Cloudy Tank

[Becket]

Hi guys, like the site!

I just purchased my first aquarium 2 days ago. Its a 5.5 Gal. I just bought the tank because I wanted to get it set up and make sure the temp and everything was fine before I put fish in it. The following day, I bought some fish: 4 angelfish, 2 blue fish with some orange on them (not sure what they are called) and 4 neon tetras.

My tank is decorated with some gravel that I rinsed thoroughly , 2 plastic plants, a piece of driftwood and 2 rocks. The water was crystal clear before I put the fish in but after a day with the fish in the water, it was started to get cloudy. Not sure what can do. I didn't overfeed them. And I put in the recommended amounts of: Tap water conditioner, nitrifers, and waste control.

Any idea why the water is not nice and clear anymore?

Thanks alot guys!

 

[bosk1]

First of all, welcome! I think you will enjoy this site!

I think your water is cloudy because your tank is new, and there could be a few different reasons for the cloudiness. It might even just be the driftwood. But I will let others who are more experienced offer more information. In the meantime, there are a couple of things that jumped out at me right away that are going to demand your immediate attention.

First, you must "cycle" your tank (ie. establish a biological filter) before adding fish. (you can cycle with fish, but it is not recommended because it puts undue stress on them, and often kills all but the heartiest fish). In your case, you already have fish in, so you may be in for some stressful times in the immediate future in keeping your fish alive. I would highly recommend reading this article immediately (it was written for salt water, but is applicable to fresh water as well; just ignore that salt part):
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/showquestion.php?faq=2&fldAuto=15

And this one: http://www.aquariumadvice.com/showquestion.php?faq=2&fldAuto=16

And this quote wouldn't hurt either:

Here's a simple understanding of the nitrogen cycle:

"Fish produce waste while in the "box of water". This waste over time can become toxic. These waste products are known as ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. Nature has provided for the elimination of these wastes with some very interesting bacteria known as nitrosomas and nitrobacter. The first one consumes ammonia, converting it to nitrite. The second converts nitrite to nitrate. Where does this bacteria come from? It is everywhere and always has been.

In order to establish healthy colonies of these nitrifying bacteria and keep our tanks toxin free, an ammonia source is needed in the tank from the very beginning. Fish are a natural ammonia source, but the problem is trying to balance the needs of the fish (low toxins) and not killing off the nitrifying bacteria.

It is common knowledge that levels of toxins above 1ppm are harmful to fish, so partial water changes are recommended. This lowers the toxin level and keeps the fish happy. But, if we disturb the breeding grounds of bacteria (filter media, gravel, decorations) we can accidentally kill the bacteria and this will start the cycle over again (commonly known as a "mini-cycle").

Once sufficient colonies of nitrifying bacteria are established, ammonia and nitrite are undetectable and a decent (but not harmful) amount of nitrate is left behind (20ppm is the recommended "decent" level).

The trick to all of this is actually a delicate balancing act. Test kits will tell us when we are in danger and we can make the necessary adjustment. This takes a lot of patience and dedication (when you think about it, you are trying to keep a sufficient amount of toxins in the tank while at the same time, limiting the amount to keep fish healthy).

There is little more to it but that is the simple version. HTH.

Now, I also noticed something you may not realize: you have a lot of fish for that size tank. You are really overstocked for a 5.5 gallon. This will have to be remedied at some point just to keep your tank under control. But since you have a new tank, I think you are going to have some major problems. Your ammonia is going to go through the roof very quickly unless you take immediate action, and your fish are going to suffer. I hate to just be all "doom and gloom," but I would think your angels especially, since they are such delicate fish anyway, are going to start dying soon if you do not take action. Others here have been doing this a lot longer than me, and may have other proposed solutions. But I would probably take the angels back to the store immediately because (1) they probably will not survive the cycle; and (2) they are not suited to such a small tank.

Do you have a good test kit? If not, you should get one right away and begin testing your water. Most people here would probably recommend the Aquarium Pharmaceuticals liquid test kit (the test strips are cheaper, but not always accurate). You need to be testing your ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates.

Again, I'm really sorry to be the bearer of bad news--especially in response to your very first post--but you are in for some hard times with your fish if you do not take some immediate steps. Best of luck! And don't be afraid to ask lots of questions here.

 

[Guest]

Well first of all the tank was not cycled so you are having a bacterial bloom. This is perfectly normal in a new tank. HOWEVER... your tank is tiny, and the general guidline for beginners is ONE inch of fish per gallon of water. Angelfish get up to 6" long!!! But that's ok, you didn't know!

The nitrogen cylce:
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/showquestion.php?faq=2&fldAuto=21
This is a saltwater article, but very informative:
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/showquestion.php?faq=2&fldAuto=15

See when you add fish to clean water... they produce waste wich is ammonia. Bacteria grow that convert ammonia to nitrite. The nitrite is then further converted by more bacteria to nitrates, which are relatively harmless and can be kept in check by doing partial water changes and live plants can also help. you can cycle with fish but chances are most of the fish you have will die. Especially teh angelfish and the neon tetra's. Not sure what the other fish are that you have... they sound like Gourami's... wich its probably ok to have one gourami in a 5 gallon... but the angelfish will defintely get too big and need to go back.
If you want to continue cycling with your fish, take the angelfish back, and you will need to do daily water changes.. small ones, (like maybe 1 gallon/day) to keep the ammonia and nitrites from killing your fish. You need to buy a test kit (not the strips!!!) To test your ammonia, nitrite, and nitrates. (you don't really need to worry about pH at this point because the pH won't stabililze until after your done cycling) But you could buy a kit that has all the test kits in one.

