tank becoming cloudy

[Cjazinski]

I just got my tank setup, this is the first batch of fish i've put in. They've been in for almost about 24 hours. out of 12, 7 still remain going. Now i've noticed that the tank is becoming kind of cloudy. Also they are always at the bottom trying to look for food, should i feed them again, i followed the 3-5 min rule as far as feed them what they can eat in that amount of time. and twice a day. Thanks guys. 8O

[fishyrican]

How long has your tank been set up? It sounds like it is cycling. If so, the cloudiness will clear up. Do you have a test kit? What are your water parameters?

[Nautilus]

First, would you please tell what size is your tank, what size of fish and how many of them do you have in there? Do you test the water? You need to invest in the test kits for Ammonia, Nitrites, Nitrates and PH. The water might be cloudy from Ammonia buildup. Your tank is cycling now. To better understand it, and for saving your fish lives, I would recommend you these articles:
http://www.petfish.net/cycling.htm and http://groups.msn.com/LyreTailsAquar...ogencycle.msnw
Hope it will help. Good luck.

[asaint]

I agree with Nautilus - get a test kit and take some readings.

Test kits tell you what is going on with the water. Without some simple test results, nobody will be able to tell you what the problem is.

I use the 5-1 quick dip strips. Simply dip them in the tank and read the 5 different test results. Nothing could be easier.

If you are not familiar with them, there is an easy article with pictures at this link;
http://www.cloudytanks.com/reviews/a.../quickdips.htm

best of luck,
Asaint

[Cjazinski]

I have a SW test kit that tests for those things. My tank has been up for 48 hrs now, it is a 30 gal tank. I have 7 fish that i think are feeder goldfish. I'll probably have a chance to test today after i get home from school. getting even cloudy since last night. However nothing had died yet Thanks. How much do those quick dip strips cost (more or less). The SW kit i had was around 50 bucks so i'd rather go cheaper and just get one then waste some of my SW tests.. ya know what i mean? Thanks.

[fishyrican]

Is this a FW or SW tank? A SW test kit will not work for FW as far as I know. If your tank is just 48 hours old, it is definitely cycling. My 55gal took over a month to cycle before I added my first fish.

[Cjazinski]

it's a FW tank. SW kit it does test for ammonia and nitrates. i have fish in there.. will they probably die during cycle?

[carpediem]

The test tube kits are more accurate than the dip sticks. No point saving money there. For a FW tank you need a FW test kit. I would have adviced you to cycle without fish. Is there a chance you can return the fish to the lfs and cycle with a piece of raw prawn of shrimp? Figure about a month until your tank is cycled, before you can put fish in it. Check out the website of one of our members Tom2K. He has a good article about the nitrogen cycle. (That is what is happening right now in your tank and has to happen to ensure a healthy tank. You will need to test and monitor ammonia and nitrites and pH, later also nitrates.
Read up on the nitrogen cycle and feel free to ask if something is unclear after you do that.

[Cjazinski]

IF i'm understanding this correctly my tank will be cloudy for about a month until it finishes the cycle. I've started using sun dried shrimp and the goldfish feeders love it. I'm not seeing a fish look unable (or about to die) LFS probably would take them back, but i like watching them. Are they all going to die while the ammonia and nitrites settle? Thanks for the help. Read the nitrogen cycle many times

[ripvanrina]

if they're hardy some will survive.
Were you planning on keeping the feeders in there after the tank is cycled or getting all new fish?

[mattrox]

Your fish will survive if you do regular...daily or every second day...pwc's. My cycle lasted 4 weeks, an acceptable time frame, while doing pwc's during a cycle.

If you do this IME your fish WILL NOT suffer. Don't add more fish, don't vacuum gravel, don't mess with the filter and don't use carbon or any ammonia reducing product. Do PWC 's regularly, test your water, do Pwc's regularly. NO need to feel guilty with a fishy cycle if you PWC and test. NO they should not die.....

Don't even worry about hardy.... I have cycled with cardinal tetras, corydoras, Rams. in tanks at various times and not had losses. Those are not necessarily considered hardy fish.

[Nautilus]

If you use feeder goldfish, 7 is definitely too many for cycling 30 gallons. There should be 1 or 2 maximum. No wonder the water is cloudy. The goldfish are very messy. You have to vacuum almost daily after them. The best fish for cycling, to my opinion is zebra danio. If you don't want to trade your goldies for 2 or 3 danios, at least give 5 of your fish back to the store. Good luck.

[Cjazinski]

I'm planning on keeping the goldfish feeders if they will get along with whatever fish i decide to get. I'm thinking i want to try raising some discus, but i understand they are picky. I have a SW and i can keep stuff thriving in that so i'm sure before no time i'll have perfect water for discus. Do fish like to be feed a varity of food, i have like 3-4 different types of food for them. I've been switching it between flakes and baby sun dried shrimp. The tank is alot clearler then it has been for the last two days. Does this mean it's cycleing still? can i expect it to get cloudy again. PWC i'll do 10% on the weekends that should be enough to keep them alright. right matrrox? Thanks.

[carpediem]

As ripvanrina said, some might survive, but you can bet, that the conditions in the tank will be far from comfortable for them. Any plans on what you will do with them after your tank is cycled?

[Cjazinski]

i'll probably keep them in and add fish.

i agree about cycling with the zebar danio's, thats waht i used to cycle, mine took about a month and my water stayed cloudy for about the first two weeks. i did NOT add any chemicals, i did PWC every other day and tested my water everyday. I even added a few fish right at the end of the cycle (while the nitrite's where still a bit high) which was probably not teh best thing to do, but i saw the rosey barbs and HAD to have them.. lol. But now everything is going great except im about to move and have to wait before i can get anymore.

[Cjazinski]

well the tank cleared up. and no other fish have died. so everything looks good on this end.

[mattrox]

Don't put discus in with goldfish.

[Cjazinski]

i wasn't going to put discus in with goldfish, the first thing i wanted to do after a cycle is add some plants to the tank.

[Billsgate]

Ok......Goldfish need 10 gallons per fish. That's the rule of thumb, but depends on how much filtration you have going.
You are more then 2 times overstocked (JMO), and your tank is uncycled
Goldfish are coldwater fish, the only other fish you can put in there are white clouds (although I wouldn't do that, since you're already overstocked).
Yes, Goldfish do survive in 'tropical' conditions. But please take them all back once your cycle is done. They are not really compatible with tropical fish IME. I've kept one with some white clouds and that worked.

My advice: At least return three to four of them to the lfs. And if you want onther fish, bring them all back after you've cycled. Good luck!