Hiya folks..I am trying to breed my zebras...

[rwillcott]

so I went and got my 10gal last week and set everything up. I put my Zebras in there last night (the water was crystal clear) but this morning the water is very cloudy/murky. Anyone know why? I am hoping that its because my girls were laying eggs and the boys were were doing their bit as well Any suggestions anyone??

 

[mfdrookie516]

did you cycle the 10g?

 

[Blueiz]

What kind of substrate are you using?

 

[rwillcott]

I have marbles in the bottom. About an inch.

 

[rwillcott]

Yes. The water has been in there for a week or more. I also have 2 33 gals and another 10 gal and I have never had a problem with murky water in any of my tanks.

 

[mfdrookie516]

ok, if you didnt cycle the tank, that "murky" water could be a bacteria bloom... is it like a white cloud that you can see moving through the water? If you didnt cycle it, you're going to have ammonia problems and end up doing daily water changes to keep it down... definately a good idea to cycle the tank first as the fish wont reproduce when stressed like that

 

[JustOneMore20]

A real cycle takes about 4 weeks on average.

Here is an article to read about cycling the tank. Do you have a test kit to check for ammonia and nitrite?

 

[supradupafast]

If we're talking about Zebra Danios? Probably not, but this should apply anyways...
From my experience, my fish only started breeding after my tank has been established for about 6 months. The water is prestine, cycled and heavily planted. Without a cycled Tank / established, the fish will be stressed and less likely to be comfortable & breed.