Water is cloudy white...

[emallia]

I just started out a 63 ltr tank running a internal cannister filter, I added Tetra Bactozym to start off the bacteria, but my water has become very cloudy and remained so for a week so far, is this bacterial bloom and how can i clear the problem?

Thanks

[Matak]

Hello emallia, welcome to AC, a great place to be and learn about fishkeeping!

About your tank, have you considered fishless cycling?

[emallia]

I have no fish at the moment, I have however 3 plants..... shall i add fish to make it cycle faster or their health will gradually deteriorate?

[Dapple2]

The cloudy water is pretty normal for a freshly set up tank and typically goes away in a couple days. Since you don't have any fish yet, fish-less cycling sounds like a very good option for you. Here's a couple of sites with good articles that explain the process much better than I can ;)

http://www.skepticalaquarist.com/do....shtml#fishless
http://www.csupomona.edu/~jskoga/Aquariums/Ammonia.html
http://www.thetropicaltank.co.uk/cycling2.htm

While you are cycling, to help fight off the urge to get fish you can always buy more plants! The plants really help the tank cycle faster IME

[aquariumfishguy]

I can't speak on behalf of all cycle products out there as that would be stupid on my part but SOME products/brands can cause mild to moderate cloudiness. :( This is why I find that fishless cycling is the best method for cycling your tank.

Try doing a few 40-50% water changes and I'm afraid to tell you, you MIGHT need to start over and recycle your tank. Again, I recommend a fishless cycle using straight ammonia from the store.

[125gJoe]

That cloudiness will be cleared with the use of a Vortex Diatom filter. I had a slight cloudiness problem that would not go away, but that filter did it. If you do get one, it's not for continuous use..