Cloudy Fish Tank (No Fish)

[Fraser32]

Hey Guys ive just got a fish tank the tank is about 3ft x 1ft x 1,5ft (not Exact dimensions)
I have coloured decorative gravel, Filter, and water heater
About 4-5 days i filled it with water, since then the water has gone cloudy (no fish)
i have not added any chemicals to the water and i was just wondering if anyone could help solve the cloudy water problem
also i was just wondering what chemicals i need to add (if any

I was originally planning on having discus fish but have been told it can be very difficult, just wondering if you could give me some insight into what is required to look after discus fish

Cheers guys!

 

[kporteo]

Hi and welcome to the forum!
Have you had tropical fish before? Do you understand the principles of fishless cycling? If you don't read the resource in the beginners section, its a fab place for how to guides when first starting.
In laymans terms, fishless cycling is, before you add fish you need to grow bacteria in your filter to convert the nasties the fish create with their poop etc into less nasty products! Its a longish process 6-12weeks, but it makes healthier/happier fishies!


Any questions gimme a shout!
K

ps, re, the cloudy water, is your filter running? And did you clean your gravel well before you put it in your tank?

 

[Uriel]

Hey Guys ive just got a fish tank the tank is about 3ft x 1ft x 1,5ft (not Exact dimensions)
I have coloured decorative gravel, Filter, and water heater
About 4-5 days i filled it with water, since then the water has gone cloudy (no fish)
i have not added any chemicals to the water and i was just wondering if anyone could help solve the cloudy water problem
also i was just wondering what chemicals i need to add (if any

I was originally planning on having discus fish but have been told it can be very difficult, just wondering if you could give me some insight into what is required to look after discus fish

Cheers guys!

Discus are a specialist fish that require a lot of care and may not be the best choice if you are just getting into the hobby. Did you make sure to throughly wash the gravel before putting it in the fish tank if not then this is probably your problem.

What i would reccomend as the basics would be :

Water conditioner: Seachem prime is the one used by most of the people here as it is very good, very cost effective and adds a margin for error for beginners.
Test Kit : API fresh water test kit
Boots house hold ammonia : Used for fishless cycle Do Not Add to tank with fish in it.

Now personally i would reccomend you read the beginners resource centre at the top of the page. Especially the article about fishlessly cycling your tank. I personally would not cycle a tank any other way but some members do a fish in cycle but this requires a lot more work (water changes).

Beat me to it kporteo

 

[OldMan47]

Welcome to the forum Fraser.
Cloudy water in a new tank is not at all unusual. The cloudy aspect will clear on its own in just a few days. As others have already suggested, you would do well to read through the description of a fishless cycle. There is a link to that thread in my signature area.
As far as discus, I still cannot bring myself to pay what those darned things cost to experiment with hard to keep fish. (I have only been in the hobby for about 50 years so I am a relative newbie when it comes to keeping tough fish.)

 

[L4byr1nth]

The water will have gone cloudy as you put it in because of the gravel.

It should have settled in a couple of days, leaving lovely crystal clear water.

Are you saying the water did this, and then went cloudy again?

If you are, it could be because of a few things. Is the tank near a window? Have you been moving the decorations in the tank around?

Leave the filter and heater on for a few days - if this doesn't clear the water, you could add carbon to the filter.

Ben.

 

[hillmar77]

I have a pair of discus now for over a few months now. And they definitly make a beautiful graceful fish to watch. What I learned about discus.....
1) Always get breeder discus as your first discus attempt. They are more durable, and can take alot more water parameters then wild ones.
2) Water changes....They require alot of water changes as it helps them grow, and keeps the water clean.
3) Protein....They require alot of protein especially when you have juvi's (which I have), I feed mine frozen bloodworms, and spirulina brine shrimp daily as with discus pellets.
4) Attention....They like to be hand fed, and creating a bond between you and your discus would relieve stress for them
5) Aggression... Discus are aggressive fish (as my blue one will even take on a angelfish twice its size), keep them with other less aggressive cichlids and they will become king of the aquarium
6) Color.... Discus will tell you when they feel sick or scared. Just look at their colors, and behaviour.
But at the end its completely worth it.... as you can see my are not even camera shy!