my tank water is all horrible!!!

fiona

i did a water change on wednesday and after that the water has had loads of tiny bits floating a round. :o
i thought it would settle but here we are on staurday and its still like it.
i did another change this morning thinking this would help but its just as bad as it was.
havent changed anything in the way that i do my water changes, remove around 30%, clean the filter and replace with treated water.
it used to be so clear now it just looks horrible......
i dont know what to do, any thoughts please?????? :(

Lupin

Hi Fiona,

How did you clean your filter? Did you use tapwater or tankwater?

Don't use tapwater as it may contain chlorine and other heavy metals which will kill your beneficial bacteria thus forcing you to go back to cycling your tank again.

What are your water stats?

Lupin

Thread moved to proper section.:D

fiona

i clean the filter in the water i have taken out of the tank.
the filter is quite new, only been in there for bout 3 weeks so it cant be that, i dont think!!

Lupin

Your tank did not cycle I assume.
You have to cycle your tank.
Pls click here for fishless cycling article.

fiona

thats the first iv hear bout cycling the water, what does it do?
i read the link but (im a bit slow) dont get what it means but not having ANY fish in the tank, what an i ment to do with them???
sorry to sound so thick!!

Lupin

I didn't know you still haven't heard of "cycling".
In fishless cycling, you buy pure ammonia from a store or obtain it from a chemist. Make sure the ammonia you buy doesn't have scents like perfumes.
You add 5 ppm of ammonia in your tank(without fish). Make sure you have a test kit when doing that.
Hope you understand the rest of the steps.:D We're still open to your questions if you have more to ask.:)

fiona

i think i get it now....
how would i go about this thou as iv got a fully stocked tank now???

fiona

also i got some treatment from my local fish guy. he said the bits in the water are so small that they go straight throught the filter.
the treatment iv got sort of acts like a glue and makes it all stick in the filter.
i used it yesterday and the fish looked like they were swiming in fog!!!
but this morning it was still just as bad, so iv gone from round 2, i'll keep you all informed of what happens!!!
o yeah the treatment is called clarity, has anyone used/hear of it???

willow

hi Fiona
i suspended a stocking leg,filled with filter floss, near to the out-put of the filter,and it caught a lot of the small bits that were floating around.
it didn't look very good,and i got some strange comments,but if it works.
i have also used a treatment like that befor,however mine
did actually work,it looked foggy in the tank,but it did clear.
also i see you didn't cycle your tank first,so to help your fish now,
check your water for Amonia,NitRates and NitrItes.with a test kit.
don't rely on the fish shop,as they will tell you anything sometimes,just to get you to buy fish.
keep up your water changes,but leave your filter alone now!!!
as the bacteria need to grow. :)
check for redness around the gills of the fish,and if they are gasping at the surface of the tank,this will give you some indecation as well that all is not ok.
sorry to waffle on,hope to have helped a little.
:)