Help with new aquarium please - cloudy?

[Dexty]

Hello, I hope somebody can give me some advice

I got a 40 litre aquarium from a pet store, they told me to put some 'tap safe' solution in it, wait 3 days and then add fish. The tank came with a filter, I got some tiny pebbles for the bottom and 3 decorations, I gave them a quick rinse before putting them in but now after reading I realise I should have cleaned them really good?

My aquarium is very cloudy and the water isn't clear, I told the store where I got it and they said it is probably because of the decorations not being cleaned good. The filter has been on all the time. The shop guy said to put a fish in and at the weekly water change (he said change 25% water) then eventually it would make the water clear up

I added today a single baby panda moor goldfish, and also got a second filter thinking it might help the water, but after reading more online I think the man in the store lied to me as the tank seems small for this fish and surely I shouldn't have added it to this cloudy water? The fish is in there now with 2 filters, he seems ok and is investigating the tank, I tried to feed him but the pellet food (called gold japan premium food for fancy goldfish) sinks to the bottom and he doesn't seem to be able to find it? I haven't seen him eat it anyway

Do you think the fish will be ok? Do I change some water now? When I do the changes do I add more 'tap safe' chemical? I am worried that the poor fish will die do you think the clouding is because of the decorations not being cleaned? Any help is appreciated!

 

[MMantelli]

Look up the article about fish-in cycling and thats exactly what you follow most bit Box stores dont know what there talking about They just try to sell you fish.

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[ywagner]

Poor fish, do not worry tho as there is a solution. So the guy was right about the 20% water change, but what you need to do is add a product called prime. This stuff is great for the situation you are in because it will neutralize the ammonia and nitrites and nitrates and make them fairly harmless for fish. Just a word of advice for the future, try to refrain from adding fish when cycling your tank because it does hurt them and make them live shorter lives. Hope everything works out.? oh and btw there are products on the market to speed up this cycling process, might be worth it!


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[Dexty]

Thanks guys - I will order the 'Prime' thing and hope it will help. I did read up on cycling (unfortunately after poor fishy was in the tank) but have read so much conflicting stuff like daily water change/leave it and it will fix itself/add product XYZ etc, I didn't know which one would actually help my fish.

I added some ammonia remover today but it doesn't seem to have done much, also did a 25% water change, the fish looks ok and is active but I am still worried and the water is still very cloudy. Also still not seen fish eat, I got flake food and pellet food and tried both with the filters temporarily off as my fish is slow and didnt want the filters flying the food all over. He doesn't even see where the food goes, occasionally will find a piece and suck it up but then spit it out again? Why isn't he eating it? he could eat it again when I am not watching but I thought fish are meant to swim to the top and be greedy? Maybe the cloudy water stops him seeing it?

Nowhere near me sells 'prime' so going to have to order online, hope it doesn't arrive too late for me to try to fix the tank I saw another product that adds good bacteria - is this what will speed the cycle? I just feel so guilty that I am practically hurting/killing an innocent fish, should have read up before and not trusted the guy in the shop!

 

[ywagner]

Hey man it's all right, at least you are doing something to try to save it. The fish is most likely not eating because of stress. If you can't get the prime in ASAP I would advice to do many water changes to get rid of the ammonia from fish which should help. Once you get in the prime, add it, along with some bacterial kick starters and you should be more than fine ? best of luck!


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[Mebbid]

Leaving the water alone and not changing it is a cruel practice. Ammonia burns fish gills and kills them very very easily.

The only really safe way to do it is to buy appropriate test kits and test them regularly, probably every 1 or 2 days. Then whenever you have a test above 0.25ppm on ammonia or nitrite then you need to do a 50% water change.

there are other methods, but the water change method I detailed above is the only guaranteed way to safely cycle a tank with fish in it.

The cloudiness is a bacterial bloom. There is a group of bacteria that feeds off of ammonia in the water.

 

[MMantelli]

Leaving the water alone and not changing it is a cruel practice. Ammonia burns fish gills and kills them very very easily.

The only really safe way to do it is to buy appropriate test kits and test them regularly, probably every 1 or 2 days. Then whenever you have a test above 0.25ppm on ammonia or nitrite then you need to do a 50% water change.

there are other methods, but the water change method I detailed above is the only guaranteed way to safely cycle a tank with fish in it.

The cloudiness is a bacterial bloom. There is a group of bacteria that feeds off of ammonia in the water.

+1 thats Exactly what I was about to say

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[dragon14]

This guide is amazing for fishless cycling:
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forum...guide-and-faq-to-fishless-cycling-148283.html

We followed it almost to the letter. Our 10 gallon cycled in about 20 days. It MAY have been sped along a tiny bit because we did a half-hearted cycle by putting in ground up fish flakes and not checking anything regularly. For about 3 weeks. Changed the water once or twice (50% or so). That was dumb. But anyway, some beneficial bacteria may have grown on the filters and prefilters we had, so, maybe that's why it was faster. Maybe not. We started over again and rinsed everything really well and replaced gravel with sand since we wanted catfish (pygmy cory) with our betta.

I'm glad that you're doing all you can for your fish So many people aren't given correct information at the pet store. It's a tragedy really. Luckily I mentioned to a friend of mine we were thinking of getting some fish before we did anything about it other than buy a tank, and she helped me so much. The guy at a petstore (different from where we got the betta and the 2g tank he was in) was going to be happy to sell us a snail and 3 pygmy catfish to go into the 2g with the betta! We didn't really know any better at the time and I told my friend and she was like NO. Obviously we didn't buy the fish that day but yeah. Yeesh.

 

[Masha]

...and the link to the "fish in" cycle, since you already have a fish I just learned about cycling but I already have fish. What now?! - Aquarium Advice

 

[MMantelli]

...and the link to the "fish in" cycle, since you already have a fish I just learned about cycling but I already have fish. What now?! - Aquarium Advice

Ah someone found it thats what you need

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[Dexty]

Thanks everyone. My tank seems a lot better now, fish is eating and swimming around happily (I think), the water has cleared up and now I can actually see the back of the tank and the fish. I did a 25% water change this morning and before going to bed, and will do one tomorrow morning too. I have 'prime' and some good bacteria stuff being delivered tomorrow morning, so hopefully that will help a little bit too. Need to buy a water testing kit - I got a ph one but couldn't find any different ones. My local pet shop do water testing so might be worth taking a sample there until I get my own kit?

Feeling a lot happier now the fish is eating at least! I know the water still won't be great but it looks a lot better than it did when I posted

 

[dragon14]

Oh good . I'm glad to hear things are improving

They don't have API liquid test kits?