Cloudy Water In My Tank

If it's white cloudy (not green cloudy) it's a bacterial bloom which, as your correspondent says, is common in new tanks. It is caused by bacteria that live free floating in the water and 'eat' organic chemicals - for instance the plasticiser in the new plastic things in the tank, the chemicals that leach out of the corner sealant, and so on. These bacteria multiply very quickly, unlike the filter bacteria, and we can see them as the cloudiness. Because they multiply so fast, most of the things we try to get rid of the cloudiness don't work - they multiply faster than we can get rid of them. The bloom bacteria will die off once they have consumed all their food so it's really a matter of waiting things out. As for how long, I'm afraid it's impossible to to say. There are just so many variables which will affect the duration of the bloom.

The bloom bacteria won't affect the fish directly but they will be in competition with the fish for oxygen in the water. The filter must be positioned so that the outflow ripples the water surface to allow maximum oxygen transfer into the water.

Thanks very much for the info, I have positioned the filter so there's a break on the surface of the water. hopefully it will clear soon, I will wait it out and keep you posted!