water gets cloudy fast

outpost

I've been cycling my tank for 16 days now. I have 3 fish. I did a 50% water change this morning and my water was still a bit cloudy but for the most part clear. About 6 hours later I come home and the cloudiness has doubled since this morning. I have 4 live plants in there right now. Is cloudy water normal during a cycle. I'm pretty sure that it's not ammonia because I'm feeding them one small flake a day.

rsn48

Your tank is still cycling, your fish still eliminate waste even though you aren't feeding them much. If you don't have a testing kit, take your water in to your local fish store and asked them to test it - they should do if for free.

outpost

once my tank is done cycling will the cloudiness go away?

iamntbatman

It should. If it gets really cloudy you can do a water change to dilute the bacteria.

1077

Agree with above, Is all kinds of things that go on in the aquarium while cycling. Bacteria blooms,diatoms, and alage blooms that especially like water with ammonia present ,all appear frequently in maturing (cycling) tanks ,and all will go away once the tank has settled (month or two). Is plenty of time to clean the glass and remove diatoms or algae that may remain after the tank has cycled.
Water changes to keep toxins from killing fish are all that is really needed until the tank matures. Is good that you are feeding sparingly.
Patience is hard to achieve but is all that is needed. I would resist the urge to use any products other than dechlorinator at this time in an effort to produce clear water or remove algae. Just let the tank do what it does, but keep up with testing to ensure ammonia and nitrites remain near zero certainly no higher than .025 on your test kit.

outpost

Thanks for the help. I will be patient and do my water changes and get my water tested. :)