Cloudy Water With Day 2 In Cycling

[adpgt]

I have a little 10 gallon fish tank. I put water in it and had it circulate for about 3 weeks without any ammonia additive or fish. Just the water itself. Well jsut two days ago, I began to add fish food and shrimp pellets to the water to start the cycle. Looking at the water today, it's cloudy at the top. Is this normal? I thought cloudy water was suppose to only appear at the end of the cycle? Thanks.

 

[Aquascaper]

It's just a bacterial bloom caused by the bacteria in the water all of a sudden having something to feed on so now they're multiply rapidly (enough for you to see them).

 

[adpgt]

So would you say this is the end of the cycle?

 

[elmo666]

If you go to the beginners resource section, fishless cycling is explained in detail. This certainly isn't the end of your cycle, it's merely the start. Whilst the tank has been standing without the addition of ammonia, no bacteria has been able to feed or multiply. Now that you have added food this has decomposed to release the ammonia needed and as such has started your cycle.

 

[Essjay]

Unfortunately the bacteria in the bloom are different from the ones we want to grow in the filter. There's a thread here that explains bacterial blooms http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/246850-bacterial-blooms-explained/