Hi,
Just joined this forum. Firstly a little about myself. My Father started with tropical fish in 1967 when I was 15 years old, and I have carried on with the hobby over the years with various tanks. Last year my three foot tank started to leak(25 years old!!). So I saw an advert in Aldi for a complete aquarium 54 litres set up and went out a bought one. It is okay, but not excellent quality. I set the tank up and let it settle, and after about a week I put in some fish. Now in the last three weeks or so the water has been very cloudy, this is the first time that I have had this problem in all my years of keeping tropical fish. At the moment I have doing a partial water change every other day, but after about another day, the water is cloudy again. It does not appear to be harming the fish, but I know that I will have to get a water test kit. In all my years of keeping fish, I have had to use a water test kit only once. I used my original gravel for the new tank set up. Could anyone give me any ideas as to what is wrong, or have i not let the tank settle for long enough. Like I said, I have been lucky all these years, and not had this sort of problem. Thanks.
Martin

it shouldnt be the aquarium as i use that one as well and have had no problems
the cloudyness could be due to something that you have been adding or somehing to do with the substrate you have

Hi,
I have completed a partial water change today, so I will what it is like in a couple of days. I now think that it may be the substrate that I am using. Thanks
martin

The cloudy water may be an algae bloom. Did you cycle the tabk before adding the fish?

Hi,
Yes,I cycled the tank for about a week before I added the fish. Thanks
Martin

Did you cycle with fish in or did you do a fishless cycle. If you did a fishless cycle did you add ammonia to feed the bacteria? Also did you test your water before adding your fish to make sure your filter had cycled?

[bb]

Hi,
Thanks for that, I will try it.
Martin

unfortunately leaving a tank doesn't cycle it, how many fish did you add to the tank? the cloudiness of the water is an indication of your tank cycling, have you touched your filter at all since you set it up initially?

Unless you added mature media to your new filter, your new tank was not cycled. It takes far more than a week to cycle a tank from secatch? How were you cycling? I should point out that letting the tank sit is not cycling, it some c**p that lfs's come up with to sell you some fish, that usualy get killed in the process of cycling your tank IMO, all lfs giving out bad advise as standord, should be closed down......mind not many (if any) would be left

The cloudyness is probibly linked to your tank cycling, so yes a test kit is needed to see exactly whats going on with your water. How long hae the fish been in? this link goes to a thread I wrote, describing the process of cycling with fish. If it is possible, I would recomend that you return the fish, and carry out a fishless cycle, see here for details

All the best with your new tank
Rabbut

P.S. where was your old tank leaking from? I presume that it was not repairable?

Hi,
the old tank was over 25 years old--not worth repairing. I was going to try some Bio-Spira or Tetra Aqua safe Start. thanks
Martin

Bio-Spira would be best, as there is plenty of exidence of it actualy working, which there is not for Tetra Aqua Start A cheaper option would be to find a member near to you with mature media available. Members with mature media I belive there is a search function for threads that long, to help find someone near, rather than trawling through that lot. Alternatively, post a request at the end of the list.

HTH
Rabbut

Hi,
Friday last(25/01/08) I got a nitrite test kit and Nutrafin Cycle and some Nutrafin Clear Particulate. I tested the water and the result was that the nitrite was approx 0.4. I completed a part water change and added the cycle and clear particulate to the correct quantities. On the Saturday the tank was actually crystal clear with no cloudyness at all. On Sunday I again tested the water, and the result this time was 0.1 which according to the test kit instructions was okay. Now today(Monday), the tank has started to go cloudy again. I have again tested the water and the results were 0.4. Should I now remove my present substrate and renew it completely, or would it be okay to clean it rather than replace it. I have never had this problem in all the years I have been keeping tropical fish. I am assuming that there is something wrong with the substrate that is causing this. thanks for any replies.
Martin

Based upon what you have said above, I would say that it is a cycle going on that is caursing the cloudyness. There is nothing you can realy do, except keep up waterchanges and, if possible, get some mature filter media from a local forum member. find some mature media I would ask for it at the end of the thread, rather than trawling through thatt lot to find some

Presumable you have a gravel vac? If so, you cauld try using this to clean to substrate if you are convinced that this is the problem, but your nitrite reading is th main reason that I am eaning towards this being part of the cycle. If you don't have one, ask the LFS next time you visuit. If you haven't used one before, it may be an idea to ask them to show you how to use it. If you have een in the hobby before, I sure that you will have before though

HTH
Rabbut