Cloudy Water, not algae

[goldie mcfish]

Hi, I have a 10 gallon freshwater tank from Walmart. I have had this tank for at least 3 months. I have 1 calico fantail and 2 shubukens in there currently. When I first set the tank up it was crystal clear and beautiful. I made sure I washed all the marbles, fake plants, and 2 caves thoroughly before putting in the tank and as mentioned it was beautiful.

Now the water is cloudy, more so in the back of tank then the front. The PH is normal and when I change the water out (50%) it helps some but always slowly turns cloudy over the next few days and is not as clear as it once was. Water is not green or brown from algae like my last 5 gallon tank would have. (oh and when I change the water I use the aqua safe cond.).

I put the cover on at night and only turn the light on in the morning because it is chilly. I like to keep water between 62-68 degrees but admit that I don't check it as often as I should.

I use the Aqua Tech 5-15 gallon filter that the tank came with and am wondering if I should upgrade to the 10-20 gallon Aqua Tech filter. Will this make a difference? The filter seems to work fine and definitely catches residue but the intake tube only goes about halfway down to the 5 gallon mark and I'm wondering if it doesn't help to circulate the water as much as it should.

Please help if you can. I tried to include as much info as I can so you can have a clear picture of my tank. Thanks

[ZeroSystem]

Have you tested the water for Nitrates, nitrites and ammonia? Chances are your tank is overstocked, as three goldfish in a 10 gallon is too much fish. It doesn't sound like much, but goldfish are very messy and should be kept in larger tanks, around 30 gallons or so at least I'd say. I think the problem will likely be able to be fixed by either upgrading to a larger tank, or re-homing the goldfish and purchasing a heater and then stock the tank with smaller tropical fish. Without knowing what your water parameters are (ammonia, nitrate, ect.) it is hard to give an accurate answer.

[goldie mcfish]

Thanks, I didn't realize there was a test for nitrates etc. And I had no idea that having three in a 10 gallon was too much. I feel bad because I had the same three plus another fish in a 5 gallon for over a year. I just upgraded to the 10 gallon because I wanted the shubukens to have more room since they are full grown now.
I just don't know why with four in a smaller tank that the water would get some algae but not cloudy like this tank. I really would rather stick to freshwater and goldfish then moving onto tropical fish because I know less about the various types then I do about goldfish. Even in cloudy water they seem to be pretty happy...thank goodness

[ZeroSystem]

You can usually purchase test kits at your local fish store. Some stores even offer water testing services, but make sure you get some actually numbers from them. Just saying the water is "ok" can mean a lot of different things.

How big are your shubunkins? Fully grown adults of any goldfish variety usually reach the 10 inch to 14 inch size! I couldn't imagine fish that large in a 10g, especially multiple of them! Do note that tropical just means 'warm water' fish, and does not refer to 'marine' or saltwater fish.