Cloudy

[chatito2]

Hello to all. I just set up my 55 gallon aquarium this past Sunday 8/5/07 along with the dual ( 2 carbon cartridges) outside filter , added the appropriate amount of the Cycle ( made by Hagen) madication to the water, on Monday the water was crystal clear, I added 4 Zebra Danios as I was told it was a good hardy fish to start, but today Tuesday, the water is hazy again and one of the fish is sluggish, the gills seem to be enlarged, and its body seems scaly, the other fish are fine and swimming along. What should I do ? should I do a part water change, etc. ?

PS I tried posting this question to the " New to the hobby " site, but I could not get in. Your help will be greatly appreicated. Thank you.

 

[stang1]

Your tank hasn't cycled and that is more than likely what's wrong with your fish.
It generally takes anywhere from 10 days to several weeks to cycle a tank as the bacteria needs to build up.
Read the pinned topic on fishless cycling to get a better idea of what to do.
It may be worth asking your lfs to take the fish back as they may all end up suffering from problems. In the meantime, you need to be doing daily water changes of about 30-40% to help keep your nitrite and ammonia levels down.
It's also worth investing in a liquid test kit so you can monitor your water quality.

 

[chatito2]

Thanks Stang for the advice, but if I were to return the fish, won't I need them to start the ammonia cycle, or should I use another method for this. I will start changing the water more often, and get a test kit.

 

[stang1]

The tank will cycle just as well without the fish so don't worry. It will be kinder to them to cycle the tank without them.
Many people use ammonia to cycle their tank and have no problems using this method. I've never used it and tend to add a small pinch of flake food every couple of days to get it going.
Have a look at the pinned topic to get a better understanding of what cycling is. I know it means having no fish in the tank for a week or two but it will be worth the wait.

 

[chatito2]

Thanks again, I've heard of food feeding will help to start the ammonia cycle, I will go this route and return the fish. It's unfortune cause I only paid .99 each, hopefully Petco will have another sale when Im ready to add more fish, I do also believe that fish could suffer tru the cycle and I don't want that.

 

[stang1]

Sounds like a good idea.
Ther are plenty of bargains to be had when it comes to buying fish but go with something you really like, even if it is a little more expensive.
You are right about the fish suffering if using them for a cycle, that's why it's always best to be patient and wait until the tank is ready before adding anything.