New 55 gal. tank was cycled and clear water, neglected it a bit, got cloudy, did 1/2 water change............?

Question

1 day ago and still cloudy after water change.

Answer 1

From time to time you will get some bacterial blooms. Even though your tank is cycled, you could lose some of that bacteria doing your cleaning. Other possible causes as you said, being neglected a bit on the water change, you could as well have excessive waste from the last time and it's just being filtered out. If you feel this might be associated with the typical bloom with new tanks, and indicated your tank was cycled, then just take a reading on the tank, check the water parameters. If you do not see a rise in ammonia or nitrite, then no reason to panic. I've had a couple tanks do this even after four months and cycled out. Most of the time it was just over build up in the mechanical filtration and cleared up once cleaned after a few days.

Answer 2

It's hard to say what the cause may have been without some additional information. Have you used water straight from the tap when doing the water change? The chlorine/chloramine could have killed any any bacteria that are part of the cycling process - the same if there were antibiotics used in the tank recently.

Are there fish in the tank now? If there hadn't been any for a while, or a number were added at the same time, increasing the bioload, there will be more ammonia being produced, so the tank is experiencing a "mini-cycle" from the added ammonia.

If it's been neglected for a while, there may be a lot of debris built up in the gravel that could be getting disturbed by your fish or your filter.

This would all be if the cloudiness was white/gray in color. If yellow/brown it could be from plants or driftwood, or too much organic matter built up. If green, the extra nitrate that may have built up may be feeding the beginnings of an algae bloom.

See this link for more on these, and ways to clear up the tank: http://www.fishlore.com/CloudyWater.htm Using chemicals isn't the way to go, and may make the problem worse if you treat for the wrong cause.

Answer 3

With a 55 gallon tank it may take a week for it to cycyle. Did you put aquarium salt in and any buffers .Keep the filters going and give it time . Once it has cleared up you will enjoy trouble free aquarium keeping . Don't change the water again you are only making the water start all over. As a rule I never change more than 1/3 of the water in a established tank and I get that out when I vacuum the gravel .You need to just let the tank run for a few months to achieve real clear water. It may still be cloudy for a while ,don't add fish till the water is reasonibly clear.

Answer 4

What animals do you have in the tank? Did you try cleaning the glass to see if the cloudiness is the glass and not the water? Did you clean out the filter, rinsing it in the water you removed in your water change, to make sure it is properly flowing through the media? Did you vacuum the gravel during your water change? We will need a little more information to be able to answer your question.

Answer 5

Are you acquainted with cycling a clean tank? What has befell is which you have began a clean tank and further fish devoid of waiting for the helpful micro organism to construct up first. Now, with fish interior the tank it extremely is blooming so rapid that it extremely is clouding up the water. This undertaking is spectacular - maximum new tank proprietors lose a ton of fish waiting for the micro organism to enhance on an identical time as yours is doing so fairly promptly. changing the water back could start up the bloom as quickly as greater. it could subside on its' very own interior the subsequent week. purely be a sprint affected person, the fish do no longer innovations cloudy water yet be careful to no longer feed them too a lot (no foodstuff could ever attain the backside of the tank).

Answer 6

It sounds like new tank syndrom. 99.9% of all new tanks get it within the first week it is totally normal. It will take a few days for it to clear up but it should on it's own.. I would not reccommend using any chemicals as of yet give it a few days to cycle through on it's own. You do not want to add chemicals unnecessarily. Do you have fish in the water is it yet established.. You said it was "new" I ask because you want to be careful on doing such a drastic water change on a new tank, you want to let that nitrate cycle happen . Get that filter established..

Answer 7

Have you changed the filter? Thats what we have done, same size tank, same problem, a filter change has done the trick.

Answer 8

say what tank ? you mean a tank like for fish? go back to the pet store and get something to clear it