Cloudy Water Issue..

"Mister Gardener" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 20 Apr 2006 22:16:08 GMT, "MEAlston"
wrote:

Yeah....I unplug the filter while I feed the betta pair. After 5
minutes, I
turn it back on and you can witness the filter just spew this cloud of
whatever as the filtered water spills into the tank. I did a water
change
today ('round 6 gallons) I've done this twice this week now. I here to
leave it alone...and then I hear to change about 10 gallons weekly.
I've
been teatering on the edge now since the setup.

OK. Let's start at the beginning. Unplugging your filter while you
feed your fish is not a good idea.

I don't think it's a bad idea to turn off the filter while feeding. It
may keep uneaten food out of the filter. Just don't forget to turn them
on again ;~). I have a timer on one (after a few minutes, 10 to 30
adjustable) the filter turns on. If you might forget, then you should
not turn it off. Also turning them off for more than 10 minutes can
start getting dicey (all those poor bacteria screaming for oxygen ;~).
--
www.NetMax.tk


-- Mister Gardener

Everything Aquaria & Tropical Fish at The Krib:
http://www.thekrib.com/

On Thu, 20 Apr 2006 22:16:08 GMT, "MEAlston"
wrote:

Yeah....I unplug the filter while I feed the betta pair. After 5 minutes, I
turn it back on and you can witness the filter just spew this cloud of
whatever as the filtered water spills into the tank. I did a water change
today ('round 6 gallons) I've done this twice this week now. I here to
leave it alone...and then I hear to change about 10 gallons weekly. I've
been teatering on the edge now since the setup.

I just fine tuned the directions to The Krib so the address now points
directly to the beginner (and other) FAQ.

-- Mister Gardener

Everything Aquaria & Tropical Fish at The Krib:
http://faq.thekrib.com/

On Thu, 20 Apr 2006 17:18:28 -0400, Larry wrote:

On Thu, 20 Apr 2006 01:24:51 GMT, "MEAlston"
wrote:

I've had the tank setup for 16 days now. The only inhatitants are a male
and female betta. This pm (when I turned on the hood lamps) I noticed the
water was very cloudy. I have 4 plastic water lillies, a plastic am.sword
and a bunch of silk phillidendrum, 60# of pea gravel and a driftwood (real)
about 26 inches long. I'm cautious on over-feeding. The tank was setup
using Hagen's Cycle.

Is it possible the silk plants are bleeding off anything? I'm stumped
here....Any thoughts? Better still any solutions? I don't have the vortex
diatom unit ordered yet. Thanks for your attention....ED


It will go away once your filters have caught up with the cycling
process. I stupidly changed a filter ina 10 and 6g tank without using
the old part. Went cloudy for about 10 days. Then presto!!

LArry

At 16 days with only two small fish I would be thinking more about
bacteria bloom than silk plants. Where are you at in your cycling?
Like what are your ammonia/nitrate/nitrate readings?

-- Mister Gardener

Everything Aquaria & Tropical Fish at The Krib:
http://www.thekrib.com/

I don't have a test kit yet...and probably won't 'till next month ordering
it online. I have a 55 gal with the power filter (30/60). Money is way way
tight these days. We're beyond squeaking. I've performed 4 water changes
since the tank was first setup with 6 gallons each change. I know of a good
charity where anyone can donate test kits and cannister filters....;o

On Thu, 20 Apr 2006 22:48:03 GMT, "MEAlston"
wrote:

I don't have a test kit yet...and probably won't 'till next month ordering
it online. I have a 55 gal with the power filter (30/60). Money is way way
tight these days. We're beyond squeaking. I've performed 4 water changes
since the tank was first setup with 6 gallons each change. I know of a good
charity where anyone can donate test kits and cannister filters....;o

I'm going to step aside and let one of our resident pros explain how
to cycle without a test kit. Just wait a few, someone will be along
shortly. Meanwhile, feed your fish very lightly and don't turn your
filter off.

-- Mister Gardener

Everything Aquaria & Tropical Fish at The Krib:
http://faq.thekrib.com/

Mister Gardener wrote:
On Thu, 20 Apr 2006 22:48:03 GMT, "MEAlston"
wrote:

I don't have a test kit yet...and probably won't 'till next month ordering
it online. I have a 55 gal with the power filter (30/60). Money is way way
tight these days. We're beyond squeaking. I've performed 4 water changes
since the tank was first setup with 6 gallons each change. I know of a good
charity where anyone can donate test kits and cannister filters....;o

I'm going to step aside and let one of our resident pros explain how
to cycle without a test kit. Just wait a few, someone will be along
shortly. Meanwhile, feed your fish very lightly and don't turn your
filter off.

Tanks with about one small fish per 5 gallons usually take about six
weeks to fully cycle. Two bettas in 55 gallons will take somewhat
longer, but the cycle will be very mild for them. It's a good way to
cycle a tank.

Ignore the cloudy water - it's completely normal in new tanks and comes
from minerals and nutrients in your tap water. The more water you
change, the longer it will stay cloudy. It will also go yellowish from
the driftwood. Activated carbon will clear out the yellow color.

Most folks come to this newsgroup with four platies and five neons in a
10 gallon tank and we tell them to change water like crazy. Bacteria
can't grow fast enough to keep up with the fish. You're in a very
different situation with two bettas in 55 gallons. If you keep changing
water, you're never going to build up enough ammonia and nitrite to grow
bacteria.

So...stop changing water and watch your fish. Bettas are very sturdy
little fish. If they start darting around for no reason and their gills
go purplish, it's ammonia poisoning and you need to change about 1/3 of
the water and watch them for the next few days. If they're suddenly
lethargic in a few weeks and hang at the bottom of the tank, it's
nitrite. Change some water and add 1 tsp salt/5 gallons of water. I
really doubt you'll see any toxicity.

Once you buy test kits, you can follow things more closely and decide
when to add your cories. You might also want to consider some live
low-light plants like java fern and java moss. They really help to
improve the water quality.

Anyway, relax. You've got only two bettas in a very big tank and they're
going to be just fine. :-)

--
Put the word aquaria in the subject to email me.
Did you read the FAQ? http://faq.thekrib.com

Roger That!