Cloudy water

Hi
I read through some threads but I can't seem to find my problem.

I started a new spawning tank for my bettas on saturday. I used aged treated water. No filter running in the tank. The water was clear till I added my bettas last night. This morning the tank was cloudy. Switched on the sponge filter and after 15min it was clear again but it is causing surface disturbance and the betta male couldn't build a proper bubble nest.

Even if I run the filter at a low air pressure the male betta doesn't want to build a nest.

Any ideas what may cause this cloudiness?

 

maybe amonia spike.

 

I will test it tonight.Didn't have time this morning.But will a 15 min Sponge filter run clear it up so quick?

 

This is a difficult one. Most likely Bacteria bloom or Amonia spike as @Ryno has said. You probably have a low water level for breeding in the tank right? Or is the tank filled all the way up? If so maybe try a seeded HOB filter. They don't create a lot of surface movement if the water level is close to the outflow.

 

Yes the water level is about 15cm for the breeding. I will do the full water test tonight and see what is going on water wise. I will try some filter configurations and see what will cause the least water disturbance as I don't have a HOB filter at the moment.