GJR,
In addition to Sanjo's helpful advice re the coconut halves, I also think her earlier comment re a cycle/mini-cycle/bacteria bloom might be happening too if you've put new filter pads in. Did you take out and discard the previous filter pads, replacing them with these new ones, or have you kept some of the old filter pads/sponge? The previous filter media (usually filter pads or sponge) will be where the 'good' bacteria colonizes which will help deal with the fishes' waste, whereas discarding them completely and putting new ones in will re-start the process of cycling and needing to generate new bacteria (which may also partly explain the murky water/bacteria bloom). If, however, you have kept some of the older filter pads/sponge and have it in alongside the new filter pads, that will help the good bacteria to colonize on the new ones, and so hopefully will mean that any bacteria bloom/contribution to the murky water will be shorter lasting.