Polluted Tank? - It Is Only 3 Days Old!

[LSU]

Hi,

I'm new to this site so hello.

Ive set up a new tropical fish tank and it has bee up and running for 3 days now with no fish. I assumed all was fine which it was until this morning I noticed the water had gone slightly cloudy(a whitish colour) with what seems to be a fine layer of white bits(for want of a better word) that are not solids which float on the water surface.

This is a new hobby for me so I really have no idea why it has done this.

All equipement is brand new and appears to be functioning fine, water temperature is fine,we have not intereacted with the tank except to switch the light on, my partner even did the usual water tests ie PH etc and all are fine. It simply happened over night.

Ive changed some of the water today but it has only had a small imrpovement. I today went to what I think is a reputable tropical fish retailer to by a few plants today and explained the above and he said he did not know why this would happen but didnt think it would be anything to worry about. I still think something is not quite right though.

Your help/advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[DarkEntity]

If its greenish then itll be an algae bloom, if its white itll probably be a bacterial bloom, either way dont worry, its just the tank starting to cycle.

 

[The-Wolf]

yup
a white/milky cloud is a bacterial bloom.
it is perfectly normal and will clear on its own in a few days

 

[Tempestuousfury]

You probably have some amount of ammonia or whatnot in your water, so, as the others stated, the bacteria is taking care of that. Hooray for unintentional fishless pseudo-cycling.

 

[BFG]

Hi, Not sure if you've read this, but just to be sure (seeing as you're setting up a new tank):

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=113861

I used it about a year ago to set up my tank, and I once the tank was finished cycling, and I introduced fish, I didn't lose any...

 

[LSU]

Hi,

Thank you for your replies. Checked water this morning and it seems to have improved slightly.

I'm pleased to know it not a bad thing, moreover it sounds like I might have set the tank up correctly. Last night we thought the filter was not working at it shoule and were considering buying a new one but I guess there is no need now.

Would this cloudy water be harmful to fish?

 

[three-fingers]

If there a bacterial bloom, then the water isn't ready for fish, Did you read the link from BFG on cycling?

 

[InaneCathode]

Pretty sure it wouldnt cycle on its own, most tap water doesnt have much of any nutrients in it. Without adding anything, im pretty sure this wouldnt happen. If the filter wasnt working however, water can stagnate and all sorts of anarobic bacteria can start to grow.

 

[dt3000]

Don't worry...same thing happened to my new tank yesterday...it was just bacterial bloom and I couldn't see the back of the tank....today it's now crystal clear.