Cycling and Cloudyness?? Need help... Thanks!!

Hey man the best thing to do is wait one week and ad 3 or 4 neon tetra's by my standards the cheapest, hardiest fish. I even added six neons in to my 90 litre tank a day after adding water and mate they are still living to this day 6 months later. So my advice is wait one week and a fish. From then the ammonia , nitrate and the nitrite should all balance themselves out and also for the first few weeks add a solution which will add bacteria into the tank (I cant think of the one I have but when you see it you should know what it is). Then just a last tip dont get flake food it is very low in protein and is processed to with an inch of its life so always go for pellets or what your local fish store recommends.

 

Im just gonna add here.... In my learnings and starting with no knowledge, if you cycle with fish, if theres too many, the ammonia levels can get tooooo high to cycle properly, its a mess.

 

And stop rinsing your filters! That could be a problem, youre rinsing away all you beneficial bactera.

 

What you have is probably a bacteria bloom...very normal when cycling a freshwater. It is a good thing, but frustrating. You can add a few drops of water clarifier. (Mardel brand seems to work best) What it does is makes the bacteria stick together, therefore making it heavier, and it will fall to the bottom without killing it. I have done this several times with success. Your tank will be crystal clear overnight without damaging the good bacteria you are trying to grow.

 

Suggestions...

Suggestions... got a friend with a tank? Borrow some of their filter media for your tank. Maybe a few gallons of water from their tank as well. Also LOTS of aeration to speed up the process... and darkness. Turn the light off a few days as beneficial bac thrive in aerated water and darkness. The cloudy water is a bloom... could kill the fish. Small water changes may lessen the burn but not much. Have to ride through it. After the water clears the ammonia will start to let off then you have nitrite and nitrate to deal with. I'd recommend seeing if a friend will house your fish during this time frame. Ammonia is a killer. Maybe you can fish net some ones tank for left over fish food... and poop. That would cycle it for you. Once all levels are normal slowly build up the amount of fish in your tank. Too many at once will toss the balance again. I have been cycling a tank for upcoming Ranchu gold fish. I started with water from my Koi pond and from my black moore tank. Also used old filter media from existing filter. After bloom was over introduced guppies and tetras. Test... Test... Test... then added my female black moor. Need a larger bio load established before dumping a half dozen Ranchus in a tank ya know. Hope this helps.

 

I know this is an old thread, and the majority of those suggestions you've put forth are relevant, I however bolded the one that I would never do. Even if you paid me to... Adding water from someone else's tank does nothing for you, minus exponentially increase your chances of getting some unwanted element in your tank, or worse an unwanted pathogen, bacteria, algae , etc. I wouldn't do it with fresh or saltwater. Just make your own, or buy new water.! Lol

 

Good point. I use water from my other tanks when cycling New which is why I suggested it. Could be problematic using from some one else's. Kind of like unprotected spawning lol j.k. used water should have some sort of bio load on it that fresh water does not... maybe. Even if it is just nitrate for plant food.