Need Guidance

[Caresteph]

Hello everyone! I have a 20 gallon fw tank that I started up new in December. I've slowly added fish to my tank and currently I have (between what I've bought) and what my husband has given me: 4 cardinal tetras, 4 rummy noses, 1 sunset gourami, 1 powder blue gourami, 1 golden molly, 1 Mickey Mouse Platy, 3 male guppies, and 1 golden algae eater.

I have been very faithful checking the quality of their water (ammonia, nitrates, nitrites, ph, etc) and have made adjustments as needed. I also do 25% water change every 2 weeks and have made 2 50% water changes - this last one I made on 2/24. I've also vacummed the gravel, which ends up leaving the water kinda murky.

I have a pouch in the bottom of my tank to absorb ammonia and I also have a small phosphate absorber in my tank - per the recommendation of my local pet store (not commercial like PetSmart or Walmart - family owned).

Yesterday my tank was crystal clear and all the water tests were within acceptable ranges and this morning I woke up to find my tank cloudy - like diluted skim milk. I check the water and all was ok. Why would this happen?

Also, this past Sunday both my husband and I noticed 3 little babies - we have no clue who the parents are, but now we can't find them. Could they have been eaten by the bigger fish?

I know I must sound pretty dumb, but I'm enjoying my tank so much and only looking to do what's best 'cause I really care about them. So if you experts in the field could give me some much-needed guidance, I sure would appreciate your input/comments.

 

[Helena21]

Hey there, welcome to the tank

the cloudyness could be a bacterial bloom which is perfectly harmless and common to new tanks...either that or the 'pouch' thing or the phosphate remover - i do not know what these things are but im pretty certain there not needed.
The babies probably came from your molly or platy, and yes they most probably got eaten by the other fishes..but dont worry there will most probably be more on the way!

Good luck

 

[Caresteph]

Thank you for your quick response. Any idea how long a bloom like this can last? Should I do a water change?

 

[Helena21]

they last about 3 days or so, dont do a waterchange it can make it worse (i think)

 

[homebunnyj]

Sounds like you're doing alright. Leave the milky water alone, but you might want to remove those packets just in case. Why was a phosphate absorber recommended to you-- is there a phosphate problem with your local water supply? As for the ammonia one, once your tank's bacteria population is well established the ammonia should never be a problem; I'm sure it was just to help your fish survive the first few weeks. I've had the bacteria bloom last as long as a week; don't sweat it. When you look at the milky water, smile-- it means you're doing something right.

If you vacuum your gravel once a week, you shouldn't have much gunk in the bottom to cloud your water at all. If you haven't been doing it regularly, it may take a few vacuumings to get it all cleaned up. If you still have a problem with murkiness at vacuuming time when you have it on a regular schedule, you could be overfeeding.

Bump up your water change schedule to once a week; you can vacuum at that time. This will keep your water quality in check much better than every other week.

Are you changing out your filter media? If so, don't. A lot of your bacteria live there. Just swish it out in used tank water on water change day if it's all gunked up. Do NOT rinse it in tap water, or any chlorinated water. This is important, and contrary to what the fish store people tell us, since they want to sell us stuff.

What do you consider 'acceptable ranges' on your water tests? Always post up the numbers for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate when having any kind of problem. It really helps us pinpoint the cause of a lot of different problems. 'Acceptable' can mean different things to different people.

If you run carbon in your filter, change it out every couple of weeks. You don't need it, however, except after you've had to medicate the tank, to filter out the meds at the end of the treatment.

 

[Grumpy_Marine]

care... the guidance you have been given is very adequate and suffice for your tank. This site is full of friendly peoples willing to help. The white bloom is normal for newly established tanks once it has run its course it will clear up again and be clearer than before at least seemed that way to me. The baby fish you saw could have been platy or if by mistake the store sold you a female guppy it could be them, either way the platy and guppies give live birth and can be as many as 200 per birthing, best to let nature run its course if any survive cool a bonus, but if you want to try and keep all babies i suggest another tank so they can grow, i did it with my guppies when i first started they gave birth back in october and they are still less than half an inch long, so takes while to fully grow. Phosphate should not really harm your fish i think, i know my tank has high phosphates i mean over 20 ppm but my fish are fine so i leave it alone. The biggest concern is ammonia for non planted tanks, keep it in check till cycle is complete once tanks is cycled then watch nitrites (nitrates i always forget which) then keep below your comfort level for w/c schedule. I keep mine below 10-20 ppm but i have planted tank and the plants do alot of the filter for me. Check out the stickies in the FW section and the rest of forums, useful knowledge that will get you really hooked on fish i tell you there is never ending supply of knowledge and ideas floating here so schedule some free time and start reading. Welcome to MFT and hope you have smooth fishing...oops i mean clear tanks...lol


P.S.

Washing filters out you can use tank water or tap water. But if you use tap water your going to need to get product similar to stress coat so you can treat tank and dechlor it. I use tap water to clean my filters and add some stress coat and tank does fine, but i have two HOB filters only clean one filter per 2 weeks.