New tank is real cloudy...

[niks93gt]

My new tank I set up about 12 days ago has been real cloudy for the last 6 days. I put in some flake fish food to help get the bacteria growing for the first few days, and I've just been letting the tank sit. How long will it be cloudy and how long should I wait before adding my first group of fish?

Nik

 

[Lonewolfblue]

You need to cycle the tank first before adding fish. The cloudy water is probably just a bacteria bloom. If it turns green on you, then you have the notorious green water. To cycle the tank, you can do it with fish food, shrimp, or just pure ammonia. You'll need to test the water for ammonia and nitrites on a regular basis. And you won't be able to add fish until both ammonia and nitrite reach 0ppm. This could take 4-8 weeks.