. Is this excess food what is causing my cloudy water and all the algae on the glass that appears 2 weeks after a cleaning? If so, how do I feed the mandarin without using so much food? Please advise, thanks in advance

K-Philly · Mar 5, 2019

Wolf89 said:
I did a water change just this Saturday and the next day the tank looked soo good. But, it's already noticeably cloudy. I have a feeling it is because I feed to much. I squirt in a lot of frozen brine 3 times a day to make sure my mandarin gets some, but I have to do a lot to make sure it gets by the other fish and lands in front of him. Is this excess food what is causing my cloudy water and all the algae on the glass that appears 2 weeks after a cleaning? If so, how do I feed the mandarin without using so much food? Please advise, thanks in advance

Sounds like detritus and free-floating food from overfeeding. Stirred up from all the commotion. I recommend cutting off all powerheads and return pump momentarily so there is no current to blow everything around. You can then go on BRS or a local store and get a syringe of some extended sort to put your food in. Just make sure the gauge of the syringe is appropriately rated enough to let the food you choose pass through the hole, and not clog. You can then put the food out towards the substrate or target a spot that he favors. You can also feed the other fish first, so they are distracted while you concentrate on the Mandarin while not having your syringe harassed by "starving" fish. Good luck! Let us know what you decide to do and be sure to post your results!

Wolf89 · Mar 7, 2019

K-Philly said:
Sounds like detritus and free-floating food from overfeeding. Stirred up from all the commotion. I recommend cutting off all powerheads and return pump momentarily so there is no current to blow everything around. You can then go on BRS or a local store and get a syringe of some extended sort to put your food in. Just make sure the gauge of the syringe is appropriately rated enough to let the food you choose pass through the hole, and not clog. You can then put the food out towards the substrate or target a spot that he favors. You can also feed the other fish first, so they are distracted while you concentrate on the Mandarin while not having your syringe harassed by "starving" fish. Good luck! Let us know what you decide to do and be sure to post your results!

Ok so I think I've got a good solution.
So, the rock I have in my tank already, has lots of holes, and I made one of them a "foodbowl" I put thr food there and the mandarin is waiting for it, so there is little competition. He ready knows his bowl better than my dog knows between hers and the other dogs bowls [emoji23]

K-Philly · Mar 7, 2019

Wolf89 said:
Ok so I think I've got a good solution.
So, the rock I have in my tank already, has lots of holes, and I made one of them a "foodbowl" I put thr food there and the mandarin is waiting for it, so there is little competition. He ready knows his bowl better than my dog knows between hers and the other dogs bowls [emoji23]

If it works, it works!