Silly me - I put my fish in a new aquarium without letting it cycle....sigh....the filter in the aquarium is carbon and floss....if I changed the cartridge to one that is carbon, floss and zeolite, would it help? Would it harm the Fish?
Should I just leave him in there for the time being?
Its a 2 1/2 gallon aquarium...and I have been doing 25% water changes daily. I put him in there 3 days ago. How long do you think it might take for the aquarium to stabilize?
thanks all
2007-12-04 08:04:57 · 4 answers · asked by freshbliss 6 in Pets ➔ Fish
Zeolites will remove ammonia thereby stopping the cycle(the bacteria live on ammonia and oxygen). Your job is to balance the ammonia level at a point that is not toxic to your fish,while still retaining enough ammonia to grow the bacteria colonies. This is done by frequent testing and water changes.The changes should never be more than 20% of the water volume. Well, 25% is probably OK.
The cloudiness is harmless,and probably is another bacteria "bloom" that will go away after the bacteria consume whatever it is they're feeding on. This may take some time(as much as 3 or 4 weeks). Keep doing the water changes until the ammonia tests at a non-toxic level and then watch for the Nitrate numbers to increase.
2007-12-04 08:20:57 · answer #1 · answered by PeeTee 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
The cloudy water is the beneficial bacteria colonizing. It should clear up on it's own in about a week or so.
I'd continue with the daily water changes, though that's most likely going to prolong the cycle, but you have to do it when cycling with fish or else the fish will most likely die. The whole cycle process will take anywhere from 8-12 weeks on average.
I wouldn't add anything like the zeolite to the tank, that'll remove the ammonia/cloudy water, that'll just make the cycle drag on longer.
2007-12-04 08:48:34 · answer #2 · answered by tikitiki 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The hazy water is probably a bacteria bloom and it will run its course. Leave your filter as is and let the bacteria establish itself in sufficient quantities to take care of the excess ammonia. Start doing smaller less frequent water changes. The amount of water being changed is too much and again is not letting the aquarium get into equilibrium.
2007-12-04 08:18:09 · answer #3 · answered by stargrazer 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
You need to leave it alone and let it cycle & turn over before doing any water changes. Leave the fish in also as he will help with the cycle.
2007-12-04 08:09:28 · answer #4 · answered by Zodiack 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