Foggy Water

[thebbqguy]

I was little nervous that my tank had water trouble. The water looked foggy and I was concerned I had some foreign substance in the water. It seems to be clearing up a little bit now. Do you think it will clear up once the tank cycles? Should the water be a crystal clear color, or will it have a little of the fog at all times?

[Ron]

It should clear up once the tank cycles.

Cloudy water is often a warning sign IMO that you've got or are on the verge of a problem with high ammonia levels (and then a presumable nitrite spike). Since you're cycling the tank, this is to be expected. If you had fish, then it'd be rather important to do a significant water change.

[thebbqguy]

Not knowing any better and not having pure ammonia on hand, I set up the tank, added the sponge filter for one week. Then I added the Aqua Clear 110 and a heater in week two. At that point I added 70 ml of API Quick Start.

I got a small nitrite and ammonia rise to .25 within a few hours. Now ammonia and nitrite are back to 0.

I wiped down the inside of the tank and got some fine dust from when I added the sand. Some of the fog was likely the dust on the side of the tank. I am convinced the fogginess is subsiding now, which makes me feel better; but the fog wasn't just dirty glass.

If I add small amounts of pure ammonia now, what should I look for to make sure the cycling takes place?

[Maize-N-Blue-D]

FWIW - I would highly recommend getting some sponge from an established tank, if you go into your LFS (not a big box store) and ask them for some they should give it to you. Just tell them that you are cycling a new tank.  Fantastic Fins will certainly do this for you!

I agree with Ron,  cloudy water is normal during the cycling of a new tank. keep testing the water. Remember, cycling is a process it takes time to run through each of the steps of the process.  If you want to speed up the process,  go get some feeder gold fish (very cheap) and put them in the tank. this will help stabilize the process and take out the guessing of how much ammonia to add into the tank.  You will loose some gold fish but who cares, they were a food fish anyways.  When done cycling either take the gold fish back or throw them away and stock with what ever fish you are planning to stock.

Keep testing your tank daily until your readings are consistently zero ammonia and zero nitrites....

Good Luck !   

[cranialdisturbance]

I have used feeder goldfish to cycle tanks in the past. I wouldn't recommend it though due to the risk of parasites.  Just get some cheap tetras if you want to go the expendable fish route. I will give you some biological material if you need some.

[thebbqguy]

The tetras sound like a nice idea. I think I'll go with that at this point.

[thebbqguy]

I went to get some tetras, but ended up with 11 zebra danios. They only had two tetras left.

I am guessing the danios will end up being food for the cichlids I add to the tank eventually.

[cranialdisturbance]

Danios are an excellent choice. They may end up as food eventually. They will have served their purpose by that time though.

[thebbqguy]

The water in the tank is crystal clear now. The 11 danios are fit as fiddles. I hope they stay that way a few more days and I will start planning for the rotkeils I want to get.

[thebbqguy]

I think I've figured out what is causing some of the cloudiness. Each week I have been doing 5 gallon water changes just to get in the habit of doing it. At some point I know I'll need to do more than 5 gallons at a time. With the sand substrate, the water changes are stirring up the sand a little bit and making the water cloud up.

I have a 110 HOB filter and a sponge filter. With only 11 tiny danios in the tank, I am sure that is plenty of filtration. I will be adding two small rotkeils today (if they are not sold before I get there this afternoon). Last week the water cleared up in a day or so.

I guess I need to figure out a better way to do the water changes.

[eitakppurk]

That's weird that your sand is so dirty, what kind is it? I used to have the pH buffering kind and this happened to me - to avoid it i would pour new water over rocks or put A dinner plate in there just during water changes and pour over that instead of the sand.

[thebbqguy]

It was pool filter sand. It was rinsed well.

[Ron]

I beg to differ that it was rinsed well. If it were, smaller particles wouldn't be partially suspending and turning it cloudy.

My living room tank I pour 5 gallon buckets of water into and it stirs up the PFS, but it doesn't become cloudy.

I think you have 2 options:
1. Remove and rewash
2. Just accept that it'll be a while before this goes away.

I'd probably pick #2, as I'm busy with too many other projects to worry about it.

A plate in the tank would help, but better yet perhaps a larger, flat rock to pour upon. That way you can just leave it in there and it won't look out of place.

Another thought is to change more water less frequently. Then you'll have to deal with this issue less often.

[thebbqguy]

I'm going to go with option #2.

I have learned via my "day job" that everything is relative. I might say it's blue and someone else says it's royal blue. I might say it's red and someone else says it's crimson.

To me it sure looked to be "clean" sand.

If I ever wash some more I'll wash it and then wash it some more and then some more.

[Ron]

I know what you mean about opinions. In the end all that matters is that you enjoy your tank.