Once you get the test kit you are going to notice that you have ammonia. The ammonia is going to go up up up and you will start seeing NITRITES. Then the ammonia is going to go down and the nitrites will go up up up and then you will start seeing NitRATES. Once the NitRITES and Ammonia are at ZERO... BAM you are cycled!!! THen your goal is to keep the nitrates around 10-20 with partial water changes. .. wich is your regular maintenance.

 

[rich311k]

Welcome to AA!!!

I am hoping you meant 55 gallon and not 5.5 gallon tank. What color is the cloudiness? It probably is a bacterial bloom form the addition of your fish and the start of the cycle. I think Bosk covered everything else very well. Be prepared to be changing a lot of water over the next month or so.

Rich

 

[bosk1]

AshleyNicole, am I on your ignore list or something?

 

[Guest]

AshleyNicole, am I on your ignore list or something?

honestly i just glanced at your response... i was just typing info sorry if i repeated everything you said. I was not trying to discredit you, i just read yours and i think i pretty much repeated eveyrthing you said.

 

[bosk1]

No problem. But next time I'm in Florida, you have to let me pet your puppy.

 

[Guest]

No problem. But next time I'm in Florida, you have to let me pet your puppy.

ok.. you got a deal!!! LOL.. oh and i also noticed we posted the same article links I should really stop and pay attention before i start typing.

 

[Becket]

ok, thanks for your tips guys! The people at the fish store didnt tell me ANY of this stuff!!!

Ok, I changed a third of the water and will continue to do frequent (daily) changes for how long? I know once the cycle is set up I am supposed to change half of the water every 2-3 weeks right?

and I will pick up an ammonia test kit first thing tomorrow morning.

Now, say if I do chack the ammonia levels and they are high, what do I do? Put a little more of the waste managment chamical in? Change some more water?

Sorry for being a complete newb! I appreciate all of your patience!

 

[rich311k]

You change water to keep ammonia under 1 ppm. Please buy a liquid test kit, they are more accurate and more cost effective. Do not use the chemicals to reduce ammonia they will just make your cycle longer. By the way how large is the tank?

 

[Guest]

you are going to need to do water changes on a daily basis to keep the ammonia from burning the fish. Then once the cycle is complete you can start doing weekly water changes to maintain.

YOu need a test for Ammonia, NitRITE and NitRATE.

 

[Becket]

ok, I'll go buy an ammonia, nitrite and nitrate test kit first thing tomorrow morning. And its a 5.5 gal tank

 

[bosk1]

Yeah, that's fairly small. I think a lot of us were hoping it was a typo and you really meant "55." So far, the advice above should get you on your way.

I'm now going to ask something really dumb. Please don't let this question discourage you. Do you have the funds and space to get a bigger tank? If this is feasible, I would recommend it for a couple of reasons. Reason #1: the types and amounts of fish you apparently want to keep would do well in a bigger tank. Reason #2: believe it or not, a bigger tank is actually much easier to take care of, especially for less experienced aquarists (like me!). You stand less chance of chemistry problems, disease, etc. from becoming major disasters because there is more water to spread the problem around. In a small tank, problems can become amplified. Anyhow, if this is totally not feasible, don't worry about it. We'll talk you through getting your 5.5 set up, and I'm sure you will love it! I just mention this because a lot of beginners think that smaller is easier when you are starting out, when the truth is actually somewhat counterintuitive.

Well, either way, I again say "best of luck."

 

[Becket]

well, good news guys! I bought a liquid pH and Ammonia yest kit (the store was sold out of the other kits, but they said that ammnia and pH were probably the most important anyways)

Ammonia levels are in between 0 and 0.6 ppm, pH is 7.0 and I used the little chart that came with the kits and I'm well in the green zone! I'll keep a close watch on the levels. How often should I test the water? I'm thinking probably every day for the next little while and then maybe once a week after the cycle has been set up.

Also, how long should I expect the cycle to take to establish?

I really appreciate your help. This is a great resourse!

and about a larger tank....I would LOVE to have a nice big tank however, I'm halfway through university and am rather strapped for cash right now. I also literally have no where to put a big tank.

Again, thanks for the help and I'll keep you guys updated on the progress!

 

[Fishyfanatic]

During the cycling phase I would test the water daily, especially since you currently have that many fish in the tank. Water changes are going to need to be done daily. Once the tank has cycled, once a week of 25% is fine. But that all depends on what you plan on keeping in the tank. After the tank has established, you don't need to test the levels very often. I only test Nitrates about once a month. Then when I am bored I'll do a full range test or if something is wrong in the tank.

Cycles can take anywhere from 3 to 8 weeks.

 

[Guest]

Nitrite and nitrate are just as important as ammonia. How do you know where your cycle is if you only have ammonia? If you only have an ammonia test you will only be able to see the ammonia spike and drop and you willl never know when the cylce is complete.

 

[Lonewolfblue]

See if the lfs has this....

http://www.bigalsonline.com/catalog/product.xml?product_id=19383;category_id=3111;pcid1=3233;pcid2=