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***************************************** Welcome to the forum, Mark! I think you'll find folks here are willing to talk with you. Maybe you could start by deciding on freshwater or saltwater, and go from there?

********************************************** Hi ylreveb20: It looks fine to me for aeration. What kind of filter do you have?

************************************************** Thanks for the pics and the additional info, Lakebum. It certainly looks like an algae bloom. Given how low your nitrates are, there must be some other cause, which is why I asked about the phosphate (that and silicate are sometimes culprits...

************************************************ Hi Lakebum: I wasn't able to find the photo you attached. Is the cloudiness in the water white/grey, or does it have a greenish tint to it? Do you see actual particulates, or is it just a haze? Did the cloudiness happen abruptly? Do you have...

********************************************* Hi skargo2009: Is he eating? Can you see anything unusual on his body or fins? How old is he? What are the current water parameters in the tank?

Hi ScorpioMoon: For HOB I like the Aquaclear. It has a pretty big media chamber, and you can customize media instead of having to use the manufacturer's cartridges. It also has a flow control; the range of flow you can set isn't really very wide, but it sometimes helps to have it. I put a...

***************************************** Hi Dorlis: Three days would be awfully quick for a cycle to be at that stage, but given you have nitrates in the tank water and none in your tap water then you definitely have nitrite-oxidizing bacteria at work. Other people have reported that, when...

************************************* Welcome to the forum, Mona! I think you'll find that people here are happy to share their experiences.

********************************************************** Hi Michelle303: Yes, sometimes when you use a bacterial additive like SafeStart your nitrite spike happens so fast that you miss it. Your nitrate readings confirm, though, that you have nitrite-oxidizing bacteria at work, so your cycle...

*************************************** Yes, I have to run the Phosguard continuously because of the level in my well water.

***************************************** Hi 780fishguy: Have you checked your nitrate level recently? Do you have a test kit for phosphate? Those two are sometimes behind algae blooms. I agree with you about not using algaecides. It might help at this point if you could rule out excessive...

**************************************** Hi jc102: I suppose it's possible that he's reacting to the change in temperature; it sounds like there was quite a bit of variation. He may also be stressed by the water movement from the filter (bettas tend to like still water). Have you checked the...

**************************************************** Understood. Do you have fish in the tank? If so, the Prime will also help to protect them from ammonia and nitrite poisoning until the nitrogen cycle is established (the water changes are helpful too). Several people on the forum have...

************************************************* Hi NonExistant: No, Prime is a water conditioner that takes care of any chlorine or chloramine that you might have in your tap water. It does other things as well but it is not a bacterial additive like Stress Zyme. Do you have a specific...

They're not the same. Stress Coat is a dechlorinator/water conditioner, while Stress Zyme is a bacterial additive.

It looks fine to me. How heavily are you planning to stock the tank?

********************************************* Hi zipperfly58: I doubt that the nitrogen cycle is established in the 55, so if you were to transfer fish to it you would be doing a fish-in cycle and would have to deal with both ammonia and (eventually) nitrite spikes. You could try to manage...

************************************ Since you just set everything up the cloudiness could be anything from dust/particulate matter from the substrate to a bacterial bloom. What are your current water parameters?

*************************** Welcome to the forum Beth!

**************************** Welcome to the forum! You'll find lots of folks here willing to share their experience with you. As I mentioned in your other thread, it would be a good idea to pick up a test kit (the API Master test kit is an excellent one) to check the key water parameters...

********************************* Understood. One possibility is that it is a bacterial bloom (especially if, in natural light, it seems grayish-white). Without knowing your water parameters it's impossible to know, although since the tank has only been going for six weeks it may not be fully...

****************************************** Hi jbennett1031: What are your current water parameters? Is the cloudiness largely greyish-white, or does it seem green?

************************************* Hi Matthew: No, in most cases it's not necessary to monitor hardness as regularly as ammonia, etc. If you could either find out from your water company what the average hardness of your water is, or ask your LFS to check a sample of your water for...

****************************** Hi Matthew: They're probably right that the cycle is still moving forward, but it's certainly a good idea to monitor everything for awhile just to be sure. I can see why they recommended adding something to buffer the ph, since you had a very wild swing there...

Welcome to the forum!