Will slightly murky water harm them?

[Chicabelle]

Hi,

I set my new tank up about 4 days ago but to tell the truth I wasn't too careful with the sand so the tank is still a little bit cloudy. I desperately need to move my axxies to it though as they are starting to irritate each other in their present home (woke up to find my golden albino is missing a chunk of gill )

I've moved some of their ornaments across already to start the cycling process and I'm going to move their filter at the same time I move them but will the cloudiness harm them? Can they 'breathe' with slightly cloudy water?

Hope someone can help cus I'd hate to come home from work to see a leg missing

 

[Gromky]

Re: Will slightly murkey water harm them?

Breathing shouldn't be a problem if it's oxygenated. Really, how many freshwater lakes have you seen that are as clear as a normal aquarium? These are monsters pulled out of Mexican lakes.

One of the biggest helps I've found to clearing up sand particulates if filter floss (if using a standard filter). Poly floss, which you can buy for incredibly cheap at crafting/fabric supply stores, does a great job catching the fine particulates.

 

[danchristopher]

Re: Will slightly murkey water harm them?

I've previously had cloudy tanks for a day or two after not rinsing my sand enough, eventually it all settled and my axies were totally fine with it.
The real problems come if you don't rinse your sand at all. In this case, every time the sand bed is moved a huge cloud of dust will rise which will take a while to settle and can be a real pain. If it's just cloudiness from not rinsing your sand quite enough, it's not ideal but I think it should be okay.

 

[Kupcake]

Re: Will slightly murkey water harm them?

The cloudiness will settle eventually, especially when you start your filter.

However, I am worried that you don't understand the cycling process. Moving decorations will not help the tank cycle. You need some sort of ammonia source and then somewhere for the bacteria to colonize, and your filter is the best place for this to happen IMO.

I would move the filter for 24 hours as that should be plenty of time to clear up the water, then move the axolotls over. THEN you have to keep a close eye on your tank parameters, and make sure the levels stay low and non-toxic while the tank cycles. Sometimes cycling a tank could take up to 6 months, that is a lot of water changes. Just fyi.

Just my 2c. Good luck!!