Cloudy and Foamy Water?

Question

I have a 1gallon fish tank. It has an air pump system and undergravel filter system. I boiled my water and let it get to room temp. I have washed the tank and dried it. I washed the rocks several times. This was Saturday. I let the pump run over night. I put my fish in yesterday and today the water is starting to get cloudy and a little foamy on top. What is the problem and what can I do to fix it?

Answer 1

If you have no fish, change all your water. You should never boil your water prior to using it for a fish tank. Boiling your water will concentrate the nitrates and other organics in it not to mention boils out the Dissolved oxygen creating a bacterial bloom and FOAMY bubbles. Regular tap water with a dechlor/conditioner is all that is needed. You may or may not still see a bacterial bloom, however the ammonia is what is going to kick in and really make the tank stink.

Try replacing 1/2 of the water (if you have no fish) and 1/4 if you have fish. This should also help clear the problem.

Answer 2

I disagree with the first poster. The fish was added yesterday and already the water is cloudy and foamy; too soon for a bacteria bloom. Ammonia poisoning will occur in this tank way before the cycle begins to start.

By thoroughly washing every thing you've totally wiped out all the beneficial bacteria which typically keep water quality in good order (if there was any in there to begin with). That tank is not yet ready for fish in my opinion.

In all reality a 1gal tank isn't suited for most fish. Even a betta would be better off in a 5gal. With smaller tanks/containers come greater water quality issues.

To fix the problem, research the cycling process and fish keeping in general, invest in a larger tank and try again. If that can't happen, then perform DAILY 40% water changes (using dechlorinated tap water).

Answer 3

If you used soap while washing your tank or the rocks this could be soap resedue. The other problem may be that your tank is cycling now that you added fish. This is called new tank syndrme. A one gal tank should not have any more than 2 very small fish in it and in many cases that is still over crowding that size tank.
Not knowing what fish you have in there I would suggest doing partial water changes (25-50%) each day over the next few days until it clears up.
Also, dont feed the fish everyday. Only feed them a very tiny amount every other day until the problem clears. Overfeeding and polluting the water with leftover food and waste will kill them 100% faster than by feeding them what many beginers think is a cruel tiny amount of food.
Fish will eat until full which in many cases is more than what their tank environments will allow. This is the fastest, most common reason fish die, especially in new tanks.

Answer 4

Basically your tank is starting to cycle. The cloudiness is bacteria in the water and even though that sounds bad, it's not. This is the good bacteria you need in the tank for it to be healthy. You will need to change about 1/2 the water every day for the next 2-3 weeks or so while the tank cycles. No need to boil the water first, just be sure you use something to get the chlorine out. Here's a little more on what's going on in your tank, what you can expect for the next few weeks and how to deal with it.

http://www.firsttankguide.net/cycle.php

Hope that helps

MM