Cloudy Water After Adding Heater?

[Gemmag88]

Hi all,

We've just bought a small 5G tank for my daughter. We waited until day 5 (yesterday) after cycling the tank as per the instructions to go and buy a fish. We were going to just buy some cold water fish but the guy in the shop recommended investing in a heater so that she could have more choice in fish. He said to install the heater as per the instructions (which we did) and wait 24 hours for the water to come up to temperature. The tank is now at the correct temperature for tropical fish, however, the water has become cloudy.

Does this mean that we will have to wait for the tank to cycle again before adding any fish or would it be possible to add something hardy? I don't want to add anything and the poor fish gets sick!

What would you recommend? Should I try changing some of the water or adding some more chemical to the tank or will it settle itself?

Total newbie here!

 

[fluttermoth]

Hi Gemma, welcome to the forum.
 
I'm afraid your little tank is not cycled. 'Cycling' a tank involves a lot more than just letting the tank run; primarily, for a fishless cycle, adding a source of ammonia, as without ammonia to feed on, no bacteria will grow. 'Cycling' is really growing a colony of good bacteria in the filter that will stop the fish's wastes turning the water toxic.
 
The cloudy water is just a bacterial bloom; opportunistic bacteria (not the ones we want in our filters, unfortunately!) have found a nice warm, wet place to grow. They will eventually die back.
 
Your 'fish man' was, in this case (we normally recommend people take everything they're told in fish shops with a pinch of salt; their ultimate aim is to turn  profit, don't forget!) quite right about the heater. There are no cold water fish that could live happily in a 5 gallon tank, but there are a few tropical fish that can

 
I would suggest you have a look in our 'Cycle Your Tank' sub forum, that will give you a lot more information. Then you can decide how you want to move forward. 

 

[Ch4rlie]

I'm sorry, I have to agree wholeheartedly with Fluttermoth's advice.
 
Just in case you cannot find the 'Cycle Your Tank' article that is suggested, here is the link.
 
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/421488-cycling-your-new-fresh-water-tank-read-this-first/
 
And ammonia will be need to process your fishless cycling, this link may help you in sourcing suitable ammonia.
 
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/427161-ammonia-and-bacteria-starter-sources/
 
And one last thing, I would also recommend in getting a water test kit, API Freshwater Master Test Kit is a fairly decent liquid test kit, found online or some LFS do stock these. 
This test kit will help greatly with your fishless cycle as you will need to know what is going on with the water in the tank.
 
IF you need more advice or help, just post a question and we'll help you as best as we can.
 
By the way 

to the forum!

 

[Gruntle]

Welcome!
 
I can only join in with everyone else and say cycle your tank before adding fish, it may seem silly to have an empty tank (especially with a young child begging for fish - I know, I have three), but in the long run, the month or so is worth the wait. My first tank was not set up properly and we lost somewhere between 15 and 20 fish. Not much fun when your youngsters are asking where a particular fish went.
 
An algae bloom is typical, but I fully recommend you read the fishless cycle article and follow the steps. Long term gain for short term badgering.