i read on this website that the water in a new tank can start to become cloudy white wich is whats happening to me but i dont know how to tell weither its the good bacteria or the bad amonia. should i just change out my water to be safe. and now i cant affored water testers right now
How long have you had the tank up and running for? The cloudiness is part of the "new tank syndrome" which consists of both a buildup in ammonia and a bloom of bacteria. What kind of filter did you get?
If you have any of the decorations or rocks from you last setup you could put them in the new tank as they probably have some of the beneficial bacteria already starting to grow on them. They can help to seed the new tank. Otherwise, you can do partial water changes (like 1 or 2 gallons) every day to help keep the ammonia from reaching lethal levels. The tank should finish cycling within 2 to 3 weeks. During this time is when you don't want to really add any fish or snails as the high levels can kill them. But the turtles are able to handle it better at least for the short term.
You can get a product call bio-zyme at the pet store which contains the beneficial bacteria needed to get the filter going quickly. This will greatly reduce the cycle time as well as reduce the ammonia spikes, but it's not necessary.
What kind of stuff do you use in your filter? Do you have any charcoal in there or just the sponges? You need the charcoal to prevent water cloudiness.
Kristin's Pond! Starring:
RES = "Sheba", 21+ yrs. old African Clawed Frog = "Prog", 10 yrs old & "Kristin" as Momma
Posted: Wed Apr 18, 2007 8:00 pm cloudy water
