Cloudy water - Can't fix!

Hey guys,

So I've had my little guy for a couple months now, but just over the last 2 weeks or so the water has becoming very cloudy.
I am constantly checking water parameters and they seem to be very solid for an axie:

Ph - 7.6
Ammonia - 0 - 0.25 (never higher)
Nitrites - 0
Nitrates - 10-20 (orange)

I've tried water changes, and it doesn't seem to help at all. Yesterday while doing a water 50% water change, I changed the carbon insert hoping it would help, but no luck.
I will change the sponge sooner than later, but didn't want to do it all at once.

Any other suggestions would be great!

It's a 20G tank.

Thank you!!

does anyone have any suggestions??
I've read maybe getting an air stone could work?
Ill take any suggestions!

What substate are you using?
It is possible your tank is going through a bacterial boom also known as a mini cycle.

Bare bottom, as we've had issues with him and sand.
I have read about bacterial blooms, but unsure how to counteract it exactly.

I got home tonight after most of the day away and it seems to have gotten much cloudier even still, but my parameters are still reading OK.

I'm going to try another water change again tonight, but I'm worried about how cloudy the tank has become

what brand and size filter are you using? I like aquaclear filters or large sponge filters. Both have a strong biological bed. How many axolotls are in the tank? What size are the axolotls?

Aqua clear 20. Sponge and carbon inserts
1 axolotl, about 1 year old. hes maybe 5 or 6 inches

The sponge doesn't need changed very often. I t just needs rinsed out in dechlorinated water often. I'd also think about getting a biomax insert for the filter. The biomax is more important than the carbon. Do about 20 percent water changes once a week and squeeze out the sponge. Feed your axolotl lightly and remove uneaten food. You should be in good shape in a couple weeks.

If you have to many problems upgrade to the next size filter.

Same advice as I was going to give Michael, I highly recommend getting biomax balls for your filter and upgrading, I have a 20 gallon long and use a 30 filter because of how much waste an axie can produce along with if you decide to add a 2nd axie, your filter can handle the extra waste.

Turns out that yes, I do have biomax balls in the filter as well.
Currently, the set up is sponge on the bottom, carbon in the middle, biomax balls ontop. That is how the owner previous to me had it and I was just following their lead. I have changed the carbon once.
All 3 inserts get rinsed with tank water every couple of water changes

As far as the cloudy water goes, I am still doing partial water changes every couple days. I did add a small air stone and some API accu-clear which helped temporarily, but now I've seemed to have lost all nitrates AND the water has become cloudy again.
I feel totally lost..

the good news the axie still has an appetite and isn't showing signs of stress, but of course I'm concerned as the guy raising him.

Test your phosphates. It sounds like you're having a bacterial bloom.

Don't know too much about the technical aspect of it but I've had this issue with fish on a couple different occasions and both times it was and a tank without an air stone or bubbler. One had an Api filter that airated the water, the water level was incorrect and it wasn't airating. The other was a tank that didn't need o e as it was housing gourami. Anyway long story short no matter what I did I couldn't clear the water. After adding an air stone in the one and adjusti g water level in the other both were crystal clear within 24-48 hours

Hi. I notice this post is 6 months old, but I'll reply anyway.
Firstly, your bio-filter medium has been reversed. All my tanks (fish, turtles, axolotls) run on bio-filters. At the top should be the sponge, to filter out larger particles. In the middle should be the charcoal, to deal to dissolved toxins, then on the bottom should be the bio ball which deal with the nitrates/ammonia. The previous owner of the filter may have been new to bio filters, and reversed the order when cleaning - a common mistake with people new to them. :happy:
Next, it is likely the filter/pump is no longer able to handle the bio load. When your axolotl was smaller, it produced less waste, but as it has grown over the few months, the bio load has increased. I have had cloudy water issues three times the past few years - twice with my goldfish, and once with my turtles.
With the goldfish, the first time algae gunked up the rotor in the pump, and the second time Java moss got wrapped around the rotor in the pump (common issues with submersible pumps). Both instances reduced the flow, reducing the volume of water being processed through the filter to a level too low for the bio load. Once the pump rotor was cleaned and the flow back to full level, the cloudiness cleared up within a few days.
With the turtles, after a few years, gunge had built up on the internal walls of the hoses at the back, reducing the amount of water being processed. Once all the hoses were snaked to clean them, the cloudiness cleared up in a few days.
Since you have only had the setup a few months, it isn't too likely to be a maintenance issue, so likely that the pump/filter is simply to small now to handle the bio load.
Hope that helps.