New Chichlid tank

Question
We have a 55 gallon tank with 2 rather large cichlids, on smaller-convict fish, and a medium sized plecostomus.  We've had to replace the tank top because it was coming apart, so all the water is new.  The fish are doing well at this point, but the water is still quite cloudy.  The temperature is a bit low, so I've raised the heater.  The water tests fine for everything except the GH.  It is really out of whack (I cannot even get it close to the color it should be, green, even after 50 drops of test medium!  It stays dark yellow.  We do need a new light on one side though we don't have any live plants.  The bio filter was replaced, and the filter is plenty large for the tank, it always did fine, it just seems as if its not doing its job now.  The side filters that draw from the bottom are working well, too.  I am at a total loss.  It's been about a week, but shouldn't it be improving by now?  Should we remove some water and replace at this point?  Thanks for any help.

Answer
Hi Melody:   New tanks can take as long as a month to cycle... by new I mean tanks with new water in them....  You can add additional beneficial bacteria to your tank to help with the cloudy issue... I am assuming that the cloudy color is white or bluish... I would also change about 20% of the water on a weekly basis.  The tank should become clear in about a week after adding in the bacteria.  You can also ask your local fish store for DIRTY water which is beneficial bacteria from a sponge filter... either work just fine... keep me posted and if you need additional help... let me know... dave