Think i posted this in the wrong place before (sorry)
I have a new tank and am new to this. set tank up for a week got some fish last weekend but the water seems to be going slighty cloudy why is this ? I have been adding filter solution as it a new filter as it says in the booklet Water temp is correct too Hope somebody can help me

I'm fairly new to it myself however you can buy some accu-clear which is surpose to clear water and improve filter efficiency however as I'm sure the guru's on here will tell you the tank needs to be cycled and prepared before adding fish and various test performed on the water so this may not be the right solution for you ! It's probably best if u describe in detail your setup including what fish you have got tank size and any prep work you have done in order to receive the best advice :)

Sounds like a bacterial bloom,

Did you cycle the tank ?

Have a read of this Artical 51,
http://www.fishkeeping.co.uk/articles ... hless-cycling-article.htm

Ok, we could do with a bit more info please to help:

How big is the tank (litres or UK gallons)? If unsure, post measurements
What are your current readings for pH, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate? (this bit is very important)
When was the tank set up?
Did you fully cycle the tank with liquid ammonia/fish food before adding the fish (this usually takes about 4 weeks before the water is safe)
Filter brand and size?
What is the current stock, give breeds and numbers?
How often do you undertake water changes and how much?
Do you use water conditioner, to get rid of chlorine and chloramines?
Have you added any fish recently?

The more info the better the site can help….

Oh dear here goes the tank is 64 ltrs( fishpod) it came with a power filter,tap safe and filter solution we filled the tank and had it running for a full seven days as the man told me in the shop adding the filter solution every 3 days to mature the filter at 2mm and also the heater.We have 5 tetras 2 clown roach 2 black and white spotted ones and 5 sliver like tetras (they have brown spots)and 6 very small orange ones I don't know there proper names and feeding them twice a day.I dont know what "cycle the tank " means. The fish themselves seems to be very happy swimming around the filter is on all the time think i have answered all the questions you asked oh and the ph level is reading 7.6 Thanks for helping

I am just going to do one of my quick splash and dash answers here. You are overstocked at the moment and one species you have need a tank of minimum size 6 x 2 x 2 and those are clown loaches. See the poster below. They grow to 12" in a tank but 15" in the wild and require at least 6 in a group to be happy. The tank setup needs to be big in every sense.Also see my blog that is the minimum for Clown Loaches.

Click here for my Clown Loach Setup.

Video of my loach tank

Can somebody please deal with all the other problems? Thank you.

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Hi

I'm afraid you've been given some very poor advice. It takes a tank 4-6 weeks to cycle - which means to grow certain types of bacteria that convert fish waster (ammonia) into less toxic compounds. Until this is complete any fish in the tank are swimming in toxins and likely to become ill and die. We usually cycle tanks before getting fish by using household ammonia as a pretend fish to grow the bacteria and make the tank safe. Unfortunately due to the advice you had from the shop, your fish are cycling the tank themselves. This is called a fish-in cycle and there are certain measures you can take to help the fish through this.

You will need test kits for ammonia, nitrite nitrate and pH so you can monitor the water and take action whenever toxins rise. The API Freshwater Master Test Kit is accurate and contains over 800 tests in total. Most of us use this and it's cheaper on eBay than in the shops. Do get liquid tests and not test strips as those are not accurate enough in this case, and often don't include the vital ammonia test.

OK, so you didn't do a Fishless Cycle, or your cycle has failed and your fish are dying. Nothing's breaking down that ammonia and nitrite. What do you do now?

Immediately do a 50% water change with dechlorinated water warmed to match the temperature in the tank and then do a 25% water change every day until your tank is cycling (i.e. ammonia and nitrite are at zero).

Test the water daily for ammonia and nitrite until the values are holding at zero for several days running. If levels are high, do an immediate extra water change.


If at all possible, get some filter media from a mature tank and put it in your filter. Just cram it in along with your own media.. This will introduce a small amount of beneficial bacteria which will rapidly multiply.


Keep good aeration in the tank both to help the fish a little and to oxygenate those beneficial bacteria.


Avoid using medications, if at all possible, until the tank is cycling. Many commonly used medications can kill off beneficial bacteria. Your fish may well be affected by ich, fungus or other infections due to the stress of the ammonia and nitrite in the water, but the immediate priority is to establish the cycle and improve the water quality.


If you can temporarily rehome your fish while you carry out a fishless cycle, that is the very best option - especially for more sensitive species such as Plecos, Corys or other bottom dwellers, Tetras, Rams etc. Try asking the Local Fish Shop to look after them until your tank is cycled (after all, chances are that they got you into this mess in the first place!).


Live plants can use ammonia directly, so add some cheap aquatic plants to the tank, such as Elodea or Giant Vallis.


Don't feed your fish at all if your ammonia readings are high, and only feed bare minimum rations every other day until the tank cycles. This will cut down on the ammonia the fish produce. Since fish are cold blooded creatures and don't need the calories of a mammal they can go for several days without food and the occasional fast is good for them. Your fish may not be very hungry anyway so do be careful not to feed more than the fish can eat and clean up uneaten food immediately, before it rots and produces even more ammonia.


Consider using Söll Bactinettes to add back some beneficial bacteria and restart the cycle. At the time of writing this is the only bacteria-containing product we know from experience to be helpful in these situations. The product may be hard to obtain as it needs to be kept under refrigeration.


Continue to clean the gravel of obvious dirt and uneaten food as normal to prevent additional ammonia forming, but don't aggressively clean or change any filter media. If the flow slows and the filter is blocked, just clean it enough to unblock it, using water from the tank to rinse it.


Buy a bottle of Seachem Prime. This is a dechlorinator which also "locks" free ammonia into a less harmful form and provides some protection for fish from the effects of nitrite. Use a double dose sufficient to treat the whole tank every day in the 25% water change. If you use Prime, buy a Seachem Ammonia Alert so you can see the level of just the toxic ammonia - most tests also react to the "locked" non-toxic form so will not give reliable readings while treating daily with Prime.


Continue this regime of daily testing, daily (or more frequent if needed) water changes, treatment with Prime and reduced feeding until ammonia and nitrite are consistently reading 0. When that happens, congratulations, your tank is cycling and the fish are finally safe.


Beyond that, there are some other issues. Your tank is very overstocked for its size. A tank that size, newly set up should have no more than 13 inches of fish at their potential adult size. Basically just the Tetras add up to more than hat. The Clown Loaches are not suitable for the tank at all and should be returned immediately. These grow to 14 inches long, need to be in a large group of at least six and need at least a six foot long, 500 litre tank. They are very sensitive to poor water quality and may become very ill in an uncycled tank. You should consider rehoming or returning some of the others too as that number of fish will cause problems even when the tank is eventually cycled.

EDIT: Crossed there with OMG, sorry!

Thank you so much for your time and advise