Clowdy water in uncycled tank.

[k2snowboards88]

I've been having trouble getting my tank to cycle. I think its because i was changing the water too much. I decided to stop changing water 4 days ago. When i woke up this morning the water was really foggy. It was filled with little white specks. Is this a bacteria bloom? What am i supposed to do now?

 

[WILDER]

Yes it's a bacteria bloom, can you test your water in ammonia,nitrite,nitrate,and ph.

 

[sylvia]

The bacterial bloom is NOT the beneficial bacteria you are trying to get from cycling but other harmless micro-organisms. It'll eventualy clear and won't harm your fish. The nitrifying bacteria take much too long to grow and multiply (unfortunately) to cause a 'bloom' but you gave other bacteria a chance to 'bloom' by stopping the water changes.

 

[freddyk]

If you are cycling with fish then you should do water changes again. The idea of cycling with fish is to NOT notice the spikes - the tank is still cycling, just much slower. If you try to rush the cycle you will harm the fish.

If you are doing a fishless cycle then you don't want to do ANY water changes until before adding fish, when you want to do a huge one.

 

[Fishy Fishy Man]

Just my experience here,

I was also worried when the water in my 3 foot tank got really cloudy, so i thought water changes every other day would help to get it out. Turns out i was doing absolutely nothing to remove it.

It dissapeared almost instantly about a week after it appeared and all i did was starve the cycling bacteria and had to start the cycle from the beginning.

Another thing worth noting is that my lfs told me not to change the water untill the cycle was complete. I guess thats a matter of opinion though.

FFM

 

[sylvia]

No, it isn't a matter of opinion. If you are cycling with fish you HAVE to do water changes to keep those fish in good health.

Only when you are fishless cycling can you neglect water changes completely - infact it is better, as already mentioned, to not change water when fishless cycling until just before you add fish as there is no reason to change water before then and you are just starving the beneficial bacteria.

 

[k2snowboards88]

I would keep up with water changes, but i've had my tank for over a month, and i still haven't gotten any nitrite in the tank. Nor have the nitrates risen. If i keep changing water then i don't think it will ever cycle. I don't really know what to do. I'm stuck in a catch 22.

I can test for amonia and nitrite. I'm going to get a nitrate test kit today.

btw. Is it possible that the bacteria that turns nitrite into nitrate is completely caught up wiht the bacteria that produces nitrite. And because of this, theres never any nitrite, because its being immediately turned into nitrate? i'm getting a nitrate test kit today to test this hypothesis.

 

[sylvia]

Whenever I cycle a tank with fish (which is becoming increasingly rare ) I use a very hardy fish like zebra danios and change water every 3 days. About 5 fish to every 20 gallons and, with this schedule, it invariably takes 6 weeks to cycle and all the fish do fine and do not have any long-term health problems afterwards.

The nitrifying bacteria that turn nitrIte to nitrAte cannot turn ammonia to nitrAte directly - if this is what you are asking. But it is possible that somehow you have a lot of the bacteria that turn nitrIte to nitrAte but fewer of those that turn ammonia to nitrIte though I can't imagine how this could have happened

 

[k2snowboards88]

But it is possible that somehow you have a lot of the bacteria that turn nitrIte to nitrAte but fewer of those that turn ammonia to nitrIte though I can't imagine how this could have happened

that is what i was asking. I guess it could be possible if theres alot more nitrite-nitrate bacteria in the atmosphere where i live than amonia to nitrite bacteria.

I went to a lfs to get a nitrate test kit, but they were sold out. I guess it will have to wait til at least tomorrow. Once i get it i can test this theory.