VERY Cloudy Water-please help!

[newgirl40]

OK, I'm at my wits end!

I set my tank up 3 weeks ago, and from day 1, it's been cloudy!
All tests come out normal, I've taken some water out- (half) - TWICE!
It's still cloudy!!!
I added fish 2 weeks after it was set up. This is my first 55 gallon(which i have always wanted) -so you can see why I'm so dissapointed...

I have a penquin bio wheel 350 I bought when I set up the tank, and it's working fine,
so what's wrong?

I don't know what else to do!

Thanks

 

[neilanh]

Welcome to AA!

Is it a white cloud, just kinda present throughout the tank no matter what you do? I suspect it's a bacteria bloom, which is very common in a new tank. I'm surprised to see it lasting this long, but it is possible. It has to run it's course, and will clear up when it completes it's cycle.

Since it sounds like you're cycling with fish, please keep an eye on your parameters until your nitrogen cycle completes.

 

[Purrbox]

If you were running the aquarium empty until a week ago when you added the two fish, then you didn't start cycling it until you added the fish. Unless you have Ammonia in your water source, it'd be unlikely to be a bacteria bloom causing the cloudiness issues from day 1.

What are you using for substrate (gravel, sand, etc) and was it rinsed before adding? What other decor do you have in the aquarium? What color is the cloudiness (white generally indicates bacteria bloom - good thing, green generally indicates green water - caused by ammonia with too much light, other colors could indicate something else)? Do you have live plants? How long is your light on each day? Does the aquarium get any direct sunlight?

 

[newgirl40]

OK, guys I wanted everyone to know that since I wrote the first post about this problem, each day it seemed that it was starting to get clearer. I came home from work yesterday afternoon, and it is now crystal clear!!!
I'm so happy!
Thanks!

 

[TomK2]

Glad things finally cleared up. Using fish as an ammonia source to establish a biologic filter should be done very carefully to avoid toxic exposure to the fish. I have done it a number of times with a 55 gal tank, notes at the link below:

Low Bio-load