# i was wondering if this smokey effect in my aquarium water hurt my fish



## donnag

hi i have noticed a strange thing happening with my aquarium  i'm not sure if it will hurt my fish or not the water has been cloudy since i set up my new 10 gallon tank it's not as cloudy as it was but ive noticed something new concerning the cloudiness when you look at it thru the glass it looks like moving smoke as if the water in the tank is smoking what is this should i do a water change and if so how much my baby guppys are spending alot of time at the top of the water is it a problem with the oxygen? if not what is it?:fish: :?: :fish: someone please tell me whats going on with my tank please
thanks Donna g


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## fish_doc

Depending on how long the tank has actually been set up there could be several causes. 

Microbubbles - basically air trapped and being swirled around in the currents.

Floating particles - Dirt or other things that came in the gravel or other items in the tank when they were new.

Biological bloom - Bacteria trying to adjust to the proper levels to maintain a healthy tank. This could be good or bad depending on what type of bacteria it is.

Temp differances - You can try this in a glass. use cold water and put a little bit of hot tap water in it. You will see a smoke/swirl effect. Check to make sure you heater is not stuck on.

Do you have any type of filtration on the tank? A external filter might help clear up a few of these situations.


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## donnag

yes i bought a filter yesterday, there is no gravel in the tank, no heater in the tank & tank has been set up for 4 days should i be worried with the fish staying at the top of the aquarium


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## Vermifugert

donnag said:


> yes i bought a filter yesterday, there is no gravel in the tank, no heater in the tank & tank has been set up for 4 days should i be worried with the fish staying at the top of the aquarium


Although guppies can survive in a rather broad range of water they should really be kept at about 78-82f but more on that later.

Your tank has not yet been properly cycled. The reason they are at the top of the tank is likely because there is too much toxic Ammonia or Nitrites in the tank. They are at the surface to get more air. 

You need beneficial bacteria to help with the ammonia and nitrites. They will grow in your filter and substrate. Not having substrate will hinder your tanks ability to process these chemicals. 

A word of caution about the tank temperature. Ammonia / nitrites can are exponentially toxic based on heat and Ph, So to ad a heater now could be detrimental to your guppies. However your tank may become too cold in the evenings and the suddun temperature changes could also kill of your pets. 

If you do get a heater set it to the same temperature as the water is in your house in the daytime to try and keep it constant at night. Once the tank is sycled see about adjusting it to the proper levels for your pets.

Be sure and invest in a Thermometer, Am ammonia, ph, and nitrite test kit. And a heater. Plus some substrate.


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## emc7

Guppies do tend to hang around the top of the tank, but if they are just sitting there gasping for breath, its called stress and the first thing to do is change water. You do have dechlor? right


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## fish_doc

Being a new tank my guess is it is cycling. Being a new tank owner you may want to do a search online for cycling or "new tank syndrome" This will be real helpful to you in understanding every step your aquarium is going to go through. 

How many fish are in the tank and how large is the tank? If you are going to cycle the tank with live fish you dont want to stock it heavy. But if it is to late for that at this point you will want to do partial water changes to help keep the ammonia levels down. ( as has already been suggested ) You need to remember this tank needs to be a complete ecosystem. This means their waste needs to be broken down by the bacteria in the tank so it is not harmful or as harmful. You will always need to do water changes unless you have almost no fish and many plants. Anything you put in a tank is there until you pull it out. This includes food, chemicals, plants and fish.


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## TheOldSalt

New tanks are very often smoky-looking, so that explains that.


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## donnag

*smokey water in tank*

yes i have dechlor and bulleye 7.0 in the tank also aqurium salt ( 1 table spoon)
and also stress relief in the tank as far as amount of fish there are about 65 
1 1/2 week old baby guppies in it there so small they still look like newborns i bought this tank specifacally for the baby guppies only. 2 one gallons arent big enough for this many baby fish i would think that this tank is plenty big enough for just 65 babies and because of them being babies im cyfiling out all the poo-poo daily so i dont have to worry about the ammonia level getting too high & killing all these babies i added a bubble stone last night and now the babies are acting normal again between the filter and bubble stone they should be getting enough air right i also swapped the to filters on the aquriams around last night also since there should be bacteria in the old one that been on my other for 3 months i figure this might help out the cycleing of this new tank or atleast speed up the process thanks for your reply and help if you know anything else that i might need to know or expect since i didnt know what a bac bloom was please put it here and i'll get it thanks fish doc ill talk to you later Donnag:fish: :fish: :fish: :fish: :fish:


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