Cloudy water

[BettaMan2000]

Ever since I added tetra water safe my waters become very cloudy, it’s been like this for three days, do I leave until the next water change next week, or should I try a water change immediately?

I’ve added two living plants in the hope these may perhaps help?

Sorry for the panic, I’m new to this!

 

[Byron]

Ever since I added tetra water safe my waters become very cloudy, it’s been like this for three days, do I leave until the next water change next week, or should I try a water change immediately?

I’ve added two living plants in the hope these may perhaps help?

Sorry for the panic, I’m new to this!

Is this a newly setup tank, or one that has been running for at least several weeks/months? How much water (% of the tank) was changed, and did you overdose the dechlorinator--I assume this was Tetra's AquaSafe, but was it the AquaSafe Plus or without the "Plus"?

 

[BettaMan2000]

It's a newly setup 54 litre, it's been running for 4 days now, I've used 2.5 notches of the aqua safe for a 100% change of water, pretty sure that's what's needed for the aqua safe.

The water looks pretty foggy, aqua safe was used 4 days ago too.

 

[Byron]

It's a newly setup 54 litre, it's been running for 4 days now, I've used 2.5 notches of the aqua safe for a 100% change of water, pretty sure that's what's needed for the aqua safe.

The water looks pretty foggy, aqua safe was used 4 days ago too.

OK. Two possibles, either the source water (tap) contains particulate matter or sediment was released from the substrate being disturbed [these two are much the same thing], or it is a bacterial bloom. I would suspect the latter. I sometimes see suspended particulate matter increase in my tap water after very heavy rains, so I just mention that as one option.

Bacterial bloom is more likely, especially as this is a new tank. There are organics in the tap water, more than we might think. And when you add thee dechlorinator it allows the microscopic bacteria that feed on these organics to rapidly increase; they can multiply by binary division in about 15-20 minutes, so it can literally be an explosion of bacteria, hence the haze or cloudiness. In itself it is not harmful. It will clear on its own, sometimes in hours, sometimes days, and sometimes I have seen it last weeks. All sort of factors play in, from the organics to the temperature to the pH... etc.

Don't overdose the additives, use what is recommended for the volume of water being changed/added fresh. A good habit to get into for when there are fish present. Using more than necessary of any chemical is not helpful to fish as it all gets inside them.

Byron.

 

[BettaMan2000]

The water was crystal clear when it came out of the tap, it only turned when I added the aqua safe.

Thanks for the info Byron, hopefully I'll just wait for the next water change and it'll hopefully be clear by then.

 

[neoyyf]

Is there fish in this tank? If not then dont change the water at all. The cloudiness is a bacterial bloom. I am assuming you have a filter, the filter should clear it up within less than a week.

If your intention is to do a fishless cycle, add 3ppm of ammonia then test for the ammonia level daily. On the day it reaches below 3ppm, test for nitrite levels. You will need to redose ammonia around this point (full details provided by Byron on the link below). Once you are getting a reading for nitrite, start testing for nitrate.

You only change water if you accidentally dose over 3ppm and top up when the water evaporates.

Your tank will be fully cycled when you get a reading of 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite and some nitrate. This usually takes around 2-3 months without a biological starter. Once you get thise readings, do a 100% water change and add fish a few within 24 hours.

 

[Essjay]

That is not the way we recommend to do a fishless cycle on here. Topping up the ammonia every time it drops leads to very high nitrite which will stall the cycle. A much better method has been devised, one where nitrite can never get high enough to stall the cycle provided the instructions are followed properly.

http://www.fishforums.net/threads/cycling-your-new-fresh-water-tank-read-this-first.421488/

 

[neoyyf]

That is not the way we recommend to do a fishless cycle on here. Topping up the ammonia every time it drops leads to very high nitrite which will stall the cycle. A much better method has been devised, one where nitrite can never get high enough to stall the cycle provided the instructions are followed properly.

http://www.fishforums.net/threads/cycling-your-new-fresh-water-tank-read-this-first.421488/

Youre right Byron, i have edited it to make it more clear.

For those doing fishless cycles, do not keep topping up ammonia, you need a chance for the bacteria to work and let the ammonia come down to 0 at the end point but there will be a point where ammonia needs to be redosed when it gets used up

 

[BettaMan2000]

Thanks guys,