collettk

After I installed the UV Sterilizer, it took about 20 hours to clear up...it isnt crystal clear (but almost). I was using the side of the tank to guage the cloudiness. From the front it's 6 feet wide. When it was real cloudy I could only see about a foot into the tank from the side. I can now see through the full six feet to the other side. I think the tiny bit of cloudiness left is from the salt mix. I't was cloudy from day one...but nowhere near the degree it was when I wrote this. The UV steilizer I used was a 25 watt one rated for a 130g tank (mine is 180g). I slowed the water return down to almost a 4th of what it is usually set at (my hope was that it would provide more exposer to the UV rays for anything that travels in it)

Woot!!! Came home from work and water is almost perfectly clear...That UV Sterilizer is a miracle machine!!! Fish look like they couldn't be happier.

Thanks Coral Hind...I took a look at the link...very interesting but I don't think we have the same issue. Atleast I know there are others that feel my pain (lol).

Should I pull that substrate out and rinse it then put it back in there? Will that set my tank back since there maybe copepods living there?

I'm trying to avoid adding additional chemicals to the water at this point. I did buy some crushed coral I plan to add to the sump to anchor down the loose substrate I have in there. I'll probably add it tonight.

Just installed a UV sterilizer...hopefully this should help.

Nothing died yet (knock on wood). I used cured live rock. Waited almost a month just to be on cautious. All parameters are good so far. Tank has been up six weeks. 50% water change isn't really an option...I have nothing to mix 90g of RO and salt with...max is 50g

no I don't usually...This was when I had to move things around in there

I'm not sure what my water flow is then...since my return pump is rated at 1450 and then I have my two Tunzes running at 80%. Maybe I should dial down my return pump? I'm thinking this cloudiness is either a batcteria bloom or substrate being kicked up from my refugium...any amount of sifting I do with my hand in the refugium causes the substrate to kick up and go into my return. Epilogue: Came home today and found one of my five tiny Bartlett Anthias missing. Ended up finding it in the built in overflow. What a pain. I ended up having to disassemble the bulkhead at the bottom just to get him out.

I just wanted to thank everyone for your help...you gave me a lot to chew on.

Are you suppose to count your powerheads as part of turn over? I never factored that in since It's not actually pushing water back into the sump.

I can't really start over with the water...I already have livestock. Maybe try doing a 20% water change everyday for a week? I did look up Dr. Tim's Clear up. The one review I found wasn't very hopeful "/9/2013 By: Archie Scarlette from LasVegas. I put 3 of the 4 ounces of the product in my 150 Gal tank. Within 5 hours I had a clear tank. The next morning the tank was cloudy again. I added the remaining ounce from the bottle.. The tank remained cloudy for the rest of day two. The morning of day three the tank was clear again, but slowly clouded up during the day. Each night the tank clears but slowly goes back to the murky as if I had spilled milk in it during the day. Very confusing. I have to assume the product is working and that I have an issue caused by something else. Cleaning filtration etc. does not seem to have any impact upon the problem."

You must have been replying the same time as me...I set my tunzes on a 40% min 80% max sequential setup on a 5 second bursts.

I have two return lines and two Tunzes 6105 Powerheads hooked up to RKE APC

I figured from what I have read that I need to pump the volume of my tank 6-10 times an hour...at 180g X 8 =1440gph

That makes sense. I was wondering if the GFO would be counterpoductive to growing the chaetomorpha

It's milky

The sand in the tank was all live sand

This is probably going to sound dumb but I haven't seen my goby pair in like 30 hours...is it possible that they are getting their fill without sifting the sand thus confirming its a bacteria bloom?

done...I think...still trying to figure out this forum gallery thing.

Can't get a good picture of the sump because of where its located...here is a picture of the tank and a diagram of the sump which is below the tank.

I have the pink Fiji sand...maybe sugar grain size...my refugium has some kind of extra fine substrate initially clouded my tank when I 1st bought it and turned on my pumps.

I do have a filter sock...below that I have live rock and in that same chamber an Avast skimmer. In the return I'm using Reef Octopus Water blaster pump (1450 gph)

I used 150 lbs of cured live rock, It's been set up for about 6 weeks now. I have a two tangs, two clowns, two wrasse, two diamond gobies, and a rabbitfish, plus 15 Nassarius snails, and 20 small hermit crabs. In my sump I have a refugium with macro algae. I using a dual reactor (Carbon and GFO). I'm using two Tunzes 6105 powerheads and my water flow is really strong.