New and waters getting cloudy... should I be worried?

[Phillip Andrew Gladwin]

Hi, I’m relatively new to all this.

I’ve bought a 80L aquarium and currently only have some gravel and plastic plants in here. I’m getting some moss balls tomorrow to add to it. I got the tank 5 days ago and the water was clear for 2 days but now seems to be cloudy. Not majorly but noticeable. Should I be worried? When speaking to a friend she said she uses Tetra Crystal Water? Is this safe to use as hers has positive effects.

Would be great for any tips, should I do a water change? Thanks in advance.

Phill

 

[Phillip Andrew Gladwin]

Forgot to mention. I have a thermostat installed that’s ready 26c and also my filter is large enough for 100/200L tanks. Would it be worth adding an extra filter?

Thanks.

 

[Phillip Andrew Gladwin]

Here’s a photo of the water.

 

[Essjay]

It is a bacterial bloom, and these are common in new fish tanks. Unfortunately these bacteria are not the ones we want to grow in the filter. Cloud bacteria feed on organic chemicals - everything from organics in the tap water to plasticiser leaching from everything plastic in the tank. They multiply so quickly that water changes won't get rid of the cloudiness. But the good news is that once they've exhausted their food supply, the bacteria will die and the water will clear. Since every tank is different it is impossible to say how long this will take.
Adding an extra filter will do nothing to remove this cloudiness as the bacteria are so small they pass right through filter media. And the extra water flow created by a second filter will restrict your choice of fish.
Tetra CrystalWater will not work either. This is a flocculant which clumps together fine particles so they can be trapped by the filter. Once you have fish, I would not advise the use of any unnecessary chemicals as they all end up inside the fish. Placing a layer of filter wool/filter floss in the filter will trap a lot of fine particles.



Since you have just fake plants and future moss balls, you will need to do a fishless cycle before getting fish. The cloudiness will be gone by the time the cycle finishes.
http://www.fishforums.net/threads/cycling-your-new-fresh-water-tank-read-this-first.421488/

 

[Alliesten]

The problem is that you don’t have an ammonia source. Adding the bacteria supplement was fine, but with no ammonia, likely all the bacteria has died off. The bacteria bloom going away, normally would be a good thing, but in this case, it most likely means your cycle isn’t intact. Bacteria will start to die off if they don’t have food within 24 hours. Ammonia is bacteria food.

If you are adding fish, I would keep a very close eye on your water parameters. You are going to get an ammonia spike, most likely.

 

[Essjay]

I don't think he added a bacterial supplement - Tetra CrystalWater is a flocculant which his friend suggested to clear the cloudiness (though these don't work on bacterial blooms). That's why I gave the link for fishless cycling

 

[TallPaul]

You will go through all kinds during the first month of cycling. Bacterial bloom is normal and, as has already been mentioned, it will pass when the food source dies off.

You will likely see a brown rust appear on your decorations soon. These are diatoms, a sort of algae, and they consume silica. Silica is in your gravel and the same thing will happen. Eventually they will run out of food and die off. You can scrub the decorations if it is really unsightly but they clear up on their own.

A fishless cycle is always recommended but you will need to add an ammonia source to get the bacteria to grow. You can do this by purchasing ammonia (make sure it is not perfumed) or you can allow fish food to rot in the tank.

If you are eager to add fish then you can consider using a bacterial supplement. If you do choose this route, I have done so, then make sure the bacteria is the naturally occurring one. Basically don't buy Fluval Cycle as this uses a different bacteria that does not occur naturally. You will be forever having to use that product or else your cycle will crash.

 

[Phillip Andrew Gladwin]

Thankyou everyone. I’ll be keeping a eye and watching what happens.

 

[Colin_T]

If your water goes cloudy, do a big (75%) water change and gravel clean the substrate each day until it is clear.. Make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it is added to the tank.