Cloudy water still???

[fishcrazy]

So the water has been cloudy in my tank for a few days now. I think (even though the directions didnt say to) that it is because I didnt bury the plant tablets I just dropped them in.

Well since its been a few days I got some water clarity stuff my Seachem to fix the problem. I added the amount per directions and it still hasnt cleared up. I added a little more now as the directions say you may if the water was particularly cloudy and didnt clear up the first dose. Figure I'll let it set while I'm at work for the 4 hrs I need to go in tonight and check it when I get home again.

If the water is still cloudy when I get home what should I do? Add more? change some of the water? if i do need to change some of the water will that mess up my cycle by taking some out since my ammonia lvl is just now starting to rise? or should i wait till after the cycle is over to worry about how cloudy the water is?

Really confused now as i thought it would clear up on its own in a few days. Thanks for any help or suggestions!

 

[mfdrookie516]

what are your ammonia and nitrite readings? id be more tempted to say its a bacteria bloom than caused by root tabs. i've dropped root tabs in mine and they didnt cloud it up. btw, dont use that stuff to clear up your water, it'll do more harm than good imo

 

[fishcrazy]

I only tested for ammonia this morning b/c i didnt realize i was running late for class. tomorrow morning when I actually make it back home I'm gonna retest both. When I tested the ammonia this morning it was 3ppm. what should I be looking for in both the readings? Still a little confused as to what is going on guess im just gonna roll with it for now and see what it does?

btw mfdrookie thanks youve been a big help lately!

 

[fishcrazy]

just got back home and restested for ammonia and nitrite. ammonia was at 2ppm and nitrite was at 0ppm.

water is still cloudy

 

[Viper]

It sounds like you are still in your cycle.

When ammonia is introduced into your tank (through multiple means), bacteria will start to colonize and feed on that ammonia. The byproduct of that bacteria feeding on the ammonia is Nitrite. A separate type of bacteria then moves in and starts to feed off of that nitrite. Their byproduct is nitrate which is a lot less harmful to fish and can be controlled with PWC's.

What it sounds like to me is that the cloudiness is really that ammonia-eating bacteria that has yet to colonize in a central location (usually your filter). The reason being that you have some ammonia readings yet no nitrite readings which leads me to believe that that second type of bacteria hasn't begun to take hold in your tank.

To summarize, it sounds like a bacteria bloom and is actually a good indication that your tank is progressing towards a livable environment for fish. Let the bloom run its course and don't try to mess with it too much or you could be prolonging the cycle process. Once the bacteria start to take hold on a landing site (most likely your filter), the water should start to clear up.

You will still have to wait until you consistently have readings of 0 ppm for Ammonia and 0 ppm for Nitrite before you add fish. Unless of course you are using a cycle with fish. A cycle with fish and a fishless cycle can both be read about in Mfdrookie's signature.

 

[fishcrazy]

awesome! thanks a bunch!

 

[Viper]

Just curious, how long has your tank been set up?

 

[fishcrazy]

6 days now. does that change things?

 

[mfdrookie516]

yep, its a bacteria bloom... do as many water changes as you have to to keep the ammonia below .5, preferrably .25

 

[fishcrazy]

I went ahead and completely changed all the water out. When I had made it back home earlier today it was a complete mess with half dissolved fish food flakes. and there were all kinds of other particles floating around in the water from it. Basically, it was disgusting.

I realize this means I'm going to need to restart my cycle which is fine. I went ahead and rearranged my couple decorations a little better while i did it and refilled it. I'm gonna use a different method for the ammonia.

I was actually FINALLY able to fine some liquid ammonia at the dollar store. it says it is pure ammonia but when you shake it, it does get a tad bubbly. but it didnt look soapy.

i compared it to a lemon ammonia that was sitting next to it and it bubbled much more and looked soapy. I passed on it for now, but will the one that says pure ammonia be ok? Id imagine they will all bubble up a little bit with some air in the bottle and everything. as long as it doesnt look soapy is it ok?

 

[mfdrookie516]

wait... are there fish in here? if not, disregard my previous post about water changes...

 

[fishcrazy]

no fish. and if you could check the bottom of pg 1 for a question I had about liquid ammonia's?

 

[mfdrookie516]

sorry, didnt see that. if it bubbles, its probably got surfactants in it. read the ingredients... the only place i've been able to find purely pure ammonia is at ace hardware. it says something like 10% ammonium hydroxide or something like that on it.

 

[fishcrazy]

yea it may just be because it was a dollar store bottle. But it had no ingredients listed on the bottle. It just said pure ammonia and on the side label had directions on what to do if ingested etc. thats why i decided to pass on it since none were listed. I have an Ace hardware but its like a 45min drive from where I live. so maybe ill take a mini trip out there. for some reason our large city doesnt have an Ace, just a lowes and home depot etc. but the smaller city next to us does lol.