new tank, new questions, new contradictions

[OrionGirl]

Gotta' disagree. I agree the fogginess is a bacterial bloom, but I doubt the bacteria are the same ones that consume ammonia. I have never had a bacterial bloom, yet my tanks are fully cycled and stable. Bacteria blooms indicate that something is way out of whack in your tank, and are NOT a good thing.

I would return all of the goldfish, test the water, and add ammonia as needed to maintain the cycling process. Saying that you started with the fish so must continue with them is silly--if I start backing my car up, must I back the rest of the day as well? Sheesh.

 

[Randy]

 

[carpguy]

There are lots of bacteria everywhere, including in our tanks. My understanding is that the white bloom is not the nitrifying bacteria, just a fairly harmless bacteria liking the conditions. From reading posts up here it seems to be common to the point of being normal for new tanks to do this, but it isn't necessary to have a cloudy bloom as part of your cycle (looks like someone poured a healthy splash of milk into the tank).
I had one during my fishless cycle.

It seems to generally go away on its own after a few days. If it persists for longer than a week or two you might want to post a few questions about it. If it is tinted green its something else entirely.

 

[Randy]