Cloudy Smelly Tank

[keeleyb]

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Tank size: 38lt
pH: 8
ammonia: ?
nitrite: 0
nitrate: 0
kH:10
gH:18
tank temp: 28

Fish Symptoms (include full description including lesion, color, location, fish behavior): havent been eating as much

Volume and Frequency of water changes: 30% every week

Chemical Additives or Media in your tank: each water change API stress coat, stress zyme and ammo lock

Tank inhabitants: 3 adult platys (1 male 2 female) and 5 fry (3x3 week old and 2x 1 week old)

Recent additions to your tank (living or decoration): have added a new plant recently, sorry no picture and have no idea of its name. I will try to find out

we have had the fish in for about 6 weeks and I had the tank up and running for 3 weeks prior to that. Everything has been fine untill about 48 hrs ago, I noticed that the tank was looking slightly cloudy. The fry are in a floating breeding trap and it needed hoovering of fry food, so I lifted the lid and the tank water is very smelly, so I am going to change the water, will 50% be enough? could it be the plant, or is it just the new additions? or is this the second gauntlet that I have read about. The fish look really well although the adults havent actually been as ravanous as usual.
any suggestions would be gratefully recieved, thought I was doing so well for a novice and now its going pear shaped!

regards
Keeleyx

 

[WILDER]

Its the fry food that causing the tank to go cloudy, remove the food with a gravel vac and water change.
Can you try and say what the tank smells like.

 

[keeleyb]

Its the fry food that causing the tank to go cloudy, remove the food with a gravel vac and water change.
Can you try and say what the tank smells like.

thanks for reply, I was trying to work out what was different from a couple of weeks ago and apart from the new plant which I have since removed, the only thing is the fry and their food! so that would explain a bit.

On sunday I did a 50% water change and today I have gotten up and its cloudy again, there is a thin layer of fry food in the breeder trap so I shall remove it. The smell is just like rotting veg actually, which is why I thought it might be the plant causing the clouding. Think I may buy small fry tank.

Thanks for any and all advice

kind regards
Keeleyx

 

[tmack]

0 nitrates would seem to indicate that the tank hasn't cycled yet. Any chance of getting an ammonia reading?

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

Yeah the cloudyness is due to a bacterial bloom, which is most often caused by excess food or dirty substrate in the tank- they can also come about in tanks which are cycling and whose bacterial ecosystems are still establishing themselves. The bacterial bloom/cloudyness should go away with a lot of small regular water changes and cleaning of the substrate- up until now, how often did you clean the substrate in the tank on average?
Its important to get ammonia readings as if you have cycled the tank with fish, it is most likely still cycling- to learn more about your tanks water quality and things, check out this excellent article on understanding the water quality in your tank and more;

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=10099

.
Are you using dechlorinator/water conditioner in your water changes and how do you go about cleaning the filter exactly?

 

[keeleyb]

Yeah the cloudyness is due to a bacterial bloom, which is most often caused by excess food or dirty substrate in the tank- they can also come about in tanks which are cycling and whose bacterial ecosystems are still establishing themselves. The bacterial bloom/cloudyness should go away with a lot of small regular water changes and cleaning of the substrate- up until now, how often did you clean the substrate in the tank on average?
Its important to get ammonia readings as if you have cycled the tank with fish, it is most likely still cycling- to learn more about your tanks water quality and things, check out this excellent article on understanding the water quality in your tank and more;

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=10099

.
Are you using dechlorinator/water conditioner in your water changes and how do you go about cleaning the filter exactly?

Ok, I have been doing 25% water changes weekly and hoovering the gravel at the same time, up untill about 2 weeks ago I was getting a nitrate reading slightly, then overnight and since I have had nothing so I assumed that the tank had finally cycled. I purchased a 5 -in 1 testing kit but it doesnt have amonia on it. I shall go out now and buy one. I have a rena filter with sponge in the base and a block in the top. The block is changed every 3 weeks according to the instructions on the packet and then when I change it I gently dip the sponge into the drained tank water to get rid of any large bits of debris.

I am thinking now that maybe it is excess food, the fry eat like pigs but there is always a thin layer in the bottom of their 'box' which I clean out about every 3-4 days.

I will do a water change now. I add water conditioner to each new lot of water, I use API stress coat and stress Zyme and Ammo lock as recommended by LFS.

Hope that is enough info, thank you all very much for all and any advice
regards
Keeley X

 

[tmack]

You might want to stop the Ammo Lock - it supposedly ties up the ammonia in a form that is safer for the fish, but the bacteria can't consume it. It may actually slow down the cycling because of that. Most ammonia test kits, such as API, will still measure this tied up ammonia - it measures total ammonia. The only test kit that I'm aware of is one by Seachem - it tests for both free ammonia (toxic form) as well as total ammonia (the toxic plus the complexed safe form). I just ordered the Seachem ammonia test for this reason, but it's not available at a lot of the lfs.

 

[keeleyb]

You might want to stop the Ammo Lock - it supposedly ties up the ammonia in a form that is safer for the fish, but the bacteria can't consume it. It may actually slow down the cycling because of that. Most ammonia test kits, such as API, will still measure this tied up ammonia - it measures total ammonia. The only test kit that I'm aware of is one by Seachem - it tests for both free ammonia (toxic form) as well as total ammonia (the toxic plus the complexed safe form). I just ordered the Seachem ammonia test for this reason, but it's not available at a lot of the lfs.

OK update, did 50% water change 2 days ago and today looking better, still a bit cloudy toward the bottom, but still smelly, smells like brussell sprouts! still normal readings although need to buy amonia tester ASAP have now noticed that on one of the plastic plants there is this white webby stuff looks abit like mini dandilion clocks, fish seem fine, fry very active and feeding well, adult platys eating again and normal. The tank really does smell though any suggestions greatly recieved.

Many thanks
regards
Keeleyx