Hey everyone - new to the hobby and have an issue already

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DubaiNewbie

Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Joined
May 3, 2021
Messages
20
Hey everyone,

Brand new to the hobby with getting my first tank yesterday. I managed to pick up a used Juwel 190l Trigon Corner Tank.

Looking forward to getting to know everyone and their set ups. My Plans are to have this first tank as a mixed community and looking to acquire a 240L tank to have a Flowerhorn in there.

Super excited to get started and the Aquarium came with display items, lots of Seachem and food etc.... along with 2 x Loach, 1 x Tetra, 1 x Jellyhead goldfish and one tiny Koi.

The issue I have run into is that the water is very murky, I had dreams of it being instantly crystal clear :(

So I have a few questions :)

Is this normal?
The previous owner had a planted aquarium and I left the soil in to give me the option later. Will I have to remove if I want it crystal clear?
Would you recommend a planted aquarium for someone new to the hobby?

I will post some pics so you can see what I am trying to explain.
 
This is the state of it at the moment
 

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Murky like milk? Murky like green water? Like a weak tea? Or like suspended particles?

I would definitely jump in with plants right off the get go. The benefits far outweigh the additional effort. Stick to low demand plants, its pretty easy.

Is the tank still cycled? Are you doing water tests? Are you seeing any ammonia or nitrite?
 
It is Murky like Debris and seems to be getting clear but very slowly.

Should I stick some plants straight in or wait for the water to clear up?

Cycling is only something I am hearing about now, I didn't realise it needed to be done.

At the moment I am treating daily with Seachem clarity, stability and prime. Do I need to do more than this?
 
If its stuff floating in the water the sponges in the filter should clear it. You might want to rinse out the sponges in a couple of days. If the filter has polishing pads you probably want to replace them at the same time as you rinse out any sponges. Polishing pads are like a cotton wool pad that filter out really fine particles.

Seachem clarity clumps particles together so the filter is better able to remove them. This actually causes water to get hazy, so that might be what you are seeing. Once the water clears, no need to keep using it.

Seachem Prime is a water conditioner. You only really need to use this when doing water changes. The claim on the bottle is that it detoxifies ammonia and nitrite, so if you are seeing these in your water parameters then to play safe use Prime daily. If you arent sure on your water parameters, play safe and dose prime.

Seachem Stability is beneficial bacteria in a bottle. If you are cycled you dont need to do that anymore. If you arent sure on your cycle then adding stability wont do any harm.

I would get a water test kit. API freshwater master test kit is a good kit to get hold of. Its cost effective, covers the basic parameters and easyish to use. Your water parameters can let you know if you are cycled. Until you know whether you are cycled, a small (say 20%) water change every couple of days will be of more benefit than adding chemicals. Except for water conditioner, remember to add that at every water change.

If you get a test kit let us know the results. Make sure it can test for pH, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate.

If the tank was already set up and running with fish before you got it, and you transported and set it all up with the old filter media and everything in short order, good chance your cycle is mostly still intact.
 
Get a couple of java ferns. Glue them to a piece of decoration (cyanoacrylate, basically most, if not all superglue) and drop them in the tank. Bullet proof plant, good starting point planted tanks.
 
Order or purchase polishing pads. I use these, of different sizes.

https://www.petsmart.com/fish/filte...mp_bQ5pICoE0KsJFAduB7d8W_th61rl0aAj7SEALw_wcB

Other options would be
https://www.seachem.com/purigen.php

A good filter will also help.

You can rinse the filter media you have now, in Prime treated water to rinse out the already trapped particles.

I had nothing but difficulty with a soil substrate tank. If that is what you have, getting a sand topping will help. Removing the soil made my life much easier. Sand is not really expensive and you can also grow plants. Sandbox /play sand has less dust. Garnet sandblasting sand may be a fun option, available at farm and some home supply stores as well as sandblasting supply.

Yesterday my new build tank looked like this
60074-albums14852-picture72834.jpg


And after rinsing out the polishing pad numerous times and that was all.... this morning was cleared up.
oops, same pic - edit, new pic from today
60074-albums14852-picture72837.jpg



Also you could use API Accu-Clear.
 
Last edited:
Thanks everyone for the warm welcome and advice.

After researching most of the day I have had a change of plan with the aquarium, I've spent the evening draining and cleaning the tank and removing all of the old soil and have replaced with sand. Felt it was an easier start for a newbie and I can go with a planted tank on the 3rd or 4th tank when I get there.

Pics to follow - spent an hour washing the sand but the water is still a touch murky, some dirty water/mud came out of the filter when I was filling the tank so this may be that or may be the sand?
 
There is nothing stopping you having a planted tank with a sand or gravel substrate. The java ferns i mentioned dont need any substrate.
 
Ok great, will look into the Java ferns once I’ve got the water under control and began stocking.

This is 30 mins after filling the tank up
 

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Hey everyone,



Brand new to the hobby with getting my first tank yesterday. I managed to pick up a used Juwel 190l Trigon Corner Tank.



Looking forward to getting to know everyone and their set ups. My Plans are to have this first tank as a mixed community and looking to acquire a 240L tank to have a Flowerhorn in there.



Super excited to get started and the Aquarium came with display items, lots of Seachem and food etc.... along with 2 x Loach, 1 x Tetra, 1 x Jellyhead goldfish and one tiny Koi.



The issue I have run into is that the water is very murky, I had dreams of it being instantly crystal clear :(



So I have a few questions :)



Is this normal?

The previous owner had a planted aquarium and I left the soil in to give me the option later. Will I have to remove if I want it crystal clear?

Would you recommend a planted aquarium for someone new to the hobby?



I will post some pics so you can see what I am trying to explain.



when did you pour your water in there, and did you rinse the gravel first?

this might be completely normal, if it's cloudy- it's probably just the gravel. your filter should make the water much clearer overnight.
if not, try using a water clearer, or pop a couple water clearing balls in the filter.

however, if the issue persists, this might be a more serious issue, so i suggest reading a response from someone more experienced, or calling your local pet shop to ask them.
good luck!
 
Thanks everyone,

the water has become clear now and I'm very happy with it.

Currently doing my cycle with the old filter and stability and prime. Testing kit arrives tomorrow so will see how it's all going
 
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