cloudy water?

[rachelq]

why is my water cloudy?

i've had a betta before and never had this problem.. what am i doing wrong? i just did a water change and the water still appears cloudy. i'm out of water tests so that's the first thing on my to do list for tomorrow, but what could be causing this?! and how do i fix this? i've only had hector for a few days and i would hate for something to happen to him. he is a muticolor marbled half moon double tailed betta and he's absolutely stunning.
he's in a two gallon tank (which will be upgraded to a ten gallon in a month or so). he has a filter, heater, and plants.

[waterdog]

Sounds like your tank is cycling. Get that test kit as soon as you can. Do partial water changes every other day till it clears up.

[Freyja]

Yep that's what I thought also, bacteria bloom.

[shellieca]

I agree, bacteria bloom for a new tank & will clear up on its own within a week or two.

[rachelq]

ph 7.6
ammonia .225 ppm
nitrite .225 ppm
nitrate 40 ppm

i'm thinking 25% water changes every other day. any other suggestions?

[rachelq]

also filter sponges? i was at the local petco and they didn't have any.. where do you guys buy them at?

[Otterfun]

Originally Posted by rachelq

ph 7.6
ammonia .225 ppm
nitrite .225 ppm
nitrate 40 ppm

i'm thinking 25% water changes every other day. any other suggestions?

I'd do a water test on:
1. the "naked" water without any additives
2. the water + any solution e.g. conditioner, dechlorinator, etc. use as a baseline for your tests. But IMO, at least 25-50% WC ASAP when you see such readings

[shellieca]

+1 with otter . . . I always do at least a 50% water change even with a cycled tank. Your nitrAtes are at 40 & they should be <20. Your ammonia & nitrItes arent too bad but 0 is better. Test your source water to get a baseline.

[rachelq]

i will be doing the base tests tomorrow, ofcourse i broke one of the test tubes basically as soon as i got home.
i just did 50% water change yesterday, so i should do one tonight also?

[shellieca]

If the readings you posted are from today then I would. I'm fish IN cycling a 10g right now & have been doing 50-80% water changes for the last 5 days because of my nitrites, Sunday they were at 1, the last 2 days they've been ~.25, I prefer 0 if at all possible. My nitrates are ~5 so that I don't worry about them.