Help!! Beginner in need :)

[Bugshazfun]

I've been cycling for about a week and the day after I put water in my new tank it has been cloudy. I have a whisper filter and a Marimo moss ball already in my tank so I am confused about why it's cloudy. Any suggestions? I put dechlorinator in it and I am doing a fish flake cycle.


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[icydeath]

You should use 100% ammonia instead of fish flakes.

Either your fish flakes are making your tank cloudy, or the beneficial bacteria is blooming (which is good)

So just keep cycling and it should clear up.

 

[Bugshazfun]

If my tank water is still cloudy does that mean it is unsafe to put fish in?


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[icydeath]

I would wait till your cycle is complete to put fish in. You can put fish in now but it is rather stressful. I would refrain and be patient.

You should buy a master test kit and test everything.

Look up fishless cycle online.

 

[Bugshazfun]

I only bought a pH test kits because I can't afford to buy the master test Is there a way of knowing just using the pH as my guide? I and going Thursday to pet warehouse and they said that they would test my water then. And if my water is good then I would buy a fish.


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[icydeath]

Not really sorry... You could get individual tests for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate. That's what you need really. If you read the guide you will notice that the ammonia will keep going up, then it will spike and go down. Then the nitrite will go up then go down. Then the nitrate will go up then go back down. Then do a large water change and you are done... You need the kits though to do it..

You could do a fish in cycle paired with fast growing plants (hornwort, anacharis) and then get a bottle of Tetra SafeStart to help. Do your water changes with Seachem Prime and stock with hardy fish (platies, zebra danios come to mind).

Good luck! - Raymond

 

[Bugshazfun]

Are Betta fish hardy? I'm a week into my fishless cycle if I wait another week could a betta fish survive?


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[icydeath]

Yeah. Betta's tend to be strong so I would wait a week (maybe two). Before you put the betta in, do a 50-60% water change and gravel vac. Then put the betta in. After another two or three weeks you should put a nerite snail and a few ghost shrimp in.

 

[Bugshazfun]

It's been a week (since I've begun cycling) could I do it by the end of this week?


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[Bugshazfun]

Could I get acclear or some other thing to clear the tank up if it hasn't by then or do you advise against it?


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[icydeath]

Just leave it. You want the tank to take it's time and let the bacteria colonize.

You should totally maintain 25% water changes weekly once you stock the tank.

Good luck, - Raymond

 

[Bugshazfun]

So in a weeks time I could add my Betta fish?


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[icydeath]

Yup! Make sure you do the big water change right before. Use prime as your water dechlorinator! Also, get a bundle of hornwort or anacharis asap because it will be useful for the betta.

 

[Bugshazfun]

Is that a plant?


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[icydeath]

Yup. Look em up on google images. Pick the one you like more / have in your lfs and get that one.

 

[Bugshazfun]

I thought it might be cool to get a floating plant any thing that would work for betta fish?


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[Bugshazfun]

I want it to be low maintenance if I get a live plant at all.


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[icydeath]

I grow hornwort and anacharis floating. Hornwort is a lot more low maintenance (one of the lowest maintenance plants you can have) so you should go for that. It grows really fast so just trim it once a month.

 

[Bugshazfun]

Why should I get a live plant?


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[icydeath]

They keep your pH stable, and your overall water chemistry stable. Hornwort you practically just throw it in the tank too. It also filters your water and introduces more oxygen. It removes nitrates from the water and will help relieve the stress on your betta by keeping the water cleaner.