Murky Water

[Luna09]

Hello,

My friend called me for some advice and I don't know how to answer. She just started a 20 gallon tank and has a few bleeding heart tetras in it. (Doing a Fish-in cycle)

She set it up maybe 1-2 weeks ago and is doing all the normal things to cycle a tank. Her dip-stick readings are coming back completely safe and clean, however her tank water is very murky and the fish have started acting weird. She has been keeping up the water changes and I suggested she swing by my place for some mature filter media later on this evening.

Any ideas as to what could cause the water to go cloudy if the Ammonia, Nitrite and pH are all normal/safe and the temperature of the tank water is around 76F?

...I am unsure

Thank you in advance !

 

[Masha]

Any particular color murky?

 

[Luna09]

Normal cloudy colour, like what I would expect to see from ammonia. It isn't the substrate so far as I can tell- she put in normal aquarium gravel.

 

[ashleynicole]

Is she overfeeding? Probably a bacterial bloom either way. Also those dipstick are notoriously inaccurate. A liquid reagent test would be better. And posting the exact parameters would be helpful. Any amount of ammonia or nitrite is not safe.

Getting some seeded media from your tank would definitely be beneficial

 

[Luna09]

I agree, however I have no idea what the actual parameters are. I'll have to contact her later on, as I am stuck on campus for finals.

I suggested doing a water change for now and I think she is going to go to our LFS to get her water tested more accurately. My API master kit is expired, else I'd check it for her.

It seems to me that there aren't very many things it could be other than the normal Ammonia/Bacteria issues, just thought I'd double check in case there was something I hadn't heard of!

Thank you.

 

[Mattyfelts]

could it be just caused its cycling, and its a beneficial bacterial bloom?