Hello,

On October 29, 2011 I installed a 37 gallon Aqueon Bow-front tank in my home. It is located out of direct sunlight. I did all the recommended washing of substrate, equipment, and decorations and let it sit for four days with the filter running to give it a bit of time to break in. I thought I should wait longer but the pet store owner said he usually only waits a few days but doesn't add a lot of fish at first.

I added a small amount of fish food to help with bacterial formation and this caused an initial bloom as expected which subsided over time. I have sporadically added Biozyme (enough to treat 40 gal) to the tank since.

I started by adding 3 Molly fish on November 2 and a few days later a small bacterial bloom occurred then it dissipated a couple days after.

I added 3 Platys and a small Algae Eater on November 15.

I went on vacation for a week coming back December 04. Before I left I instructed my house sitter on how to care for the tank and showed him how to feed. He understood to not use a lot of food. I noted before I left the tank was getting a bit cloudy. The day after I left he sent me a photo of the tank asking what he should do. I couldn't believe it, the tank was so cloudy you couldn't see 1" into it! I told him to test the water, which he said came back normal, and then told him to call the pet store. They said it was probably bacterial bloom. I told him to actually take the picture there and show them which he did and they maintained it was bacterial bloom.


Here is the photo



When I returned I performed a 12 gallon (33%) water change and changed the filter element which appeared clogged. I noted that there was a lot of uneaten food on the outlet of the filter so I suspect the filter was clogged and then excess food poured over the bypass and got stuck on the edges.

I've been trying to get the tank to clear up for the past five days with improvements only occurring when a water change was performed. I can't keep doing water changes, I'm worried more harm than good will be done. I think vacuuming the substrate really well could help but, again, don't want to remove any more water.

I also tested the water today and the results are as follows:

Ammonia = 0.5 (Higher than baseline)
Nitrate = 0
Nitrite = 0.5 (Higher than baseline)
Hardness = 150
Chlorine = 0
Alkalinity = 120 (Higher than baseline)
PH = ~7.2

Any advice?


Other info:

I'm using Tetra Test Strips to test the water. My baseline tap water (tap water prior to being put in the aquarium) reads as follows:

Ammonia = 0
Nitrate = 0
Nitrite = 0
Hardness = 150
Chlorine = 0
Alkalinity = 40
PH = ~7.2

Tank: 37 Gallon Aqueon Bow-Front
Filter: Aqueon Whisper Quiet
Water Temp: 78 Degrees F
Inches of Fish: 12

__________________
37 Gallon Aqueon Bow Front Tank
Tropical Freshwater

Fish in Tank
2 Mollies
1 Platy


Fish in the Ground
3 Mollys
2 Platys
1 Algae Eater

It's normal as your tank cycles to get periods of cloudiness. Stop feeding until it clears up. While it is cycling, I would not do water changes unless my ammonia or nitrites were above 1ppm. Once the cycle has completed, perform weekly water changes.

Testing of a tank is not sufficient with strips during the cycling phase. Once it has gone all the way through the nitrogen cycle, there may be some usefulness, but other than that I wouldn't use them. An API liquid test, and a master kit will cover all you need, would be recommended.

Stop adding fish until all phases of the nitrogen cycle have completed.

What is a "mater kit" ??

Also, I couldn't vaccuum the tank when I did the water change before (I couldn't see what I was doing!), will vacuuming help or is that just going to cause more harm?

__________________
37 Gallon Aqueon Bow Front Tank
Tropical Freshwater

Fish in Tank
2 Mollies
1 Platy


Fish in the Ground
3 Mollys
2 Platys
1 Algae Eater

he means master kit, the API master kit

__________________
55 gallon FW community
20 gallon Goldfish
10 gallon firebelly toad

Ah I see. Are these readily available at any pet store?

__________________
37 Gallon Aqueon Bow Front Tank
Tropical Freshwater

Fish in Tank
2 Mollies
1 Platy


Fish in the Ground
3 Mollys
2 Platys
1 Algae Eater

Yes, or if you don't like their prices, Walmart online can get one to you in about 4-5 days for about $25.

I would kill the lights and stop adding food until the water clears.

__________________
fw leiden since 1979, fo salt since 1979, mixed reef 55g 2002-2009. Strong emphasis on the tank taking care of itself. Balanced with plant life, no water changes, tap water, no filters in FW. Only dosing calcium, alk, mag in marine reef tanks. http://www.aquariumforum.com/f15/my-...ods-26410.html
recent tanks (till 2009) 7 years- 10g FW leiden 7 yrs, 55g mixed reef 7, 2 yrs, 20g FW leiden, 10 g fw leiden , 29g mixed reef, current tank 55g leiden

Water finally cleared up and looks beautiful.

__________________
37 Gallon Aqueon Bow Front Tank
Tropical Freshwater

Fish in Tank
2 Mollies
1 Platy


Fish in the Ground
3 Mollys
2 Platys
1 Algae Eater