Cloudy Tank

[username321]

Hi,
I have a 46g tank that I had just set up two days ago. During that time, I added the recommended dose(46ml) of Cycle's bacterial supplement to "cycle" the tank. I also added the recommended amt of conditioning salt(9 tbs). The water in the tank does not contain chlorine or any chloramines. The water today seems to be cloudy especially around the back of the tank. There are NO fish in the tank. I am going to add the fish thurs or friday. Can you please tell me why the water is cloudy. Is it due to the bacteria pop booming. Also is it safe for me to add the fish in two days.
Rgds,
UN123

[TheOldSalt]

Yeah, it's safe, but the cloudiness is going to linger for several days, and maybe even get worse, before it finally clears. That's just what new tanks do.
Cycle isn't the best product that you could have used, by the way. It's better than nothing, I suppose, but your results are going to be slow. Just add a very few fish at a time, every 10 days or so. DO NOT put all the fish in at once, or even within the first 10 days, or you will have nothing but trouble.
Products like "Stability" or "BioSpira" can cycle the tank in a few days, but Cycle will take six weeks or so.

[username321]

thanks for the prompt reply. Also i was thinking abt adding ammonia(pure) daily till the cycle is complete before adding any fish. is this fine and if so how much should I add for a 46 g tank. THanks

[bscman]

Remember, bacteria can't start to colonize without a food source...so adding things like biospira or the like should only be done just before you add fish, or if you plan to add ammonia yourself.
The bacteria, also, cannot live long without a food source...so the ammonia source must remain constant.

I can't answer your ? about how much (PURE) ammonia to add, but with your test kit (which you really should have if you don't already) get the ammonia betwee 3-5ppm and keep it there. Depending how much bacteria you have beginning to colonize will determine how ofter you need to keep adding ammonia. For the first while you won't have to add much (or any), but then as things get started you'll have to add more and more.

[username321]

hi
thanks for your rreply. the local petsmart ppl told me that the original bacteria had died off since I hadnt fed it ammonia and that new but wrong type of bacteria are feasting on the dead original bacteria. Is it better for me to cycle the entire tank from scratch again? how would i proceed from here and are the petsmart ppl right

[Dr_House]

Hello, username321. You can find a great article on cycling and the nitrogen cycle by clicking this link. I always recommend natural methods of cycling rather than using cycling products. The products can and may work, but the tried and true methods will work. It requires more patience on your part, but for me, the security makes it worth having to wait a little longer.

[judya]

The cloudiness may be fine sediment from the gravel or sand. Give it some time to settle/filter out.

[username321]

thanks for your reply Dr. House and Judya. The cloudiness is now gone and the tank is crystal clear!!!

[rcomeau]

The link above has a good link to 'Using Household Ammonia for Humane Cycling of a Tank' but it is starting to get dated since 2005. It doesn't consider that (1) using ammonium chloride is likely better than ammonium hydroxide, (2) you should monitor your PH, and (3) you should do a large (50% to 90%) water change at the end of using ammonia to cycle.

Also take a look at http://badmanstropicalfish.com/articles/article14.html. It suggests using ammonium chloride instead of ammonium hydroxide. I used ammonium hydroxide before I knew of the ammonium chloride suggestion. I saw my water get acidic as predicted by the article. I did a large water change, and added baking soda.

Keep us posted on your experience.