new tank syndrome??

Question

hey peoples ive had my 65l tank for about 3 weeks now with 3 smallish oscars in it. and the water is still slightly cloudy. i read up on something fcalled new tank syndrome somethin about bacteria or yeh. they reccoment changing 10-15% of the water every few days jus to get rid of waste. will this frequent change harm the fish. oh yeh i have a canister filter which is for a 120l tank and the tank isnt near a window. any advice would be much appreciated

actually another thiing is there are smallish particles floating around.

yeh the tank is sort of temporary, will only keep it for a couple of months, but whatys the go with the white particles floating around, do u suggest keep changin the water?

Answer 1

Yep, that a combination of new tank syndrome and lack of water changes. I would suggest you start making a 25% water change every week. Use a gravel siphon to clean the gravel as you go. You will probably need to do a 25% water change every 2-3 days for the first few weeks to get everything under control but after that once a week will keep it clear and clean.

MM

Answer 2

You put three oscars in a 17 gallon tank??????????? One Oscar does well in a 55 gallon tank!
New tank syndrome is what occurs with poor water conditions and sickness and death of the fish in a new tank. It's from the chemistry of cycling the filter and the tank to make the water conditions good for your fish.
Oscars are messy eaters and bulky fish. They add ammonia to their water through urination, defecation and breathing. You add more ammonia by putting in food which they promptly tear apart and leave tiny particles to decay. After about a week or so, the ammonia hits its peak. It is exceedingly toxic to fish, burning their fins, gills and eyes. Large water changes help. Don't rinse out your filter media. The next step is the nitrite bacteria which forms to eat ammonia. This is also toxic but on a different scale. It affects the fish's ability to transform oxygen in its body and the fish eventually asphyxiates. The next bacteria is nitrate which forms after about 3 weeks of nitrites. Once this is formed, cycling is complete. The nitrite eats the nitrates as quickly as they form unless you overload the tank with fish or food.
Water changes don't hurt fish. Stunting them (forcing them to fit into smaller tanks) does. It deforms their organs and shortens their lifespans dramatically.

Answer 3

You haven't done a water change in 3 weeks? Definitely do one. It won't hurt the fish. Make sure the water you put in is declorinated and as close to the current tank water temperature as possible.

And buy a test kit to check ammonia and nitrite levels in your tank