what's the "damsel" of freshwater?

i got 14 guppies, neat little guys,,
i think i saw one fry i dont know thought,
but i have one ASAP question, why would my water be all "merky" it looks like smoke.

 

1. temp high 60's low 70's is perfect with a ph around 7.0
2. Not too big apx 5-6" total for male 3-4" female
3. wouldnt want to keep much of anything with convicts - they're usually ok when young but once they get a little more mature and begin to mate WATCH OUT - they will kill ANYTHING in the tank to protect their babies (or just for the fun of it I am convinced)
4. go for any small guppy(s) to cycle and then introduce a pair of convicts which will have a good meal of the guppy's when introduced

Also convicts like a large tank (30G or more) with lots of rocks / slate for them to deposit their eggs. If your looking to breed, get ready for a fish that never seems to stop!! Once established, a very easy fish to care for as well but I think they may out grow a 20G especially if you keep more than 1 pair.

 

planning on only 1 pair

but do u know why my water looks like smoke?

 

i always use start right brand tank start. when i set up i always start by getting the tank decorated the way i want. then i fill 'er up to the brim with water. next i start the pumps. add a little more startright than recomended and turn the heater on. i never had even heard of getting a tank established until i got my saltwater. i have been in the hobby eversince i was born 15 yrs ago. me and my grandma had always had tanks. we never had to test the water or worry about ph and watknot. once we even bought fish before we had a tank. and our fish lived. we sat the tank up in 30 minutes filled it up and floated the bags for the whole fifteen and released.

 

I Imagine this point is moot now, but I always cycle my FW tank with mountain minnows. They're considered feeder fish so they're SUPER cheap, but they have nice markings with pretty red fins. They are extremely hardy fish and are also schoolers, so they can be fun to watch if grouped in 7 or more.

The 2nd option would be danio's, but they can get kinda big if you're cycling a 3-10 gal.