Cloudy (and possibly toxic??) water

[micropudding]

Hi my name's Catherine!! I joined because I really love aquariums and I wanted to be sure I'm doing everything right since I'm a newbie to all of this...

Anyway, I got a 14 gallon aquarium for my 19th birthday so naturally I did a bunch of research on how to set it up properly. I rigorously rinsed the gravel/decorations/etc and treated the water, adjusted the temp. The first couple of days, the water was so clear that it looked like there wasn't any water in the tank. The day after it suddenly got a whitish haze. It's been about a month now and the haze hasn't gone away. It doesn't lessen up with water changes either.

I used Prime to condition it and followed the directions on the Stability bottle to help start up the cycle. I'm not sure if it's working. My filter is a funky color but I'm not sure if it's because of my gravel or if it's a bacteria culture.

Another problem is that my tap water is naturally really toxic?? It has a high PH and has a lot of ammonia and nitrate. I probably sound dumb to all of you advanced guys but, I eventually want to be like that too!! I'm not really sure on how to fix any of this and it's kind of frustrating me. Am I doing something wrong? The type of fish I want to have are Glofish (zebra danios). I know they're super hardy but I don't want them to suffer either...

 

[Cynic]

Firstly cloudy water is a sign of bacteria bloom and is a normal symptom in cycling tanks so I wouldn't stress there.

Your filter colour appears to have been dyed from the gravel in your tank (Hard to tell from the pictures) but on the assumption it was aquarium safe gravel (Not something you've just bought from a hardware store) that should be ok as well.

As for your tap water what are you using to test it and are you using well or city water?

Also, welcome

 

[micropudding]

Thank you!! The gravel is definitely aquarium safe (i bought it from the pet store). I was confused about the filter since its a brownish purpleish color and my gravel is pink.

I bought 2 Sentry strip tests (one is for ammonia and the other is for ph/nitrates/nitrites/harness/alkalinity). Whenever I test the water everything returns high except for the nitrites I believe. We get water from the city.

 

[Rivercats]

Strips are really bad for giving incorrect readings so your water is probably not as bad as you think. You need to purchase an API Master test kit and take ammonia and nitrate readings of you tank and tap water to get correct readings. Some bacterial blooms last a long time which is a real pain but a true bacterial bloom will clear up on it's own. Now if your water is high in ammonia that would possibly explain an extended B bloom. The first step is getting your liquid test kit. But in the mean time you can get some bottled spring water and do a couple water changes and see if it helps. If indeed it helps then your tap water may be an issue and you will have to look into other options for making WC's. Oh you could test the water at a friend or relatives house that is on a different tap water and see if you could get some water from them also.

 

[micropudding]

Thank you very much for the advice, I'll definitely do that!! My betta fish doesn't seem to mind the water, so I'll test it to see what's going on.

I just did a water change today, so I'll wait a few days before trying the bottled water. The air is really hot and dry where I live so the water evaporates quickly and I have to refill the tank often. In the case that the ammonia is high anyway, what can I do to fix it?

 

[Sambo7475]

welcome aboard! there's a lot of folks here with exceptional knowledge of this hobby!
The cloudy water could be bacterial bloom for sure. Let it ride until the tank is through cycling (ammonia can cause the bloom to last longer).
I personally don't trust the strips, I used them before, and would get wildly erratic readings, often on the same sample of water. I would spend 20 or so dollars and get the API Master freshwater kit Amazon.com: API Freshwater Master Test Kit: Pet Supplies It's much more reliable.
The color on the filter bag is very likely from the gravel, or the decorations.

 

[Rivercats]

Thank you very much for the advice, I'll definitely do that!! My betta fish doesn't seem to mind the water, so I'll test it to see what's going on.

I just did a water change today, so I'll wait a few days before trying the bottled water. The air is really hot and dry where I live so the water evaporates quickly and I have to refill the tank often. In the case that the ammonia is high anyway, what can I do to fix it?

If you truely end up having a water issue with ammonia and nitrates you will have to find an alternative water supply. Bottled spring water, water from someone elses house that has "good" water with no ammonia/nitrates, or as a last resort using RO water which will also mean having to buy a product to re-add the minerals your water needs to have in it. So check things out first then post and we can talk about what needs to be done then.

 

[thomasina]

I agree with Rivercats. During my long process of getting my tank cycled, she has helped me beyond belief!! It took mine 7 weeks, fish in, and planted! Good luck!

 

[micropudding]

Aah thanks a whole lot for all of you guys' help!! Once I get the test kit I'll get back to you on my results (it'll be a couple days before I'm able to get one). I'm really looking forward to getting everything in order.

 

[George9]

Welcome to AA!!!

I bet its the stability that's making the water hazy. I know it happens with other bacterial additives. Not sure, but is stability the one that you keep dosing throughout the cycle? But like others said, it should go away on its own.

and I just wanted to point out that a low pH is acidic and a high pH is alkaline

 

[micropudding]

Thank you!!

I actually added the Stability after the water had been hazy for a couple of weeks since I thought it would help clear it up. I just finished adding in the last dose today.

Oh, but one thing I do know is that our water has a lot of limestone and other minerals in it. Our faucets cake up with residue like crazy.