Cycling and water changes

[dkpate]

+1 for the Prime.

The "cloudiness" in the hot water is usually bubbles. We have it in ours, and if you fill something up, and put your ear by it, it sounds like soda from all the bubbles popping on the surface.

 

[JPA]

I noticed the cloudiness when I used warm water yesterday, but it was gone by this morning - so bubbles or not, it's only temporary.

So about water level: I fill my tank up pretty high in order to cut down on the noise of the filter (my tank is next to my tv). I've read you should leave an inch of space, but honestly I can't deal with the noise of the water from the filter hitting the top of the tank.

Should I worry about the oxygen levels in my tank? I had this thought because my rasboras spend so much time swimming under the filter, and the cardinals spend almost all of their time also on the left side of the tank.

P.S. is it worthwhile to buy an oxygen testing kit or a test for water hardness? I think the daily testing that went with cycling my tank has made me obsessed with water quality, especially since I have been considering eventually getting 2-3 discus.

 

[dkpate]

Why don't you just get some bubble stones? You don't hear them, and it agitates the surface.
When I first started, I was quite obsessed with water quality too lol. Now I am able to just look at the fish and see if there is something funky going on. I have a water hardness test, but have never used it. My most sensitive fish is perfectly fine, so I don't worry about it.

 

[Mark Hewitt]

Why don't you just get some bubble stones?

Do you mean the ones that plug into an air pump, or the ones which just release bubbles on their own?

 

[dkpate]

Yeah. The ceramic ones are really nice, and they just hang on the side.

 

[marchmaxima]

Just for the curious:

<quote>

Occasionally a service inquiry is made by a customer concerning a phenomenon where the water out of their hot water system is milky or cloudy.

All tap water contains dissolved gases.
Water under pressure can hold more dissolved gas than water open to atmosphere;
When the heated water pressure is released, the dissolved gas comes out of the solution (refer 2) in the form of tiny gas bubbles right throughout the water volume in the hot water which is collected out of the tap;
The gas bubbles rise to the surface of the water and burst, so that the water has a milky appearance. This will clear in a few seconds, from the bottom up;

</quote>

My hot water always cloudy upon exit from the tap. A minute later it's always clear.

Reference: http://www.dux.com.au/tech_milky.htm