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hey i have a 20 gallon tank with 4 pencil fish in it, in the last 2 days it has become so cloudy that i can barely see the HOB filter when looking through the front of the tank. It looks like someone poured milk in my tank though i know that is not the case. The setup if fairly new maybe a couple of weeks old....anyone know what this is caused by of how to get rid of it? ive tried water cleaning drops and a partial water change but it just got worse...will it go away with time?
thanks a lot for your help.

White cloudy water is a sign that beneficial bacteria are developing in your tank. This will subside with time nce the bacteria has established itself.

Are you familiar with the nitrogen cycle? If not have a read of this article... [link=http://www.fishprofiles.net/faq/begin-cycling.asp]http://www.fishprofiles.net/faq/begin-cycling.asp" style="COLOR: #004040[/link]

Until your tank is established keep an eye on the fish for distress from ammonia or nitrite spikes. If they appear distressed only then should you do a small water change or the cycling process will be delayed unnecessarily.

Testkits for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate will help you alot at this time to see where your tank cycling is up to. If you dont have these kits and they are not an option for you to purchase at the moment then most lfs's will test water for you.

Good luck.

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ah excellent, i thought i remembered this happening when i set up my old 20g. yeah im framilliar with the process i just didnt know it clouded the water like that, thanks for the info and the link

Just give it more time to settle & in a week it will be much more clear.


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Partial water changes will make it last longer but reduce the ammount of stress on the fish @.
If you can add some cycle or biospira to the tank that will help speed it along. Also if you've got another established tank which you can use some of the gravel or filter material that should help as well.
None of my tanks clouded that much while I was cycling, and the cloudy aspect of the cycling tank should pass within a few days...IME anyway .

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