3 Day Old Tank Help!

Hello everyone,

Complete beginner here. We live in an area with extremely hard water and have just set up our aquarium (3 days ago). Set everything up, 2 live plants, moss ball, used water safe and waited 24 hours before introducing fish. We introduced 6 Danios last night and tonight the water seems really cloudy and there is a weird film on the surface of the water. It isn't oily in the sense that I can see a rainbow pattern but when I dropped the food in tonight, there was definitely some sort of film which dispersed to allow the food and created almost like a ring around the food.
I'm taking the water to be tested tomorrow but just wondered if anyone had any insight?
I'm assuming the cloudy water is our tank settling but I'm clueless about the film. Should I be concerned?

Thanks, Joanne

 

How large is your tank? Does it also have a filter?
It could be nitrifying bacteria.

 

How large is your tank? Does it also have a filter?
It could be nitrifying bacteria.

Thank you for your reply. It's a 67 litre with a filter. The filter hardly moves the water though and doesn't create any bubbles. I am currently looking at air blocks now online to see if this may help

 

Thank you for your reply. It's a 67 litre with a filter. The filter hardly moves the water though and doesn't create any bubbles. I am currently looking at air blocks now online to see if this may help

The film on top could be from having unwashed hands in the tank, to a cheap filter secreting oil. Cloudiness is pretty common for brand new tanks, from my experience its basically a brand new slate of bacteria establishing a colony. Danios typically like a decent current in the tank

 

The film on top could be from having unwashed hands in the tank, to a cheap filter secreting oil. Cloudiness is pretty common for brand new tanks, from my experience its basically a brand new slate of bacteria establishing a colony. Danios typically like a decent current in the tank

Ok great thank you. Right I'm going out first thing to get an air stone and pump to give them some current. Hoping now it doesn't cause them too much stress not having what they like. Thanks so much for your help.

 

Your tank needs to cycle before you can add fish. This process can take anywhere from 3 weeks to two months to finish before your water is safe for fish. Read up on the Nitogen Cycle. This is the first and most important thing to understand when starting your first tank. Click the blue link to read more on it.

 

Your tank needs to cycle before you can add fish. This process can take anywhere from 3 weeks to two months to finish before your water is safe for fish. Read up on the Nitogen Cycle. This is the first and most important thing to understand when starting your first tank.

Thank you for this. I already have the fish now though. We bought them from a well known pet store and they advise 24 hours so I took their advice. We have only added the 6 Danio for now, however. I will read up on the information. Thank you.

 

Fish-in cycling can be done, it just requires a bit more keeping up on parameters on your part. I would defiantly invest in a liquid test kit, such as the apI freshwater masters test kit.

 

You can still cycle your aquarium with these fish in the tank. It's called a "fish in cycle". You will need a water test kit and will have to do a lot of water changes until your tank has finished cycling. Essentially your tank is going through a period where toxins (ammonia and nitrites) rise to deadly levels. To dilute the toxin levels you'll have to do frequent water changes until the cycle is finished and your water parameters have balanced out. This will be stressful on your fish and they may or may not survive. good luck!

 

For sure, wait for things to cycle. Don't be like me and end up with 2 dead cories because I was too stupid to have the shop hold them. Granted, at the time, it looked like it had cycled fully, but *apparently* doubling the bioload all at once is a bad idea... Yea, not my best moment...

- Dino

 

My tanks do this to an extent if I get lazy on water changes it’s like a protein build up caused by uneaten food and excess waste an air stone will cause enough surface tension to stop this from happening.

 

Get some Seachem Prime. You are going to need it.

 

Hello everyone,

Complete beginner here. We live in an area with extremely hard water and have just set up our aquarium (3 days ago). Set everything up, 2 live plants, moss ball, used water safe and waited 24 hours before introducing fish. We introduced 6 Danios last night and tonight the water seems really cloudy and there is a weird film on the surface of the water. It isn't oily in the sense that I can see a rainbow pattern but when I dropped the food in tonight, there was definitely some sort of film which dispersed to allow the food and created almost like a ring around the food.
I'm taking the water to be tested tomorrow but just wondered if anyone had any insight?
I'm assuming the cloudy water is our tank settling but I'm clueless about the film. Should I be concerned?

Thanks, Joanne

Did you rinse the gravel/sand, decorations and the tank thoroughly before starting everything up? Oil could be from any of those things.

 

Thank you for this. I already have the fish now though. We bought them from a well known pet store and they advise 24 hours so I took their advice. We have only added the 6 Danio for now, however. I will read up on the information. Thank you.

My apologies, but that "very well known" pet store is equal to walmart on cycling knowledge if they suggested 24 hours before adding fish. You should do water changes every day and be using prime, especially with an instant ~50% stocking level.

 

I would add Safestart Plus also. Can’t hurt, might help.

 

You can still cycle your aquarium with these fish in the tank. It's called a "fish in cycle". You will need a water test kit and will have to do a lot of water changes until your tank has finished cycling. Essentially your tank is going through a period where toxins (ammonia and nitrites) rise to deadly levels. To dilute the toxin levels you'll have to do frequent water changes until the cycle is finished and your water parameters have balanced out. This will be stressful on your fish and they may or may not survive. good luck!

This is very helpful thank you so much.

I would add Safestart Plus also. Can’t hurt, might help.

Thank you!

My apologies, but that "very well known" pet store is equal to walmart on cycling knowledge if they suggested 24 hours before adding fish. You should do water changes every day and be using prime, especially with an instant ~50% stocking level.

Thank you. I'm doing my water changes with water safe added every day. I am in the UK. I have also bought a water testing kit and will not be adding any more fish until I know the cycle is complete. And hopefully these little danios make it!

Tha

My tanks do this to an extent if I get lazy on water changes it’s like a protein build up caused by uneaten food and excess waste an air stone will cause enough surface tension to stop this from happening.

Thank you for your help with this. Air stone fitted!

 

The reason I suggest prime though, is because it will detoxify some of the ammonia in the tank, and then it also dechlorinates tap water during water changes

 

hey joanne danios are pretty tough, hope they make it. you'll know your cycle is complete when you have zero ammonia and nitrate and rising nitrate.

 

I’m not sure, But those are tuna be some messed up danios prolly should’ve waited atleast 3 -5 days

 

I cycled my first tank with 6 zebra danios. Fish-in cycle.

But I used TetraSafeStart and followed the directions.

15 months later, all 6 are doing great.

Instead of an air stone, get a sponge filter. Gives off the same surface disruption but also filters and IMO is the best surface for beneficial bacteria to grow on.

I have cycled 6 tanks just from seeded sponge filters from that first tank.