my new aquarium has cloudy water after only three days, HELP!!!?

Answer 1

This is a serious problem that needs sorting out as soon as possible or you will risk killing your fish. I only have experience of goldfish, but here is my advice...
1) Check that your filters are working properly
2) Use a home water testing kit to check the levels of nitrite and ammonia
3) Do a partial water change (ensuring you treat the replacement water and that it is at the same temperature as the existing water)
4) Add Stress Zyme to the filter - this will get the good bacteria working in the filter so that it improves the filter function
5) You can buy a treatment from the pet shop that you can add to the water. It clumps the dirt particles together so that the filter traps them more easily. Can't remember what it is called.
Don't be put off by this problem. New aquariums nearly always have problems at the beginning due to lack of established friendly bacteria. Keep doing those partial water changes every day until the water quality improves.
Also, make sure that you don't overfeed the fish, because that is a major cause of poor water quality. Only feed as much as the fish will eat straight away, any excess should be removed from the water with a net. You'll soon work out how much to feed them.
Good luck and have fun with your new fishy friends.

Answer 2

This is actually fairly normal. It's called a bacteria bloom and is a reaction to the ammonia build up in the tank. Do a 50% water change each day until the cloudiness goes away. That will keep the ammonia low enough for the fish to live until the tank cycles and the bacteria are growing on the filter and the gravel.

MM

Answer 3

Cloudy water is perfectly normal in newly set up aquariums - don't panic!

Now, in order for you to get any advice that's actually useful you would need to give more details. Are there fish in the tank? When did you add them? Did you cycle the tank or take it into consideration?

Answer 4

That's a bacteria "bloom", it will go away on it's own,but it will take some weeks to do that. Keep your water numbers good,and if you've not added any fish DON'T. Just do small,frequent water changes and be patient. If you do have fish in there don't add any more until you see a "spike" and then a decline in NITRITE numbers.About 5 or 6 weeks. Until that happens keep doing small water changes (10%) and wait for the nitrite numbers to go up(takes about 3 weeks),then to go down again(2 or 3 more weeks),the bacteria bloom should also go away by then,too. Check the web site at Dr's. Foster and Smith (DrsFosterSmith .com) and click on "nitrogen cycle" for some good advice. Good luck,------PeeTee.

Answer 5

leave it go, don't put any fish in it. just run it for a few weeks with the filter running. Then do a 20% water change and add just one or 2 fish and a couple plants. Let the filters mature. Gradually over time add more fish and plant stock. You need to get the natural cycle going, which wont start until u add fish and plants, but also the 2 weeks u wait to add stock is to allow the water to di-chlorinate as chlorine will kill fish.

Answer 6

The water is getting cloudy because of the fact your tank is cycling. look into the links under for extra data on the cycling technique. whether, in case you have a tropical fish tank, your goldfish in all probability should not be interior a similar tank with your different fishies. Goldfish are coldwater fish. The white dots on on your goldfish's tail sounds like it must be Ich. whether, mutually as the spots are nonetheless seen on your fish, the drugs you utilize will have no result. The spots you're seeing are cysts that the medicine can not penetrate. as quickly as you notice the spots fading, that's once you are able to start up including the medicine to the tank, as that's whilst the parasites start to roam loose and are extra susceptible. desire this facilitates. =o)

Answer 7

That's a bad start for a new aquarium thats caused by too much flake food. You need only feed them twice a day...once in the morning and once in the evening before you turn the lights out.

Answer 8

if its a new setup you got or a total water change, you need to make sure your filter is (a) clean enough and (b) is the right size filter for the tank.
also if you used new gravel, you need to wash this through cold water before putting it in your tank as the dust off the gravel makes it like this.
also you might want to go to your local aquarium shop and get some water conditioner liquid to help it along.

good luck with your set-up.

Answer 9

Did you cycle your tank? If no, that is probably the cause of the cloudy water. Check out these two sites on doing cycling with fish and fishless cycling .
http://thegab.org/Articles/WaterQualityCycling.html
http://thegab.org/Articles/FishlessCycling.html

Answer 10

If there was, even, a TINY amount of GREASE, on the inside, of the aquarium, before it was filled, this COULD account for the cloudy appearance, that you mentioned!