preid

Hi, Im a newbie and have had a tank cycling for 3 weeks now, last week the tank became quite cloudy , so I went and bought some tank clear, which did the trick within 48 hours,but it was left with a fine white film over the gravel... Today I have bought my first fish 6 neon tetras and will wait a week before I get some more.. All my levels are within normal limits ( have a mastertest kit ) What is the white fluff stuff, any one got any hints for me please

Gunnie

Hi Preid! Welcome to FishLore! It's great to have you with us! Usually when tanks become cloudy, it's caused by a bacterial bloom which is a good thing. That is the only time you will "see" the bacteria in the tank. It is actually going through a massive duplication of itself trying to catch up to the amount of ammonia in the tank. Anything that tries to clear up the tank will not help this process and might actually interfere with the bacteria. We do not recommend any of these products for your tank, and I am not trying to lecture you here. I also used them when I was new in the hobby. Any advice given here is usually based on past experience, and we don't want you to make the same mistakes we did.

I don't know what the white fluff is. If you would post your ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate readings, we could better help you with what to do. Your neons are very delicate fish, and do not do well in a tank that is not cycled.

Do you understand the cycling process? This is very important in the hobby, and something that will keep you from killing your fish. If you don't know about cycling, please read this article about it here on FishLore and ask any questions that you don't understand.

http://www.fishlore.com/NitrogenCycle.htm

We are all here to help you have the best experience possible and hope you will get back with us posting your answers to our questions. Pictures of your set up are also nice here at the site. We love pictures!

preid

Hi Gunnie,
Thanks for your comments, much appreciated. I have had my tank running withoutany stock for 3 weeks but obviously did not totally realise the cycle totally, although I have been reading and looking on the net which is how I found your site.. The neons have been in the tank now for only 24 hours. I have done some readings today, they are as follows
pH 7.4........
Ammonia 0 PPM
Nitrite 0.25ppm
Nitrate 7.0 ppm
Temperature is 24c / 75F

Pics will be provided shortly !!!

Gunnie

It looks like you are close to the end of your cycle. I would not let the nitrite get much higher. The neons are very delicate, and the nitrite could kill them, but if you eliminate the nitrite, your tank won't cycle, so watch it closely. If it goes above .25, do a water change.