Fish tank and cloudy water advice please

[ByKinda]

Sorry I am posting for traffic

I know nothing about fish

made a spontaneous decision to have some tropical fish. Went to shop, bought tank, filter, heater and chemicals.

Followed all instructions- washed gravel, plastic plants and other bits, filled tank with clean water, turned on heater and added the chemicals as advised by person in shop.

was told to wait a week until I get fish to put in the tank

my lovely tank is all cloudy and looks horrid. It’s day 4.

why is this happening? Can someone please advise? I can’t wait to buy some guppies and a plecostomus but am afraid they will die if water is not clear

Are you running your water filter?

Yes everything is switched on

what chemicals did you add?

I don't know that much but have had a tank for many years up until the last year.
My advice is to persevere and i think you will find that the water clears over the next few days ,as long as you have a decent filter /pump and correct chemicals .
Do a ph strip test before even considering adding fish .

I think it's normal when you're first setting up. You just need to be patient and wait for it to settle.

To save yourself a lot of heartache, and dead fish,do some research on the fish types you want and their requirements

You also want to let the tank run (cycle) for at least 3 weeks with tiny bits of food dropped in every few days to build up the good bacteria needed in the filter.

And lastly, add the fish SLOWLY. I'm talking a couple at a time otherwise the filter won't be able to cope and they'll die

It needs to cycle and I have to say can be tricky. The bigger the tank the harder it is

Did you use any bacteria booster? It can go cloudy for a while and then when good is crystal clear

Can be good to add some plants at first too.

Do you have a test kit to test for nitrate, nitrite levels? If not, please buy one.
i assume it’s Freshwater Tropical fish you are planning to have?

I think the bacteria is colonising at the moment these are the ones that will do the work to clear waste when the fish are in the tank.
The last tank i set up which was a bi orb i let it run for weeks before i put the fish in, even when the water had cleared.

Your tank needs to cycle. Basically, when you put fish in it, because they live in their toilet, they produce ammonia and this has to break down into harmless chemicals quickly or they will all die. In order for this to happen, your tank has to develop beneficial bacteria that break down the ammonia. Building up the bacteria is called cycling your tank. If you put fish in before it’s fully cycled, you will get a massive ammonia spike and they’ll die. The cloudy water you’re seeing is because the tank hasn’t cycled. It won’t be ready in a week - this is the kind of thing shops which are not fish experts tell you. It can take a few weeks. In order to cycle it, add a few flakes of fish food now which will stimulate the bacteria to form. Get yourself a water testing kit (the ones with droppers and chemicals are more effective than dip strips) and read up on cycling a tank and what healthy parameters are.

When it’s ready for fish, start very slowly. What size is your tank? Plecs generally grow too big for a “starter” tank. Guppies are fine, but as livebearers they breed very enthusiastically so unless you only buy males you will be over stocked very quickly unless there’s something else in there that will eat the fry.

Yes to some good bits dropped in.

One pet shop once told me adding a dead prawn was his favourite way to cycle a tank.

I havent tried it personally!

*food bits

API stress zyme has worked really well here

If you have a Maidenhead Aquatics near you they will test the water for you if you bring some in, and tell you when it's safe for fish (I'm sure other reputable fish places exist that's just the one I know). DSs tank took about 3 weeks to be ready so I'd doubt how reputable the shop you went to is, sorry.

If it's cloudy before you add fish, I would be suspicious that something in the tank is leeching colour pigments. I know you said you washed the gravel but it can continue to dissolve particles.

I would be tempted to do a 50% water change every day and don't scrimp on the water conditioner or you'll kill any ammonia eating bacteria that has built up in the filter.

Oh and a tip for guppies - buy 1 single female, they are always pregnant so within 4 weeks you'll have a tank full of babies if you have some plants for hiding places.

It takes around 6 weeks to properly cycle a tank ready for fish.

You need to buy a testing kit so you can test your water every day.

The best advice I've found is on Facebook groups for tropical fish.

Plainly, a setting up a tank is a pain in the arse but worth it, not least for the fish.

Also, I'd be looking at a 60l tank at an absolute minimum for guppies and a pleco.