Fishless cycle just started... Cloudy after adding ammonia?

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eraser

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Mar 26, 2005
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I picked up some ammonia from Smart N Final, its pure without any suffectants or soap in it...

I have a 50 gallon with all new rock that was rinsed thoroughly and a Fluval FX5 with ceramic rings and carbon in it...

I added a bottle of Fritz zyme #7 which is nitrifying bacteria...

its been 24 hours since i added it and its extremely cloudy... just wondering, is this normal?


See attachment...

Photo_081907_002.jpg
 
Not in my experience....I would drain adn refill and skip the Fritz...
 
50ml seems like alot to have to add to get to 5ppm in a 50g tank...may depend on the consentration of the ammonia I guess. It took about 1 teaspoon in my 55g tank to get around the 3ppm mark...I am not sure how many ml that is but it is not close to 50ml I am sure.
 
Just looked it up and 50ml is like 1.7 fluid ounces

What kind of test kit do you have? Strips or liquid test? Maybe you are getting a false reading or the Fritz (whatever it is) might have something to do with the readings....

As for the cloudiness....I have never seen that happen just adding ammonia....maybe the ammonia does have some additives or soaps in it. Did you shake the bottle and see if it bubbles up any?
 
southpaw said:
Just looked it up and 50ml is like 1.7 fluid ounces

What kind of test kit do you have? Strips or liquid test? Maybe you are getting a false reading or the Fritz (whatever it is) might have something to do with the readings....

As for the cloudiness....I have never seen that happen just adding ammonia....maybe the ammonia does have some additives or soaps in it. Did you shake the bottle and see if it bubbles up any?
Click to expand...


API liquid test.....which I tested before i added the fritz...

On the label of the ammonia it says "a clear non detergent ammonia for surfaces that must be free from any film or residue"

It doesnt say anything about having any fragrances and it doesnt list the ingredients... so it leads me to be pretty sure that its just ammonia with nothing else in it...

Additionally... heres a pic of the tank now... its gone from opaque to being able to see the plants....

Photo_081907_003.jpg
 
so its been 4 days since i setup this tank, water has gone back to being as cloudy as the first picture...

I added 12 lbs of new gravel when first setting up the tank..since then.. i have added 20 pounds from my 20g established tank and also a piece of filter that i had in the penguin biowheel filter...

My ammonia is between 4-8ppm (probably around 5ish according to the color) and I still have no nitrites...

Im running an FX5 with 2 bags of carbon and the ceramic rings.... any suggestions?

I was thinking of adding A-248 Fluval FX5 Fine Polishing pad as the foam that comes with the fx5 is quite coarse...

a248.jpg
 
i've heard good things about the fine polishing pads, but i feel like it might be better to determine the source of the clouding and make sure its not going to cause you problems in the future.

have you tested the water again? what are the new readings?

it could just be a bacterial bloom (very common) in which case it's a good thing and just leave it alone and let it run it's course.

sometimes new gravel can cloud the water, especially if you didn't rinse it first.. I would just keep on cycling and not worry about the cloudiness. if your tank finishes cycling and the water is still cloudy, then come back and let us know.. cuz then i'd be more concerned.
 
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