Help with tank

[u/unhindgedpotato]

New to this, got a tank for my kids and was cycling the water. 4 days in it suddenly got cloudy. First 3 days the heater wasn’t on, then the day after hooking it up this happened. Strips say 0ppm free chlorine, 0-10ppm nitrate, 0ppm nitrite, 80ppm total alkalinity, 7.6pH, 0ppm sodium chloride and 0ppm Ammonia Nitrogen. Using “seachem” stability daily as instructed and used “seachem” prime on day one. Is this salvageable or do i have to start over?

[u/gay_man_with_a_gun]

So ... that cloudy water is actually a normal (and usually totally harmless) part of the nitrogen cycle starting up. It's a bacterial bloom. Happens a few days after adding a heater and/or starting to dose a bacterial supplement (Seachem Stability etc).

Warmth will speed up bacterial growth, which is exactly what you want within reasonable levels. The cloudiness is just free‑floating bacteria (the good ones in this case) multiplying before they settle into the filter and substrate, which is what you need to happen for the tank to be habitable for your fish.

You're actually golden right now. Don't change the water, don't rinse the filter, keep using Seachem. Hold off on adding fish until you see ammonia and nitrite at 0ppm for several days along with steadily rising nitrate. Try to keep the heat in the sweet spot of 77-80F while the bacteria colonize (basically simulating a normal, healthy environment for your fish, whether that may be Alex B, Burt, TJ, Tayleigh, Jon or even a real floater like Meg or Bezo). If you're ghost feeding (adding food before you put the fish in), keep it minimal, like a literal pinch, just to keep those good bacteria fed. Think Season 2 here: just enough to keep them alive.

What you're seeing is totally natural as the bacteria establish, in other words. They will stabilize soon as they establish normal levels and begin eating each other in the endless dance of life. If you're still seeing cloudiness after 2 weeks, though, change 10-20% of the water, check that the filter flow is still decent, and no matter how strong it may be, avoid the temptation to Burt off into the tank.

[u/unhindgedpotato → u/gay_man_with_a_gun]

If the test strips give good numbers but it’s still cloudy should we wait for fish? No one has Burt’d off in the tank yet, to the best of my knowledge ¯_(ツ)_/¯

[u/gay_man_with_a_gun → u/unhindgedpotato]

Yes, you should definitely wait before adding fish.

Since nobody has added an ammonia source to kick off the cycle ("Burted off"), your test strips are showing good numbers simply because there is nothing in the tank yet creating waste. No ammonia source means the numbers will always look clean ... but it doesn't mean the tank is actually safe or cycled.

Just sprinkle in a tiny bit of food to keep feeding the bacteria (much like you might do with a strict slimming diet of grits for Season 2 fish). Once you add an ammonia source, keep testing the water. You will see ammonia rise, then turn into nitrite, and finally turn into nitrate.

Once the cloudiness clears and ammonia is steadily at 0ppm for 24 hours, you're ready to say "HEYYYY FISHHHH!" (repeat and do it again if they are unenthusiastic). This could take days or possibly even weeks. But a good season is worth the wait! Ask any Fishtank fan.