55 gal aquarium ?

[oneman1pond]

I recently bought a used 55 gal aquarium. I set it up last night and used all purpose sand and some pea gravel as a substrate. I have about an inch and a half of sand and then some pea gravel spaced out in certain areas. I had to use a brand new aqua-tech 30-60 filter because the filter that came with it was leaking a little.......(Figures) I filled it up with tap water and used a water detoxifier to take the chlorine and heavy metals out. I also have a heater in the water set a little less then half way on the dial. The water is a little cloudy but looks like its getting a little better. Approximately how long will it take to clear up? Should I use a bio booster or a water clarifier or should I let it takes it's course on it's own? I heard it could take anywhere from 3 to 7 days or so, I'm very impatient! I'm going to buy some live plants today to help with the water quality. I tested the water a few hours after putting in the water and everything was good but the PH was really high. Any help would be appreciated. Thank you in advance.
I tried to take pictures but you cant see the cloudiness in the pictures. Also When I first filled the tank I noticed I had air bubbles clinging to the sides of the tank and inside the filter tube. Today I don't see none.

 

[capewind]

Thinking your water is cloudy from not rinsing the gravel well enough ... IF that's what it is ... if your filter takes a sponge and carbon type filters, pull those out, and run it with just quit batting, pillow stuffing, makeup removal pads, or plain old cotton balls, and it will pull the small particles out of the water within a day.

 

[JohnHuff]

Capewind is correct. It's probably just from the gravel. It should settle in a day or two. The water quality is good because you don't have any fish in there! The live plants will need waste or fertilizer to grow.

 

[Ruben Miranda]

Hello
Yes more then likly from the sand and pea gravel it will settle rather quickly.

What kind of fish are you going to put in there. ?

if it is absent of fish you will not get any readings Ammo or nitrites or Nitrates.
no fish no Cycle.

If you are going to get live plants you will need a C0 2 source.
And you will need a fish or 2 to bet the cycle going and have something for the plants to eat.
only do a couple of fish do not put in a whole bunch at one time add fish a little at a time.

Ruben

 

[oneman1pond]

thank you for the info. Today I bought two live plants and 3 smaller goldfish to help cycle the tank. I also bought some quilt batting material for the filter as well. The cloudiness of the water seems to be settling more and more, so I'm hoping in the next day or so I can rest a little more easy.

 

[capewind]

If you got the batting to stuff in the filter, that was for a quick fix to pick up the fine debris from the gravel. I would only leave it in there a day and then get the normal filter media back in there since you bought fish. The batting was to be disposible. You want the normal filter media in there to give the good bacterias a home. I would have waited til the tank cleared before adding the fish or plants.

 

[Ruben Miranda]

Hello
Remember that goldfish and koi are cold water fish so you won't need that heater.

I would test for ammo every other day once you start to see ammo the cycle is starting
it is ammo then nitrite then nitrates
Ammo bad
Nitrites bad
Nitrates and Phos are ok when kept in check
Nitrates with plants should be kept and 20ppm
Phos 5ppm
as you go threw the cycle process you can control most with small water changes say 25 % of 55 gallons.
make sure it fully cycles before adding more fish or it will start all over again.

Ruben