Cloudy Water?

[quillaq]

I have a total newbie question. My kids got some goldfish as a gift, and never having had fish before, I'm pretty clueless, so bear with me. The fish tank came as a kit with what looks like the basic necessities (fileter, gravel, water conditioner and a little plastic plant). We followed the instructions of rinsing everything with clean water before adding it to the tank and the installation of the filter. We added the water conditioning treatment to the weater in the tank and put in the fish. We then sprinkled a few flakes of food in the tank, which the fish did not eat. This morning the water in the tank looked cloudy. This doesn't seem right to me. Should I replace the water in the tank? Or is there something else that should be done to clear up the water? The last thing I want to do is traumatize the fish.

Thanks for any advice.

 

[neilanh]

Welcome to AA!

Please read the articles in my signature about the nitrogen cycle, that will help you to understand what your tank is about to go through.

The cloudiness in your tank is most likely a bacteria bloom. This is typical in new tanks, as the bacteria are starting to grow to consume the waste from your tank - in this case the food that you added that didn't get eaten. There's no need to worry, the bloom should clear itself up visibly in the next day or three.

All the information you need to know about the bacteria (which is beneficial) is in the article I referred you to.

 

[quillaq]

Thank you for your reply and the links to the articles. They've been extremely helpful.

Quilla