Help With my Cloudy Aquarium Water... Please?

Question

I've just gotten back into the fish tank hobby and recently purchased one of those 5-gallon tanks from Kmart. Not a permanent tank, just a cheap starter tank so I can learn to do things right and move up.

I've had my tank set up for two days and the water has already started getting really cloudy. I've treated the water as suggested by my local pet store but am stumped as to why the water wont clear up.

The tank I purchased has one of those UG filter but I think I may have made a mistake by purchasing those blue rocks instead of gravel. I'm wondering if the rocks may be preventing all of the grime in the water from getting through. Do you think this is the case?

Any and all suggestions would be appreciated.

Answer 1

well, there is a very simple answer to that one

your tank has started to cycle, that means the good bacteria starts to establish in your tank
here is a site that explains it with a grafic
http://www.firsttankguide.net/cycle.php



Hope that helps
Good luck


EB

Answer 2

First things first. Always add water conditioner and aquarium salt when setting up. ALL the items you are putting in your tank such as stones,fake plants,decorations, should be washed in a water aquarium salt solution. NEVER use soap of any kind.

Do not even have anything on your hands when doing this for example;hand lotion,soap,perfume. You set up an aquarium it should set for at least 2 weeks with the filter systems running before you put anything in it. Once this time period is over. I would add the cheapest tester fish you can buy. This is to make sure the quality of water is going to be good for them.Give them about a week to see how good they do before buying anymore. If they don't make it you might have to get water from elsewhere.

Do not just throw the fish in when you bring them home.They should remain in the bag, but be placed in the aquarium to let their water temp slowly progress to the temp of the aquarium. This usually takes about 1/2 hour. If you just throw them in you are gonna shock them. If this happens you will lose them. Do not over fill the tank with fish, we go by the size of the fish. For example; 1 square inch of fish for every gallon of water.

If you are going to use chlorine water when replacing the water please use a additive in the water before you put it in the tank. This neutralizes the chlorine. Always and I mean always add aquarium salt to your tank when putting new fish in the tank. This will help on their stress levels. The salt will have directions on correct amounts to add on the back of the container. Do not add water that is too hot or too cold. It should be luke warm and just about match the temp of the aquarium. If you find little white spots on your fish after adding water that means the water was to hot or cold. Thus causing a disease called ick. This will kill your fish, if you don't buy a medication to clear it.

I suggest using a Magnum and a Penguin brand filter system together. This is for tanks ranging in sizes 20 to 130 gallons. Do not buy just any old run of the mill fish food for them. Check with your local pet store. I order out for mine to a place called Big Als. I have been an aquarium owner for 25 years.

Answer 3

cloudy water should not persist but clear up over time.

if it persist, it means your filter is not operating correctly. and from the looks of it, you have not set up your UG filter correctly. there should be a few layers of different granular sized sand so that waste wont clog up the water flow thru the gravel.

in the first place, i wont even use a UG filter. it will have to be very effective to break down fish wastes, which means putting in aquatic plants, and you cannot put too many fish into your tank else the biological balance (nitrogen cycle) cannot be maintained.

usual filters suck the fish waste in and you can then dispose of the wastes. so that removes water pollution and makes it easier to keep the tank clear and clean.

Answer 4

The water is cloudy because beneficial bacteria are floating around trying to establish a home. Nothing you can do to get rid of it just wait for the cycle to kick in.

http://fins.actwin.com/mirror/begin-cycling.html

Answer 5

Did you rinse the gravel thoroughly before putting it in the aquarium? It took me almost 15 minutes of constant rinsing before my colored gravel was ready to be placed in the tank. If you didn't rinse it, that could very well be your problem.

Answer 6

leave on your filter alwayas