I just bought a 20 gal starter kit at petco; it came with the tank, an aqueon filter, a heater (which I'm finding I probably won't need for quite some time), and the hood with a 15 watt light. I bought the tank and set it up with the water and conditioner as well as some gravel after rinsing it two days ago. Yesterday I went out and bought some fake plants and a large rock to put in the tank, which I also put in after rinsing them. Last night I noticed my temperatures were still too high after turning down my heater so I unplugged the whole thing and left the lid open to help cool it off overnight. I woke up this morning to find the temperature was at 80 degrees which is in the high end of the acceptable range from what I'm told. The only problem is my water is somewhat cloudy now. It's nothing too horrible, but it doesn't seem as clean looking as it was last night. Taking a second look at it now, it might be an illusion from the change between day and night and how much other light is in the room, I'm not really sure, but I want to make sure I'm doing everything right before I start putting fish in this thing. I was just wondering if it would be possible for my water to get cloudy with no fish in it yet or if my eyes are just playing tricks on me. Also I could use some advice from anyone that has been doing this for awhile as to how often I should be changing my filter and doing water changes in the beginning compared to once the tank is more established. Plus any recommendations on products you may have found you needed or should have used in your own experiences would be useful as well. I already put the money into making this thing look nice and I want the fish to really thrive. Thanks for your time in advance :)Just set up a new freshwater fish tank and my water is cloudy with no fish in it yet?there is probably just air bubbles in the water. or if the rock still had a little dust on it that could be another possible reason. i had that same problem with my old tank when i set it up. sometimes when you think you've rinsed it well enough you realy haven't but it should settle after a while. about the filter thing though, it realy depends on what kind of filter you have. but if there is a part of the filter that you dont replace, like a sponge, wheel, or whatever else you can reuse over and over, when you replace the non-reusable part(s) you should rinse the reusable part, but not with tap water. always rinse it with water from the tank, because tap water will kill the bacteria built up on it that are part of the biological filter which breaks down fish waste and amonnia. this benificial filter bacteria also builds up on your gravel and other objects in your aquarium's landscape. i have an undergravel filter and i haven't realy had my aqarium up for that long, but the longer you have your aquarium up the less work it will be. i can't tell you any exact maintenence schedual for your tank, because you kind of have to figure that out as you go. it depends on how many fish you have, the kind of filter you have, the amount of waste your fish make, and how long your tank's been up, but a good place to start is...
Everyday: watch your fish at feedind time. if they dont eat all their food within several minutes, you should feed them less and if they are acting weird their might be a problem.
Every week: test your water. after you've had your tank up for a while and you almost never have major problems you can start doing this every other week and whenever you suspect a problem.
Every other week: do a 10-15% percent water change and rinse your filter cartriges with the extracted water.
Every four weeks: replace your filter cartiges (unless their instructions tell you othewise) and and scrub the sides and lid of your tank.Just set up a new freshwater fish tank and my water is cloudy with no fish in it yet?When you set up a new tank the water will be a little cloudy, the next day you can add starter fish (danios and goldfish), these guys will cycle the tank until the ammonia and nitrite levels are at zero (about 4-5 weeks, 1-2 week using QuickStart) after they are at zero, you can start adding new and more delicate species (but if you have more than one species make sure they're compatible with each other, example: don't put a two foot catfish with a two inch goldfish, practicly instant death) as for water changes, do a weekly 25-35% water change for african cichlids and a monthly 25% water change for most other species. as for the filter, change the filter bag whenever the filter is not running right or is straining, I would estimate this at about 2-3 or more months. I have had the best experence with internal filters, and not the best with external filters (all the externals broke and the internals are working great.Just set up a new freshwater fish tank and my water is cloudy with no fish in it yet?When you first put water in any tank it is almost garenteed it wil be cloudy. You will need to cycle you tank first befor putting any fish in. And you should read up on how to do that first.
Also, a fifteen watt light won't be eanough for any plants, so you will want to get a better fixture.
edit: don't cycle with fish. it is cruel because they have to live in a tank that is full of amonnia, wich is very very toxic to them.
