Issue With Our New Fish Tank

[KevJ87]

Hello Guys !
 
I am new to this forum and I am hoping that I can get some help to alleviate this problem. I use to be into fish when I was younger and had a 55 gallon tank, so now that we have a bigger place I bought a 10 gallon fish tank to introduce it to my fiance. 
 
She ended up loving the tank but now we are encountering a problem that is causing her to lose interest in the tank.
 
The water in the tank is Extremely cloudy, ( no wood its not tannin's ). The only decoration are a few fake plants and a little house bought from a fish store and cleaned before put in.
 
It is using a Whisper PF10 and instead of Carbon I have Purigen in it's place as I have always been a fan of it.
 
 
I am thinking it might be due to a chemical interaction that is ruining the water clarity. We are doing 40-45% water cycles every other day and the next day its cloudy.
 
The current chemicals we are using in the tank are the following :::
 
                     1 )   AquaSafe Plus        ( adding it  a lot since we are doing water changes every other day )
                     2 )   Ammonia Remover  ( Petco Brand - Generic )
                     3 )  Water Clarity  by  Aqueon
 
I think it might be related to using the Water Clarity, instead of it making the tank clear it seems to be making it cloudy its not a colored cloudiness but rather just a general white cloudiness. I really am hoping we can get the tank clear since I want to get into the hobby and all these water changes and it still being cloudy is ruining the experience for the fiance.
 
 
Thank you guys so much ! 
 

 

 

[the_lock_man]

How long has the tank been set up?
 
And is that a Bala Shark, and a Red Tail Black Shark?

 

[Zikofski]

that looks like a bacteria bloom to me may get stronger in colour and that looks like a rainbow shark and grow to 12cm in length, the other not sure but looks similar to a bala shark they grow to over a foot long but I'm not policing that, back to your cloudy water, if u try doing a 100% water change and you still have cloudy water after than then its a bacteria bloom perfectly normal in a new setup just watch your water stats and it will fade over a few days to weeks, just let it take its tole. good luck and just a little polite note try doing some research on those fish u have and double check they won't out grow the tank you may find smaller fish will be more happier in your tank i have a 23gal and i won't put those fish in my tank just saying good luck and i hope the cloudiness goes away soon for you

 

[elmo666]

If the tank is recently set up I would suggest you don't have a fully mature filter to deal with the ammonia that builds up initially. Even with ammonia remover, this isn't instant, so different bacteria are able to take advantage of the environment, what you are seeing could well be waterborne bacteria, hence the cloudiness. All too often fish are introduced to a new set up long been its ready. Did you do a fishless cycle, dosing the tank with ammonia? If not, you may be causing undue stress to the fish, especially with such large changes which could be loading the tank with nitrates, silicates, phosphates and all manner of undesirables. If this is the case, high phosphates and silicates, it could be an algae bloom compounding the problem.
It isn't sufficient to use ammonia remover and assume safe levels, apart from the fact that you need ammonia initially to get your filter mature, you have no way of knowing when the tank is ready. You need at least an ammonia test and nitrite test doing, either by yourself or at your local fish shop.

 

[PrairieSunflower]

I am assuming this is a new tank and therefore a bacteria bloom as described.
 
On a separate note.  I did once use Interpet Filter Aid and it did that to my tank water... took about 3 days to get rid of the cloudiness... BUT, this was a mature tank with normal water stats.  Yours is sounding like a new tank that might have high ammonia readings.

 

[fm1978]

Sounds like this is a fish-in cycle and it will indeed be a bacterial bloom, very common, if not nigh on guaranteed with a new tank.
 
It's also not going to go away very quickly (in my experience). A fish in cycle will take way longer than fishless and you have far less control over things. As you continue to change the water you're removing Ammonia build up, but you're also getting rid of some of that good bacteria that you really want to keep. It'll settle eventually but it will take some time before the bacteria that you need finds it home in the filter rather just clouding your tank.
 
