White and cloudy water

[al398247]

My Dad and I got a second-hand tank a week ago. We haven't had one for 5 years. Dad wanted to save some money so he went to a nearby yacht club and got some sea gravel there. Prior to putting it in he washed it, as well as the tank. We put in a dead SW coral and the previous owner's ornament which had a lot of algae on it. We filled the tank up with tap water and let it sit. On the 2nd day the water turned a darker shade and started to smell (weirdly enough it was a soap-like odour but not like anything we washed the tank or the things in it with.)

A week after cleaning the water turned greenish, smelled more and acquired a film on top. We decided to clean it again. This time we put in a pack of aquarium-suited gravel we bought at WalMart, the dead SW coral and the previous owner's ornament (but this time with most of the algae scraped off.)

We decided not to go through fishless cycling and went and bought fish, some plants and an additional ornament 24hrs later. Once we put in all those things, the water seemed fine. But 24hrs after that (today) it turned a white and cloudy colour.

We want to know more about this, such as what the white and cloudy is called, if it's normal or not, if and when it will go away etc. Thanks you!

 

[Zagz]

It is most likely a bacterial bloom that will go away on it's own. Not sure if the SW coral will do anything to the tank or the water.

Since you are doing a fishy cycle you will need to do lots of water changes to keep the ammonia and nitrite down to as close to 0ppm as possible for the fish's sake.

 

[al398247]

Thanks Zags! Also how long do you think the bacterial bloom will last for and how often should we change the water?

 

[bluerose]

As I mentioned in the other thread-- the best way to know when to do a water change is to test daily and do a change when the ammonia or nitrite levels get too high.

However, in the absence of a test, I would do at least 25% daily, probably more like 50% if the fish are acting stressed. Don't forget dechlorinator.

 

[al398247]

Thanks bluerose!