Cloudy Fish Tank????

Question

I got a 55 gallon fish tank with a 75 gallon filter that has a bio wheel, i had it set for for a week before i put 3 oscars in it after about i week of them being in the water the tank turned realy cloudy i did a 25% water change but dint realy help i dont think i feed them to much because i give them what the pet shop told me to give them... please help
P.S let me know if you need more detail..

Answer 1

Your tank is cloudy because you didn't cycle it, first. In the wild, and in established tanks, there are nitrifying bacteria that break down toxic ammonia from fish waste and excess food into less toxic nitrates. In a brand new tank, these bacteria don't exist (even if you just let it run for a week), so any fish in the tank will produce ammonia, which, not being broken down by bacteria, will kill or weaken the fish. And the bacteria populations, responding to the ammonia, will explode, causing a bacterial bloom. That's what is happening in your tank - because you didn't cycle it beforehand, it's cycling now. It is tough on fish, so do small daily water changes (like 15%) dillute the ammonia (and also the cloudiness) and the nitrites. It'll take up to 4-6 weeks to cycle; it would definitely be worth it buy a master testing kit; it'll cost you 30$, and you'll be able to keep track of exactly what's going on in your tank. When your ammonia and nitrites are at ZERO, your tank is safe, and you can reduce water changes to 30% once a week.

In the future, you will have more problems because 3 oscars is too much for a 55 gallon tank. One oscar needs a minimum of 60 gallons - 75 is better, so 3 oscars would need at least 200 gallons. As an adult, 55 gallons is just too small for even on oscar - because an oscar can grow longer than the 55 gallon tank is deep.

Answer 2

There are a number of problems leading to your tank being cloudy and smelly.

All too often too many new fish owners make the same common mistakes. Did you wash your tank out properly prior to installing? Did you wash your gravel thru a strainer (and I don't mean just rinse it off)? These are the two leading cause for cloudy water.

Your tank is not cycled properly. See web page.
http://freshaquarium.about.com/cs/biolog...

Your biggest issue now isn't the cloudy water; it's the ammonia spike that will soon occur (if it hasn't already), followed by elevated nitrites. Both could result in the loss of some or all of your fish. I'd strongly recommend that you become familiar with the Nitrogen cycle, so you are aware of what will be happening in the upcoming weeks.

You should begin testing your water right away for ammonia and take appropriate steps to keep it below lethal levels. Hang in there; once you get your tank through the initial cycle the cloudy water problem will clear up. If you follow the links under Related Resources, you'll find all the info you need about the Nitrogen cycle, and how to deal with problems that occur.

Do you or are you using a gravel siphon to clean the bottom when doing water changes? (Sorry forgot it is only 7 days old) Did you rinse out your filter and pads prior to installing them?

If you did not rinse the gravel well enough you can do one of two things, stir up the gravel in the tank really well. This will cause all the "dirt" particles to float in your tank. Keep the filter running and do a 20% water change. As long as your water "quality" is fine, do this every other day until the water is clear. Each time, be sure to rinse your filter out as well.

Doing water changes when the tank hasn't properly cycled will do nothing much to clear it. Just be sure what is in it is clean.

Adding an air your bubble want does nothing for the fish or the water. Dissolved O2 comes from the water itself moving. Bubblers move very little water there for add very little to no Dissolved O2 to your tank.

Do your water change every other day (I know pain in the butt) but if the tank would have been cycled properly in the beginning, this would not be happening now.

Good Luck

Answer 3

Regardless of what the petstores tell you- dont do any water or filter changes for the first three months. Its called "new Tank symdrom" your waters going to get cloudy becasue you added so many fish at one time. Get some carbon at your local petstore, and put it in one of the media cartridges that comes with your marine land bio wheel filter. that should clear the water up in a matter of 48 hours. Make sure your not over feeding your fish. even though they may always look hungary, their stomachs are no bigger then the size of their eyes. if the water still looks extreamly cloudy a week from now, add another filter. the more filtration the cleaner your waters going to be. and the more oxygen your fish get, they'll be more active. but dont sweat it- your not going to lose any of your fish. just be patient.

Answer 4

add another filter