If those little fishes in there are what I think they are, as mentioned above, I'd take it as a very good and recommended opportunity to take them back to your LFS, do a fishless cycle and then have some time to do some research into better suited tank inhabitants. Good Luck!

 

[sawickib]

I agree with the above stated, it seems to be a bacteria bloom and the tank isnt fully cycled. You should give this a read for a fishless cycle >>> http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/421488-cycling-your-new-fresh-water-tank-read-this-first/
 
Also you should rehome the bala shark it gets very large and needs a 10ft aquarium with other balas to school with. 
 
The red tail shark requires a 4ft tank as they get very aggressive and territorial when the age, and they need the space.
 
So i would rehome all your fishes if you have any others in there and perform a fishless cycled so you can have happy fish afterwards

 

[Zikofski]

please please can people stop calling that a red tail shark, RTS Only the Caudal fin is red the rest are black where as a rainbow shark all or most fins are red/orange please stop calling rainbows red tails aaah okau rant over but i agree with all the cycling
info above

 

[fm1978]

please please can people stop calling that a red tail shark, RTS Only the Caudal fin is red the rest are black where as a rainbow shark all or most fins are red/orange

please stop calling rainbows red tails aaah okau rant over but i agree with all the cycling
info above

 
Hehe, I'm glad you got that off your chest! I didn't even notice that, so good spot. It's going to get way too big for a 10gal tank, whatever it is!

 

[sawickib]

Woops sorry didnt even look hard enough to realize that sorry def a rainbow shark

 

[KevJ87]

Hello guys, thanks for all the advice just to note a few things to relieve some of the points.
 
It is not a red tail but indeed a rainbow shark, the bala shark is being re-homed into a 165 gallon custom tank, it was only put into this aquarium to speed up a fish-in cycle since I am very inexperienced at a fish less cycle I am always afraid to try it.
 
The strange thing is the rainbow and bala shark are hanging out.... sharing a housing structure and swimming together (when the rainbow does decide to swim)
 
 
Thanks for the info on the bacteria bloom, so best advice is to just leave it alone and try monitoring the ammonia to nitrates-nitrite changes ?
 
 
** This tank is actually home to 5 guppies and thats it, the bala and rainbow is a temp thing while the custom tank is installed in my (man cave) **

 

[sawickib]

The 165 gallon is to small for the bala shark as well im afraid. They require a 10xx3x3ft at the least for full grown ones with a proper  school of 6+. This would be why your two sharks are hanging out it makes the bala feel more secure. 
 
Cycling a tank with fish just because your to scared to try it the proper way is highly in-humane and i dont support willingly doing this to fish at all, it can cause very harsh stress on fish and stunt them for their entire life.
 
I would suggest rehoming all the fish and do this the proper way, its absurd you would rather cycle with fish rather than without.

 

[sawickib]

I just realized by a friend my advice on the bala sharks was a little wrong more based on opinion of the best home for full grown balas, but a min. home would be a 8x2x2ft, with still a school of 6+, sorry about that.

 

[ShinySideUp]

 
Cycling a tank with fish just because you're too scared to try it the proper way is highly in-humane and i dont support willingly doing this to fish at all, it can cause very harsh stress on fish and stunt them for their entire life.
 
I would suggest rehoming all the fish and do this the proper way, its absurd you would rather cycle with fish rather than without.

 
I have to agree. Why be afraid of fishless cycling? You can do no harm, there is nothing to kill! Plus if you follow advice on this forum it's dead easy. I have done fishless cycling with new tanks for years and it's very satisfying to know that you have created a whole colony of useful bacteria and then, without any further ado (after a big water change) fully stocking the tank all at once with no deaths, no disease, no stress.

 

[PrairieSunflower]

Or making a big effort to secure mature media for your filter so you can have proper bacteria right away and hopefully enough to support your fish... which of course still requires water testing to make sure it worked.