Tank cloudy

Jalum

AC Members
Feb 9, 2005
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0
Hi.
I just set up a 75 gallon tank on Sunday. I am trying Big Al's Bio-Support to help cycle the tank. The filter is a Eheim 2215 and it had the water clear in a few hours.
Today, I come home from work and the water is a bit cloudy, but nothing shows up in the tests, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate. Any ideas?
 
Is it kinda white-ish cloudyness? That happened to a couple of my tanks when started up. If its the same as mine, it should clear up on its own in a couple days.
 
I used a cycle product when setting up my first tank (4 weeks ago) I had cloud aswell - cleared in 2 days kept to daily dosing of cycle product.
Now have 6 x Zebra Danio in there and they seem just fine
I agreee (form advice I've had form friends as I'm new too!) that it's most likely to be a bacterial bloom. I did a 3 week "fishless cycle" as didn't like the ethics of chucking fish in and watching them suffer bnut I am told nothing matures a tank better than some fish but be careful not to overstock or the bacteria in yr filter won't be able to multiply fast enough to cope with increase in polutants.
 
The cloudiness just means that your tank is cycling and it is called a bacterial bloom which means that your bacteria is trying to multiply to break down the waste in your tank, so it is not nesessary to treat the water.
 
Thanks. It is kinda milky color and from all that I have been reading and the replies here, It would appear to be a bacterial bloom.
There are no fish or plants in the tank at all. Would it be wise to put a Java Fern in the tank now? Will it help to cycle the tank or should I just leave it alone?
 
Generally, the bacteria responsible for oxidizing ammonia and nitrite are NOT free-floating, and they multiply pretty slowly. The cloudiness described is therefore almost certainly not a bloom of the nitrifying bacteria, but of the other mormal microorganisms that inhabit our tanks. The populations of these organisms can become unbalanced for a number of reasons, and as a result, you can see these 'blooms' even in healthy, cycled tanks.

For the most part, you're better off ignoring the white water and keeping your eye on test results for ammonia and nitrite. They'll give you a better idea of what's going on in your tank in terms of the cycle. The white water will go away on its own. Trying to force it away by adding water clarifiers or other additive usually only compounds the problem.

HTH,
Jim
 
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