Question: Cloudy tank walls?

Hi all.
This is probably going to be pretty lengthy for this is my first axolotl tank and I want to be thorough as possible. Lots of notes will be taken from the journal I keep for my axie. :wacko:

Let me give you a little background information.
So I've had a tank set up for almost 2 weeks, and about a week and a half before adding mine and my boyfriend's axolotl. (We've had him 4 days now, and he is freaking CUTE!!!)

Water parameters:
Temperature stays between 64 and 66 degrees Fahrenheit.
Tetra Brand Easy Strips (not exactly cheap, holy buckwheats!)-
Ammonia:0.5 (safe)
Jungle Brand 5-N-1 Test Strips (again, not the cheapest)-
Nitrate: 0 (safe)
Nitrite: 0 (safe)
Hardness: 75 (soft)
Alkalinity: 40 (low)
pH: 6.8 (neutral)

Tank set-up:
20 gallon long
Light coloured sand on bottom with 1 fake plastic plant and 1 Java Fern [live,] a cave for him to hide in, a Tetra Whisper filter, the smallest I could find for 5 gallons --Very little stream, very weak current, a food dish for when I decide to feed bloodworms, and a few large smooth stones.
(hope to add a few more plants soon.)

Inhabitants:
1 little black axolotl, about 5" long, and adorable.
2 Rosy minnows.

History of tank to far:
The day before getting the axolotl I went to Petsmart and purchased a couple rosy minnows. After 8 hours they all had fungus, and died over-night/early morning the next day. Those were all removed, and the plastic plant and fake mossball that had the fungus on them were removed. When the axie arrived I noticed the very very very tip of his tail was gone. I called up the guy who had sent him to me. He told me about his condition before he was shipped and explained to me it was probably his doing by nipping his own little tail. (There was a fuzzy clump of stuff the same colour as his skin, but I initially thought it was poop.) The little guy gets 1 salt bath a day and I'm already seeing progress in his tail.
After the disaster with the potential feeder fish from Petsmart (I mind you not a single employee there knew what an axolotl was ] I went to Petco and talked to the manager who was currently working in the fish and reptile depot. She talked to me for about 20 minutes about axolotls and other salamanders and different precautions she's taken, and explained to me a few this about the fungus...needless to say after 2 days the fish are still alive, have all been chomped on 3 times, but escaped, and one even got half of his tail-fin chomped off and is still perky. (he got a salt bath too, just in case.)

Feeding:
He gets fed red worms cut up into 3-4 pieces. He really enjoys them and gobbles them up. I was feeding him once a day but his tummy wasn't getting any bigger, so I've bumped it to once in the morning when he's pretty lethargic, and once at night when he's stalking the fish and having a gay 'ole time, if you will. Yesterday I introduced bloodworms where I 'injected' a few with a turkey baster into the food dish. He sure loved those once he found them, and so did the fish. This early morning I removed all un-eaten food and what ever waste I could find.

Main concern and reason to posting
The week and a half without an axolotl or fish, and day 1 with axolotl and fish the water was crystal clear and the glass was fine. NOW the water is still crystal clear, but the glass its self appears to be a little hazy. When I do the salt bath, I siphon about 3 liters out into a plastic 'shoebox', and replace that water the next day with cold tap water I've let sit over-night to dechlorinate. The pad in the filter has a light green [what looks to be algae] on it. I think my tank is still 'cycling' so I'm not going to remove the cartridge since there could be some good bacteria in their, but will replace it if it is suggested. I'm not sure if I should be concerned about the haze on the glass since my tank is fairly new, but I'm just trying to be precautionary as possible with little Freyr's tail injury and have had a few feeders with fungus.

Attached are five photos. One of the whole tank, one close up on the front [I apologize for reflections of all my boyfriend's guitar junk] and one from the side. [I think with the double-glass type affect it looks murky, but the water is super clear.] There's also 1 of him in the salt bath, and 1 of him stalking a fish.

Any tips or reassuring facts would so amazing.
Thanks so much in advance!

Hi sounds like you're doing good so far.
The test strips aren't the most reliable ways of testing water. Liquid tests will produce more accurate results. I think most people use an API masterkit which comes with Ammonia, Nitrate, Nitrite, pH and High pH tests.

Keep up with the salt baths and he should be OK, has the fungus started clearing? If you're keeping feeder fish in with the axie I would make sure they have been isolated for at least two weeks to make sure they aren't spreading disease to your axolotl. Keep an eye on them too in case they might nip at the axies gills. - Hopefully they should leave peacefully together, until he noms them lol.
Could the haze just be from the sand being stirred up by the axolotl? Or is it actually on the tank walls? I've had some algae which has literally taken over my fish tank, including the walls >.<

Mine was a little thin when I first got him. Keep feeding him well and he will soon fatten up

Thanks so much for such a quick reply!
The minnow show no residual fungus and neither does anything in the tank. I removed the plant the fish chose to die in, along with a moss ball they were rubbing against which was covered in fungus.
They don't seem to hang around Freyr unless he's stalking them, but then that's him just being a little assassin.

I will definitely look into getting the liquid test kits. It just stings that I spent almost $40.00 on those stupid bits of paper. ]: Oh well. What ever benefits our little boy!

The haze does appear to be strictly on the glass... it's not green in colour except on the filter cartridge it is.
Could I take a brand new scouring pad and try to clean off the glass? Or do you think I should wait a couple more days/weeks to see how it progresses?
I keep the curtains closed since he's pretty sensitive to light. I've read that some people cover their tanks with black fabric for a couple days to starve any algae...

Any ideas?
Thanks so much again!

I opened the curtain a smidge to see if I could get a better picture of the haze. The water is perfectly clear and there's no sand that kicks up unless I'm cleaning up the poo and uneaten food. D:

I have another picture attached.


I found this:
"Bacterial Bloom
If your aquarium water is clear and your fish are healthy, the white film may be bacteria growing. Aquariums tend to cycle bacteria and it's not unusual for a newly-established tank to suddenly begin growing bacteria. Allow the tank a few days to cycle through the white film. If the film does not go away on its own, change the water and clean the filters. Avoid changing the gravel, which can cause the tank to begin a new cycle of bacteria growth."

My tank is pretty new. I bought it around 2 weeks ago at Petsmart, and let the water stay in it to dechlorinate for almost a week and a half.