Noob question about standing water...

[Finthusiast]

Hello and thanks for reading!

I have a 14 gallon aquarium that i bought new asnd filled with water to check for any leaks it may have before setting up. I ended up leaving it for a couple of weeks and started noticing the water become cloudy. Is this dust or is it something else and is it possible to clear it up by using a filter? The reason I ask is in case i have this problem again Id like to know if I must do a water change or will it be cleared up from proper filtering? I may be over thinking this but just curious if anyone knows more about what cause the water to become cloudy.

edit: I forgot to add, if I was to add a filter and let it run without adding anything else to the tank that has this cloudy water, would it be going through the cycling process or will it just stay the same without building the biological bacteria on the filter media?

Thanks again have a good day!

 

[krichardson]

I've sat five gallon buckets of water for weeks at a time and noticed some kind of film that developed on the walls of the bucket.I guess a strong enough filter would handle the stuff and then you'd have to give the filter media a good rinsing.....that said,you shouldn't run into such problems again since with the proper additives you can pretty much instantly use the tap water before adding to your tank.

 

[esoxlucius]

When you start a new tank from scratch it is very common for the water to become cloudy/milky. It's just a harmless bacterial bloom that clears in time.

If you just left it like that, then NO, it doesn't mean it's started the cycling process. For the cycling process to start you need a source of ammonia.

When I set up my little hex tank a couple of months ago I used small amounts of fish food as my ammonia source (it naturally breaks down in time and gives off ammonia)

And yes, my little hex tank also went through this "cloudy" period.

 

[Finthusiast]

Thanks for the replies! Should I do a water change while cycling?

 

[esoxlucius]

With a fishless cycle I wouldn't bother with water changes, until right at the end just before you add your fish. Just let nature do its thing. All you need to do is keep on top of the ammonia source. Like I said, I used small amounts of fish food with my hex tank, though there are lots of ways of doing it.

The food starts to decay releasing ammonia and the first stage bacteria will go to work on the ammonia converting it to nitrite. Then the second stage bacteria go to work on the nitrite converting it to nitrate. You're pretty much done then, though it does take time. It's not like a couple of days of a job, or even a week, it can take several weeks to get there.

A lot of people just add mature filter media from an existing tank and you pretty much have an instant cycle.

 

[jjohnwm]

Changing water while a tank is undergoing a "fishless" cycling process is usually counterproductive; you are removing ammonia that you actually want to provide food for the required bacterial colony to develop. If you are doing a "fish-in" cycle...which essentially means that you are subjecting some poor fish to levels of ammonia that won't quite kill them...then, yes, water changes will probably be necessary to keep ammonia levels low enough so that they are non-fatal...but from the fish's point of view, it ain't no picnic. This is also why fish-in cycles usually take longer, since ammonia levels tend to be lower and thus bacterial growth is slower.

Once the tank is cycled a large water change is a good idea because nitrates accumulate throughout the cycling process and may build up to high levels; changing all or most of the water at that point means you will be starting off with a cycled tank and fresh clean water without nitrates (assuming your source water is nitrate-free).

A lot of people just add mature filter media from an existing tank and you pretty much have an instant cycle.

That's the ticket ^ right there. Fastest, easiest, safest way to set up a new tank. I literally haven't cycled a tank "from scratch" in 10 years; just keep using old filter media in new tanks without a problem.