Kelly Posted September 25, 2020 Share Posted September 25, 2020 Hi from Phoenix AZ. I am a Senior citizen and have just bought my first 20 gal tank. My goal is a Beta, 6 schooling fish, maybe a cory and a non producing snail. It will all be about the Betta. I have done hours of research with aquarium co op. I set up tank added a seachem35 filter and decorations. Added Seachem Prime and Stability and tested water. Water was OK considering I haven't added fish yet. It ran crystal clear for 2 weeks. I added a sponge and some filter floss to filter as advised. That's it! A few days later I had a very cloudy, milkey tank. I have tried everything from a 50% water change to adding Accuclear and it has helped. But i can't seem to get back to the crystal clear water i had. I am so frustrated, how can I have a bloom when I haven't even added fish yet? Please help this newby!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RovingGinger Posted September 25, 2020 Share Posted September 25, 2020 My first suggestion is to leave it completely alone for a few days. No changes, no new chemicals, just leave your filter running as is. This can be a natural part of cycling, if it is a bacterial bloom it'll go away on its own if you just let the bacteria do its thing and multiply and your tank will be better off. If it does not go away in a few days then we know it's not that, which is at least helpful in diagnosis. Someone with more experience may have more insight into causes. Your tank is very pretty and I like your stock list, but I would avoid having just one cory as they like their little groups (and they are so cute together, you'll want more than one)! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelly Posted September 25, 2020 Author Share Posted September 25, 2020 Thank you so much for your reply. It has been 8 days since I have had this bloom at which I have done nothing. So I am stumped. I like your comment on the Cories. I was concerned they may nip my Betta. True?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RovingGinger Posted September 25, 2020 Share Posted September 25, 2020 15 minutes ago, Kelly said: Thank you so much for your reply. It has been 8 days since I have had this bloom at which I have done nothing. So I am stumped. I like your comment on the Cories. I was concerned they may nip my Betta. True?? Doubtful on the nipping, corys are mostly clumsy little innocent things from what I have experienced. There are other reasons your tank could be cloudy but you would need to look closely at the water. This video goes through some of that. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aubrey Posted September 25, 2020 Share Posted September 25, 2020 I would recommend some pygmy corydoras. They will school mid-water so you will get the schooling action you are looking for. Also, in my opinion they are the cutest little wiggly fish. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelly Posted September 25, 2020 Author Share Posted September 25, 2020 Just now, RovingGinger said: Doubtful on the nipping, corys are mostly clumsy little innocent things from what I have experienced. There are other reasons your tank could be cloudy but you would need to look closely at the water. This video goes through some of that. Thank you so much for your interest. I will take your advise on the cories. About my cloudy water, I looked at the vidio you sent and he commented on maybe overheating could cause bloom. I haven't added a heater yet. I am in Arizona so the temp of the water is always around 81.5. I just wonder if that is affecting my water. I guess I will just leave it alone for now. Again thanks for your interest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelly Posted September 25, 2020 Author Share Posted September 25, 2020 Just now, Aubrey said: I would recommend some pygmy corydoras. They will school mid-water so you will get the schooling action you are looking for. Also, in my opinion they are the cutest little wiggly fish. thank you, sounds good and I will check into it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelly Posted September 25, 2020 Author Share Posted September 25, 2020 thank you, I will seriously consider them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandy Posted September 25, 2020 Share Posted September 25, 2020 You can test...what is your ammonia/nitrite now? Here is what I think might be happening: You added Stability, which is a bacterial culture. You want it to bloom and do its thing, and your room temps are almost the same as an incubator. You are in Phoenix, I took a quick look and you don't have any obvious sources of ammonia in the water, but that hunk of wood looks real, not ceramic, so you might have some organic matter in there for the bacteria to grab at least. You also have lights on the tank, and if you leave warm water standing around long enough something (algae, bacteria, even mosquitos, lol) will usually find it. I don't think you have a problem, I think you have a cycle starting. Last test: reach into the tank. Do the sides and decorations feel slimy? If so, congratulations! The stability is working and you are well on your way to a cycled tank. That clarity will come back, mostly, with time, as the bacteria settle out of the water column and attach to surfaces. You may also want to clean the glass, it could be the glass is a bit cloudy. But truly truly crystal clear water is dead water. We put chlorine in it to make it look like that. You will need to lower your expectations a tiny bit. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ccurtis Posted September 26, 2020 Share Posted September 26, 2020 Brandy has great advice. Try cleaning the glass off and wait. Be patient. Sometimes cycling takes more time. I agree with Brandy, sounds like your tank is working through it's cycle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelly Posted September 26, 2020 Author Share Posted September 26, 2020 I think you're right on all counts. The wood decor in the middle is ceramic, so not much in the tank that is going to grab bacteria. Test results are PH 7.5, hi range 8., ammonia 0, nitrate 2 is .25, and nitrate 3 is 0. Things in my tank are just slightly slimey. (No bacteria billed up) I'm thinking the only problem I really have is temperature. I'm not sure if there is anything I can do about that. It is at 80.6 today. Yesterday it was 81.5. I put a sealed bag of ice in the tank and it came down to 79.6. But i don't want to do that when I have fish. New plan...lower expectations as you suggested, leave it alone and let it cycle. Go forward with adding a few inexpensive schooling fish so bacteria can form faster. Would you agree or should I wait on the fish and add more Stability? I so appreciate the time you both spent helping me out. I am impressed with this forum. Thanks so much! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpongeFilter Posted September 26, 2020 Share Posted September 26, 2020 I'm pretty new, too, and I had exactly the same thing happen to me. My new tank got really cloudy and stayed that way for probably more than a week. A Petco employee told me to wait it out. One day, the water was crystal clear. It just turned clear overnight. It was like magic. 3 months later, it's still crystal clear. It's actually more clear than my tap water some how. Really beautiful. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelly Posted September 26, 2020 Author Share Posted September 26, 2020 Thank you for your encouragement. I was about to quit before I got started. New plan.....lower expectations, be patient and wait. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ccurtis Posted September 27, 2020 Share Posted September 27, 2020 Wait it out. Sprinkle a tiny bit of fish food in the tank without the fish. As it starts to decay, the ammonia/nitrite will spike. This will cause the beneficial bacteria to multiply and do its thing and ultimately assist with completing the nitrogen cycle. Look for your ammonia to be at 0ppm and you nitrite to be 0ppm. Nitrate should register a little as it is a by product of the nitrogen cycle. Once you see this occur start adding fish. Just be sure to only add a few at a time as you don't want to add to many and cause more waste then the beneficial bacteria can handle. As you slowly add more fish over time, the beneficial bacteria will continue to multiply to deal with the increase bio-load. In regards to temperature, do stress on that to much. There are a lot of species out there that can tolerate temps around 80 degrees and do very well. A lot of people keeping tropical aquariums keep there tanks between 78-82. Part of the fun is the biology knowledge you get to learn! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelly Posted September 27, 2020 Author Share Posted September 27, 2020 Thank you so much for your input. I found it very beneficial and will follow thru with your advice. I especially appreciate your comment on the water temp. I have been working and worrying with this tank for over a month and thru this Forum I'm learning that things don't have to be perfect to keep fish. I need to relax and enjoy. Thanks again 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Levi_Aquatics Posted September 27, 2020 Share Posted September 27, 2020 I would highly suggest a group of 6 or more panda Corydoras. I love the ones I have. They clean up the substrate and look amazing while doing it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelly Posted September 27, 2020 Author Share Posted September 27, 2020 They are definitely on my list. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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