Please help!

[conniemarie67]

Hello. I'm new to the forum, and I have a 75 gallon tank with a real filstar xp filter.

After a week the water is so cloudy! What could be wrong, and what do I do please?


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[sinibotia]

Are there any fish in the tank? I presume it is currently cycling? If so, how are you cycling it? What are your water parameters?

 

[conniemarie67]

Yes I have 6 cichlids. That's it



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[sinibotia]

Yes I have 6 cichlids. That's it



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Ok, so it's been set up for a week, so it must be cycling. What kind of cichlids, and how large? And what are your water parameters?

 

[conniemarie67]

Ok, I'm new to ALL Of it. I don't know what you mean?


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[sinibotia]

Well, when you set up a new fish tank, the most important thing that happens is building up your "biological filter". This is, essentially, 2 kinds of beneficial bacteria that convert highly toxic fish waste into something much less toxic. However, it takes time for colonies of these bacteria to grow. Oftentimes, during this process, your water will get cloudy.

Fish create ammonia as waste. The bacteria convert this to nitrite which is also very toxic, and then another kind converts it to relatively-safe nitrate.

Do you have an API freshwater master test kit? If not, you absolutely NEED to pick one up. Then use it to determine the amount of ammonia, nitrite and nitrate in your water. That's what I mean when I ask for your water parameters.

 

[conniemarie67]

Ok. No, I don't have that, but I will get one. So it's normal for the water to do this you think?



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[sinibotia]

Ok. No, I don't have that, but I will get one. So it's normal for the water to do this you think?



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Yes, I would say it's normal; however, I would say your water conditions are probably very, very dangerous for your fish right now. Definitely pick up that test kit so you can get some numbers to work with. You'll also want to read this excellent article.

Fish-in Cycling: Step over into the dark side

Also, if at all possible... I recommend seeing if you can't, at least temporarily, rehome your fish. Even just see if the fish store will hold them for a few weeks. There's a much easier, safer method of cycling a tank. See this article:

The (almost) Complete Guide to Fishless Cycling

 

[conniemarie67]

So what do I do if it's high???


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[sinibotia]

So what do I do if it's high???


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If ammonia is high, you need to do a very large water change to bring it down, and treat the water with the water conditioner Prime which detoxifies ammonia.

 

[Bloodroot]

Go to the store and pick up:
- prime water conditioner
- API freshwater test kit
- GH or KH test kit (even better, both)
- gravel vacuum and a bucket for water changes

I suggest the GH and KH test kit because of the cloudy water. The two reasons I can think of for cloudy water is high ammonia or high GH or KH from your tap water.

There is an app called aquarium logger I suggest you download it and use it daily until your tank is cycled. It's an easy app that will help you track the data you get from testing the water.

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[conniemarie67]

Thank you!



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