cloudy water

C

chrizza92

The Metal Fanatic
Aug 19, 2008
79
0
0
Melbourne Austrlia
Hi

i filled my new tank one week ago and the water is still very cloudy can some one tell me why and will it settle down

the tank is 160 liters

thanks
recent water tests
ammonia : 0
pH : 7.0
 
are there fish in the tank?
 
You probably did not rinse the gravel out enough. Water clarifier may clear up the problem. What kind of filter do you have?
The tank is still in the early stage of cycling. You will need to do frequent water changes and test for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels. There is a sticky above the Freshwater Newbie section that gives lots of information on how to cycle a tank. A must read.
 
^^^^ Agreed :grinyes:. Did you use ammonia or fish food for the cycle? If not the tank didn't really cycle. Usually takes, from my experience, 3-6 weeks to fully cycle a tank. Keep up on water changes and eventually the cloudiness will disappear.

oh, and don't over feed. 1 flake/pellet etc. of food per fish per day is pretty much all the tank will be able to handle until fully cycled, otherwise risk a large buildup of ammonia or nitrite.
 
one week without any ammoina source will not cycle a tank. in fact, without any outside aid from used filter media or gravel, a cycle can take 6-8 weeks. the cloudiness you are seeing is probably from an ammoina spike which caused a bacterial bloom in the water.

your tank is also overstocked. clown loaches get far to large for your tank, and the gourami may also, depending on the species.
 
I did a fish cycle on my tank. It took about 8 weeks with 3 to 4 water changes a week and monitoring all my water parameters.
 
My water got real cloudy when I first started. I freaked out and overcleaned EVERYTHING trying to get rid of it. It took FOREVER for my tank to finally cycle and show nitrates after that. So, don't do what I did and kill off any bacteria that might have already formed! I realize now that what worked the best were frequent water changes. Good luck!!
 
chrizza92 said:
i rinsed the gravel for half and hour how much water when doing water changes should i change? i have a internal filter Aqua-one 102f 500l/hr
Click to expand...
The real thing that tells if you rinsed enough is whether there is dirt / mud in the water after you fill the tank. There really is no particular amount because not all gravel is alike.
The internal filter is a good idea in the sense that they tend to be quieter in operation than the ones you hang on the back. I do not know that model but assume it is rated for at least as big a tank as you have. For your tank the minimum circulation would be about 500 litres per hour if you keep the fish load light. As others have said, your fish load is not going to be light with the particular fish you have now. The loaches will get way too big for that tank and should be returned to the place where you got them as soon as possible. At this point don't get anything to replace them, there will be time for that later once we get you cycled.
Water changes quantity should be based on test results. You need to change enough water that both ammonia and nitrites stay below 0.25 ppm but if the values get too high, do it in 50% changes rather than a big 90% change. If you do not have the liquid based testing kit yet, start with 30% daily changes until you can get the kit. That should get you close if you don't overfeed.
Water changes must be done using water about the same temperature as the water that came out and the new water needs to be dechlorinated. Many of the dechlor products will also help the fish survive the chemical stress they are going through.
 
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