Cloudy Water Before Cycling

[Daisyk8t]

Hi,

I've read the advice here and am going to start a fish less cycle of our new 54l tank, but I think we didn't wash one of the ornaments very well and the tank has gone cloudy and not cleared, after four days. Do I take the ornament out and wash it better or leave it in?! (I don't think it's the gravel as I added the ornament a day later and immediate cloudiness resulted)

Whatever I do with the ornament, should I then change the water before starting cycling? Or just get ammonia in there?!

Advice would be great thanks. Everything is so confusing!!

 

[Fishda45]

Hi,

I've read the advice here and am going to start a fish less cycle of our new 54l tank, but I think we didn't wash one of the ornaments very well and the tank has gone cloudy and not cleared, after four days. Do I take the ornament out and wash it better or leave it in?! (I don't think it's the gravel as I added the ornament a day later and immediate cloudiness resulted)

Whatever I do with the ornament, should I then change the water before starting cycling? Or just get ammonia in there?!

Advice would be great thanks. Everything is so confusing!!

Hi there! When i started cyclin my tank 12 days ago my water also became cloudy after 4 days of cycling. I washed my ornaments and gravel. The cloudyness could probobly be bacterial bloom. I woke up today and saw my tank crystal clear.

Also try to just wash your ornament properly. Dont need to do a 100% water change. Maybe just about 10% waterchange would do.

 

[Daisyk8t]

Thanks! I have actually started cycling as I added food a few days ago - following fish shop instructions before I found the forum. I've added more food over the last few days so I guess I'm going with the food instead of pure ammonia method now... So it could be a bacterial bloom, but also due in part to ornament I am sure.

 

[RossC]

If its cloudy before adding food/ammonia/fish then its caused by ornament/gravel if its happened after adding food/ammonia/fish its likely to be a bacterial bloom.
Quickest way to get rid of bacterial bloom is to aerate the tank (airstone), forget water changes the bacteria multiplies faster than any amount of water changes possible.