Cloudy water after adding substrate – should I wait or do a water change?

[annasmith]

Hi everyone,

I’m setting up my first freshwater aquarium, a 20-gallon tank. I added rinsed gravel, filled the tank, and started the filter yesterday. The filter has been running continuously, but the water is still noticeably cloudy, almost like a light white haze.

There are no fish in the tank yet. I’m planning to cycle it before adding any livestock. The filter is rated for a larger tank, and I’m using a sponge pre-filter on the intake.

My main question is whether I should leave the tank alone and let the filter clear the water, or do a partial water change now. I’ve read that cloudy water can be caused by fine particles from the substrate or a bacterial bloom, but I’m not sure how to tell the difference as a beginner.

Would you recommend changing any filter media at this stage, or should I avoid disturbing the filter while the tank is cycling?

Any advice on what to watch for over the next few days would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

[dougall]

It really depends, at the bottom line, what the gravel is .

If you rinsed aquasoil, it will break down and leave the water cloudy.

But if it's just turbid then it doesn't really matter, it may clog up your filter (whatever it is) so you would need to rinse the filter media .

It might be a bacterial bloom too . Which unto itself isn't really a problem.

But, I would test the water and change water if ammonia levels are more than 2 parts per million or if nitrites are at 1ppm or more

But, before adding fish, I would suggest reading up on the nitrogen cycle and how to do it for your aquarium.. having a good quality aquarium test kit will serve you well