Cloudy Water....

[Paavn]

im still doing my fishless cycle and my water is somewhat cloudy
but i was wondering if its cause of the airstones in the tank....

and i was also wondering if i need it to be on because i have a bio wheel in my filter... so doesnt that get plenty of oxygen while it rotates.

 

[drobbyb]

In most cases, the hang on back filters disturb the surface plenty enough. You should be safe to remove the airstone.

 

[reportingsjr]

Could possibly be because of an algal bloom/bacterial bloom. From what I hear these are quite common when doing fishless cycles. (Never done one myself =\)

Don't worry, at the end of the cycle if it's still cloudy after a couple water changes, then ask. Pictures help, too!

 

[Paavn]

i have the airstone under my gravel and have the bubbles coming out from under the stone as a decorative touch so i'll probably leave it underneath.
i'll turn it off and see if its cause of the airstone.... hopefully not that way it would be a bacterial bloom

 

[Schmill]

The airstone won't be the cause of the clouding, it's just that it's not needed for the cycle. If you like it for decoration and movement in the tank whilst it is cycling leave it on

 

[backtotropical]

I agree with Schmill, however whilst it isn't needed for the cycle, it will help the cycle.

It will increase surface agitation which increases gaseous exchange and therefore dissolved oxygen in the water. The bacteria which you are trying to culture are aerobic (require oxygen) and so the airstone will help them along.

Also, if it is a bacterial bloom, these deplete oxygen in the water, and so the airstone again would be especially useful.

BTT

 

[OldMan47]

If you have a fine sand for the substrate, the buried air stone can disturb the sand enough to end up with some suspended in the water and making it look cloudy.

 

[Schmill]

I agree with Schmill, however whilst it isn't needed for the cycle, it will help the cycle.

It will increase surface agitation which increases gaseous exchange and therefore dissolved oxygen in the water. The bacteria which you are trying to culture are aerobic (require oxygen) and so the airstone will help them along.

Also, if it is a bacterial bloom, these deplete oxygen in the water, and so the airstone again would be especially useful.

BTT

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that bit...
Shows how you forget details you don't need as I just leave my running all the time, (and in fact just put in a nice new air feature since I still have nothing else in the tank!) lol

 

[waterdrop]

I agree with BTT that surface disturbance is a recommended part of the fishless cycling equation. Oxygen is just as important as correct ammonia level in promoting the growth of the A-Bacs and N-Bacs.

Surface disturbance depends on your hardware circumstances. If you have a powerful spraybar shooting water across the surface, or a powerhead making the surface boil and move, then there will be less need for an air pump and bubbles. But if you have a setup where the surface is less disturbed then sending a lot of bubbles up can be just the thing to help get that extra bit of oxygen in the water to be sure your "bacterial growing soup" is as good as possible I think.

Extra surface disturbance is rather more desirable during fishless cycling than later, so if you have a noise problem, for instance when the tank sits in a bedroom or other room where extra silence is preferred, you might decide to dismantle and store the pump/airstone system once the fishless cycle is completed.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[Paavn]

thanks guys. i'll just leave it on since noise isnt really a concern for me. the tank is in the living room.
i did turn off the airpumo and its still a bit cloudy. i'll put up some pictures later on today or tmrw. i dont have sand as of yet. since its my first time having a tank i thought id go with gravel on and then once i get then hang of it switch to sand.

the bacteria seems to finally be growing