Cloudy Water

[Morphkid03]

A little background info...

I've had this tank for about a month. I did not cycle it because I did not know about it. I've had a 10 gallon tank previously (Around 10 years ago or so....) with Guppies that my mother helped me take care of.

So anyway, I'm a college student and unfortunately have an extremely limited budget so don't have any testing kits for nitrate and the like.

I've got a heated and filtered Eclipse 5 gallon tank. Temperature stays around 78 degrees. I have 1 betta (mine) and 2 cory catfish that belong to my roommate, one is an albino and the other is peppered. All fish are healthy and happy.

So for the last 2 weeks or so the water has gotten progressively cloudier. Tank water is changed about 20% twice a week. I have an ammonia-buffering pad in the tank that the same type was used in my 10gal back in the day and worked wonders for keeping ammonia low.

I'm sure this is a bacterial bloom, but is there any way to reduce the cloudiness, or do I just have to wait it out?

 

[Corleone]

You really do need a test kit to get through the cycle, and for general maintenance and diagnosis.

Since you didn't cycle it ahead of time, the tank will need water changes more on the order of every day, not twice a week. Here's a detailed thread on fish-in cycling:
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=175355

Since you've started using an ammonia remover, the tank will tend not to cycle - ion exchangers like zeolite is very efficient at removing ammonia, and may starve a fledgling bacterial colony. Unfortunately, this means that the tank becomes dependent on it - any time the media becomes saturated, the tank will enter a cycle in earnest. Replacing it will put a bigger dent in your budget than picking up an API freshwater test kit, and it's a constant delay game to put off a cycle. After the tank is cycled, with or without fish, it will maintain no detectable ammonia or nitrite on it's own, without expensive disposable filter media. Many of the people on this forum, myself included, don't even use filter carbon for normal operation.

Now, on to the bacterial bloom: This is caused by organic waste in the tank. It isn't the good bacteria you want in the filter, though it is a type of bacteria that exists normally in the tank, these break down fish waste and leftover food into ammonia. When you do water changes, you should use the siphon to clean the substrate of fish poop or uneaten food. Aside from removing the food that fuels the bloom, there's not much you can do about the bloom itself except wait for it to burn out. The bacteria themselves are harmless, but the conditions that cause it and the ammonia spike the bloom tends to cause are not.

While we're on it, just to be safe, are there any other additives you're using on your water aside from dechlorinator? Pet shops push a lot of stuff, like biological additives, stress relievers, and aquarium salt that range from useless to counterproductive to potentially harmful. I've noticed that many new fishkeepers using ammonia removers have also been hooked into buying all manner of chemical soups for their tank. More often than not, a plain cheap drop-per-gallon dechlorinator like Prime is all that's needed. Might also be able to free up enough budget to help offset a test kit.

 

[Morphkid03]

You really do need a test kit to get through the cycle, and for general maintenance and diagnosis.

Since you didn't cycle it ahead of time, the tank will need water changes more on the order of every day, not twice a week. Here's a detailed thread on fish-in cycling:
[URL="http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=175355"]http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=175355[/URL]

Since you've started using an ammonia remover, the tank will tend not to cycle - ion exchangers like zeolite is very efficient at removing ammonia, and may starve a fledgling bacterial colony. Unfortunately, this means that the tank becomes dependent on it - any time the media becomes saturated, the tank will enter a cycle in earnest. Replacing it will put a bigger dent in your budget than picking up an API freshwater test kit, and it's a constant delay game to put off a cycle. After the tank is cycled, with or without fish, it will maintain no detectable ammonia or nitrite on it's own, without expensive disposable filter media. Many of the people on this forum, myself included, don't even use filter carbon for normal operation.

Now, on to the bacterial bloom: This is caused by organic waste in the tank. It isn't the good bacteria you want in the filter, though it is a type of bacteria that exists normally in the tank, these break down fish waste and leftover food into ammonia. When you do water changes, you should use the siphon to clean the substrate of fish poop or uneaten food. Aside from removing the food that fuels the bloom, there's not much you can do about the bloom itself except wait for it to burn out. The bacteria themselves are harmless, but the conditions that cause it and the ammonia spike the bloom tends to cause are not.

While we're on it, just to be safe, are there any other additives you're using on your water aside from dechlorinator? Pet shops push a lot of stuff, like biological additives, stress relievers, and aquarium salt that range from useless to counterproductive to potentially harmful. I've noticed that many new fishkeepers using ammonia removers have also been hooked into buying all manner of chemical soups for their tank. More often than not, a plain cheap drop-per-gallon dechlorinator like Prime is all that's needed. Might also be able to free up enough budget to help offset a test kit.

Can't write anything too long, at lunch break right now.

-Regular water changes 2x a week, since about 4 days ago I've been doing a water change a day per Wilder's suggestion
-No other additives in the water besides dechlorinator

 

[Corleone]

Most likely just a symptom of a cycling tank, then. Get a test kit ASAP, to be sure.

 

[Morphkid03]

Most likely just a symptom of a cycling tank, then. Get a test kit ASAP, to be sure.

Thank you.
I will try to get a testing kit as soon as I can... I might be able to scrap together some quick cash in a week or so.