Fluval FX 5 turning water cloudy

[REDKID!!!]

I just got a Fluval FX5 and i put it on my 120 with a couple cichlids in it. I set it up and got it started yesterday around this time and i noticed this morning that the tank was a little bit cloudy and the fish went swimming around like usual. Then i got home from school and they were all hiding and they won't come out, even for food. What's wrong?

[cougar579]

Is this an established tank or did you just start it? Could be the start of your ammonia cycle(bacteria bloom).

[REDKID!!!]

the tank has been runnin for bout 2 months or a lil longer. so it could be the bacteria isnt in the filter yet

[WyldFya]

Did you add the FX5, or replace your old filter with it? If you took your old filter off, and didn't transfer media, then you basically have to cycle the tank again.

[REDKID!!!]

i took some of the bio-max stuff outta my old filters and took some charcoal outta the old filters also

[REDKID!!!]

More feed back please:)

[js302]

Keep testing your water so you can see if you are cycling.

Did you rinse the FX5 foam pads before attaching the filter to the tank?

Maybe do a w/c?!

[cougar579]

By only pulling some of your bio media out your tank will need to play catch up. You also added 5 more gallons of water with that big FX5. Just give it some time and things should come around.

[señor_pescados_felices]

you would have had to taken it all out (the filter media) and put it in your fx5,im thinking,or at least most of it...fluval fx5's can hold alot of media.....thats what I would have done.....
you had enough bacteria to support the bioload of your fish but in changing over only some of the filter media you changed over only some of your beneficial bacteria,and thus the capability to handle your current bioload.
If you had enough media with an established bacteria colony to handle your current bioload you cant expect moving only part, or "some", of that bacteria colony to your new filter to continue to support said bioload.
even had you moved 80% of the filter media from your old filter to your new filter you still would have a "mini-cycle",as you would have lost roughly 20% of you biological filtration capability,and more bacteria would need to establish to get back to where it can safely handle you bioload.
in moving "some" of your old filter media you will help seed the new filter meadia in the fluval fx5 but have not bypassed a cycle,only shortened it,perhaps greatly so.
when I move fish from one tank to another I move the old filter with it,becouse I know it has enough established bacteria to support the bioload.If moving the filter isnt an option than take as much of the media you can and stuff you new filter as much as you can without greatly reducing flow.leave it like that for about 2-3 weeks and your new media should have an established bacteria colony.
if you cant move all of the media becouse you still need it and the old filter on your old tank becouse you are restocking it with fish than see if you LFS will hook you up with some used media maybe?
as is if you can get your hands on some used media that would most likely solve your problem but other than that it sounds like its too late to do much else about it,other than keep up on a heavy schedule of water changes.
Here I will note that none of my info was taken from a book or website somwhere,its just what I have observed in my experiance,and could be wrong.If it is somebody feel free to correct me I was just putting in my $0.02

[REDKID!!!]

wow thx for da info. I'm only 13 so i'm tryin to understand what u just said lol. So they will be fine i just need to wait a little bit and do more frequent water changes?

[deckard_wa]

Keep testing your water, do some extra water changes for a while and you should be fine