Cloudy Water Help

[collettk]

Hello,

 

I'm fairly new to the hobby, set up a 180g tank.  When I initially filled the tank I believe I mixed the salt wrong (added water to the salt).  The water has never been fully clear and I wasn't sure if that was how it was suppose to look. Water parameters are perfect (except my pH is a little low 7.9.)  I recently did a 20% water change.  When I mixed the first batch I did it the same way (salt then water), and noticed after 24 hours the water was still very cloudy so I didn't use it.  So I dumped it and filled the water 1st then added the salt.  Within hours it was crystal clear.  So my question is, what would be the best way to clear my tank?  I can't do a 100% water change, I have livestock.

[smallreef]

It really doesn't make that much of a difference on how you mix saltwater...

What are you using as filtration on the tank? Do you have live rock in the tank? How long has this been set up?

I've seen cloudy tanks right after settings and its a mixture of issues, usually bacteria blooms or something going on with dry rock...

[collettk]

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.

[lnevo]

Do you have a filter sock on the drain? Skimmer? I'm surprised your cloudy with the carbon. Thats a huge bio load for such a new tank. You might just need to run it longer. You could run a maxijet with a hose going into a filter sock in the DT for a little while. What kind of return pump are you running? How much turnover from dt to sump are you getting?

[collettk]

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)

Edited August 4, 2013 by Coral Hind
removed quotes

[flooddc]

Do you have sand/crushed corals in your tank? if yes, what kind? sands will take a while to clear out, especially dry crush coral sand.

[collettk]

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.

[smallreef]

also, your starting a new tank with gfo and a macro algae...you could be over doing trying to set things up before the tank has settled in...

personally id take the gfo offline for a while (if you can take that offline while still running the carbon?) and see if its the macro or whatever else in in your sump clouding the water......let the tank get settled then see if you need both...

 

make sure you are cleaning your filter pad or filter sock every other day...

also having some kind of filter pad right before your return pump may help if there is to much flow through your sump?

do you have a picture of your sump so we can see the setup?

[sachabballi reef]

pic?

[collettk]

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.

[sachabballi reef]

please set permissions to public so we can enlarge to view

 

thanks

[sachabballi reef]

looks like amazing bar though!!!

[collettk]

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

Edited August 4, 2013 by Coral Hind
removed quotes

[collettk]

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?

[Origami]

When you add water to salt, the mix goes through a period of supersaturation, which causes insoluble precipitates (calcium chloride and magnesium hydroxide)  to form. This is probably what you're seeing. Always add salt to water, not water to salt.

 

If you've got a fine filter sock (something on the order of 10 microns or less), I'd give that a try. You might also borrow a diatom filter from someone if the filter sock doesn't work.

[Coral Hind]

Did you rinse the sand before adding it too you tank? I don't think you need to do any water changes just yet unless you have nitrate issues or corals that need trace elements replenished. Adding a flocculant would bind up floating particles and help the filter socks and skimmer remove them as well as help them settle out. Some examples of flocculants are below.

 

http://brightwellaquatics.com/products/clarifi-swt.php

http://aquariumsupplies.marinedepot.com/fish/Flocculant

[collettk]

The sand in the tank was all live sand

[OldReefer]

Looking at the picture, it is clear that his problem can be fixed with beer.

 

Nice bar-tank,,,Thatis a great way to enter the hobby. I am sure there are plenty if experienced reefers in his forum ready to make house calls.

 

Seroiously,

 

A filter sock should knock down particulates. Some serious skimming should knock down a bacterial bloom. Those are about the only two ways to make a tank cloudy.

[sachabballi reef]

You have a lot of flow (are the tunzes on full blast?) Maybe he doesnt have enough bacteria built up in the sandbed yet to keep it from blowing around...Personally if its bothering you I would do a very large water change.50 gallons..its not going to hurt your live stock but should dilute the issue and clear it up if its not the sand blowing....if its sand particles that's just time until bacteria weighs it down.also are your ph's kicking the sand up at all?

 

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[sachabballi reef]

Is the cloudiness greenish or milky white?

 

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[zygote2k]

bacteria built up in the sand will do nothing to prevent it from blowing around. skip the water change to eliminate the cloudiness. 

add a filter sock or just sit back and wait/watch. stop running GFO in the early stages of the tank. It's kinda counterproductive to run it and try to grow macroalgae.

[collettk]

Is the cloudiness greenish or milky white?

 

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It's milky

[collettk]

 stop running GFO in the early stages of the tank. It's kinda counterproductive to run it and try to grow macroalgae.

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

[collettk]

You have a lot of flow (are the tunzes on full blast?) Maybe he doesnt have enough bacteria built up in the sandbed yet to keep it from blowing around...Personally if its bothering you I would do a very large water change.50 gallons..its not going to hurt your live stock but should dilute the issue and clear it up if its not the sand blowing....if its sand particles that's just time until bacteria weighs it down.also are your ph's kicking the sand up at all?

 

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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

[smallreef]

True..but what alot of us do is pump about 5-10x turnover and have powerheads to help circulate water inside the tank...sometimes the return pumps can blast in only a few spots...not a huge problem...if you have multiple return lines coming in but if its only one or 2 your not getting great circulation....