Fish Tank Problem
October 15, 2009Kaycee from San Jose sent me this email:
'Kegan, I have a 10 gallon tank that I just set up. I've only had it running for 3 days and already its super cloudy! I put only four fish in the tank the day I got it, and I made sure to add water conditioner in it, but it's still all white and cloudy, how do i fix it?'
This is a common problem with first time fish owners. The white cloud is an ammonia spike. When you first set up a tank, even a small one, you need to let the water cycle before you add fish. This means setting up the whole tank, adding your water and letting it just run, without any fish, for at least 24 hrs, and up to a week depending on the size of the tank. I recommend waiting 2 days for something like a 10 gallon, and 4 days for anything larger. When you get up to a 50 gal size, let it run for a week before you add fish.
Cycling your tank enables the benificial bacteria to grow before there are any fish in the tank. Bennificial bacteria eat the ammonia and other toxins the fish let off, leaving you with a happy healthy tank.
The best way to deal with kaycee's resulting ammonia spike is simply to let the tank run its course. if you have another tank that's already established, i suggest moving the fish into that tank, until your 10 gallon has has a chance to settle, if not, all you can do is wait. in bout 3 days (could take a couple more) the white cloud should fade.
Don't forget to keep up with your water changes and gravel vac-ing! a 10% water change, every other week should keep your tank clean and your fish happy and healthy!
Posted by Kegan Marschke
