Is your tank water becoming cloudy and dirty? You might be wondering, ‘Why does my betta fish tank get dirty so fast?’. Well, tank water getting dirty is quite common and happens at least once throughout the tank cycle. There might be several reasons behind your tank water becoming dirty.
As stated earlier, there might be several factors that can cause the tank water to get dirty or cloudy. Determining the right cause is essential as the type of solution depends on it. If your aquarium water gets dirty in case of a new tank, then the most probable cause is the presence of dirty gravel in the tank. Another most common cause is bacterial buildups in the tank. A large amount of algae growth can also cause the tank water to become greenish.
Why Does My Betta Fish Tank Get Dirty So Fast: Causes
You may notice your tank water getting dirty by judging the color of the water in the tank. Sometimes it may appear grey or white, while other times, it may become greenish. Various factors cause each type of cloudiness.
Firstly, you need to make sure what is the color of your tank water. Only after knowing the color of the cloudiness can we determine the causes and solutions for it. Thus, white cloudiness and green cloudiness are caused by different factors.
Causes For White Cloudiness
White color is the most common color change you will notice as your tank water gets dirty. White dirt is more common than green cloudiness, and here are some of the causes of such type of cloudiness in the tank water.
- Bacterial Build-up – Bacterial buildups or bacterial blooms are the most common cause for the tank water becoming cloudy. However, such bacteria are not always harmful for your betta fish. Such bacterial blooms rarely occur instantly as they take months to accumulate enough to change the color of the tank water.
- Dirty Gravel – It may so happen that you did not wash the aquarium gravel good enough before adding it to your tank. This can cause the water in the tank to become cloudy. Over usage of aquarium gravel can also cause cloudiness in the water.
- Tank Conditions – You need to make sure that the tank parameters like the water temperature, water pH level, water hardness, etc. are at the optimum level. Any discrepancies can cause unwanted growth of bacteria that in turn can cause the tank water to become dirty.
Thus, if you wonder why my betta fish tank gets dirty so fast, it might be due to the reasons mentioned above.
Cause For Green Cloudiness
The change of the color of the water to green is relatively less common, but it has been seen to happen. The one probable cause of such cloudiness is an overgrowth of algae in the tank that causes the tank water to become green in color.
Here are some of the causes for the overgrowth of algae.
- Excess Light – You may keep your tank lights on for a long period of time, or your tank is near to any other light source. Algae flourish in the light. Therefore, such excess of light causes an overgrowth of algae in the tank that turns the water green.
- Food Leftover – Another thing that may cause an overgrowth of algae in your tank is the leftover or uneaten food and fish waste. Such wastes causes an increase in the phosphate level in the tank that in turn can cause algae growth to rise.
Thus, green cloudiness is majorly caused due to the growth of algae in your tank.
Why Does My Betta Fish Tank Get Dirty So Fast: Solutions
Thus, if you see your tank water getting dirty, you might be wondering what to do to treat it. Treating dirty tank water is not that hard, and the mode of treatment depends on the causes behind such tank water cloudiness.
Treating a dirty betta fish tank is not that hard a job. Here are some of how you can treat dirty tank water.
Happens Naturally
In most cases, the cause behind the water in the tank becoming cloudy or dirty is natural. This happens mainly in the case of a new tank and is a standard part of the process. As the cause is genuine, the treatment is also realistic. You should leave such type of cloudiness and let it treat on its own.
Regular Water Changes
You should make sure that you change at least 15% of the tank water every week to prevent your tank water from becoming dirty. Regular water changes also ensure that no unwanted growth of bacteria occurs in the tank. It also helps control the rate of algae growth.
Avoid Overstocking
You also need to ensure that you do not overstock your tank with an excess amount of fish. This may increase the bioload in the tank. There should be at least one gallon of water per fish in the tank. A betta fish requires at least 3-5 gallons of water.
Do Not Overfeed
Overfeeding is a problem quite a few people face while feeding a betta fish. You should only provide that much food to your betta fish which it can consume within 30 to 40 seconds. Feed your betta fish only once or twice per day. Overfeeding may cause food to remain uneaten that can cause a bacterial bloom.
Reduce The Lights
As stated earlier, overexposure to lights can also cause an overgrowth of algae in the tank. Such overgrowth of algae can cause discoloration of tank water to a greenish color. Thus, reducing the exposure of the tank to light can prevent such green cloudiness in the tank.
Why Does My Betta Fish Tank Get Dirty So Fast After Water Change?
If your tank water gets dirty right after a water change, you need not worry as it is pretty standard and entirely unharmful. The cloudiness in the water may be due to the presence of sediments in your newly changed water.
The tank water can also get dirty due to the filter being turned back on after stopping it. When you block a filter, many sediments build up in the tank, which then spreads across the tank water once the filter is turned back on.
FAQs on Why Does My Betta Fish Tank Get Dirty So Fast
Is cloudy aquarium water harmful?
NO. A cloudy aquarium is rarely harmful. But you should not completely ignore it. It would help if you tried to look into the problem and resolve it as soon as possible to avoid any possible consequences.
How often to change the betta water?
You should change at least 15% of the water every week for a 5-gallon tank. For larger tanks, water changes must be done more frequently and in more portions.
Do bettas like light?
YES. Betta fish like the occasional aquarium lighting. Make sure not to overdo the lighting as it can cause excess algae growth.
Final Thoughts
If your tank is getting too cloudy, you may wonder why my betta fish tank gets dirty so fast. You need not worry, as this is a common occurrence and is easily treatable.
