Cloudy water, algae, and worms are common aquarium problems. Fortunately they are to prevent and solve if they do happen.
Cloudy Water
The number one reason is high nitrate and ammonia levels. This might be because you over feed your fish. One fish will only need several fish flakes, so you do not have to dump a lot of food into the tank. The excess food sits at the bottom of your tank and starts to decay and break down, leading to many different problems including cloudy water and your fish might also start to get sick. Never add regular water to your fish tank without adding some type of dechlorinator. Chlorine removers can be purchased from any pet store and remove the chlorine from your water. This article explains how to prepare tap water before it is placed in your aquarium. You can also purchase filtered water for small aquariums, or you can let a gallon of regular water sit in a jug for 24 hours, which allows the chlorine to evaporate.
Another reason could be that you have too many fish in your fish tank. For freshwater tanks and saltwater tanks, you should only have one inch of fish per gallon of water. ie; A 30 gallon fish tank will house six, five inch fish. Never keep too many fish in your aquarium. Your fish could get stressed out because there are not enough hiding places. A few of your fish might also be aggressive, chasing around the slower and smaller fish. Make sure your fish have many different hiding places.
Algae Problems
The most likely reason for this is that you are not cleaning the tank as well and as often as you should be. You are also probably leaving your light on for too long. Put your tank on a timer and only leave the light on for a maximum of six or seven hours each day.
Worms
This is probably because your filter isn’t working properly or has never been cleaned. You must clean the filter with every water change but do not rinse off the sponges because they house beneficial bacteria. This might also be caused by overpopulation.
The Albino Clawed Frog
In my quest to find unique creatures to fill out my freshwater fish tank that are different from your typical fish, I discovered the African and albino clawed frogs. My first thought was whether they could live underwater in my tanks, since it seemed odd for a frog to spend most of its time underwater. But that’s what they do, as they come up only periodically for breaths of air. My second thought was whether they’d be easy to take care of. For the most part, they are, although there are a few specific guidelines to follow when taking care of them. Clawed frogs are communal creatures and enjoy the company of other frogs, so you should buy clawed frogs in groups of three or four. It is recommended that you don’t keep them with fish, but that applies mainly to more aggressive, larger species that may cause problems for the frog, as well as smallish fish that the frog enjoys eating.
Food is a bit different from regular fish as well. Clawed frogs are carnivorous and prefer to eat things like frozen blood worms and ghost shrimp, but specialty newt and salamander food pellets also work just fine. Fish flakes and shrimp pellets, however, are less-than-ideal food choices. They only need to be fed three to four times a week, however. Like many bottom-dwelling animals in fish tanks, clawed frogs also require a small, hollow hiding place like a log or cave to feel safe and comfortable. The ideal temperature range for these frogs is between 65-75 degrees and chlorine can be deadly so always use a decholorinator. The size of the frogs varies, ranging from the standard one-inch size all the way up to five or six inches. They can also get quite wide and heavy, so make sure your tank has plenty of space in case they end up growing. In addition to the albino clawed frog, African clawed frogs are also commonly sold in pet shops. Both have similar characteristics and make good additions to any freshwater tank, if you take good care of them.
Provided by Creatures Corner reader Nick Meyer.
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