Cloudy tank after new tank cycled

[Erich01]

I have a red sea e170 45 gallon that completed a cycle in around 30 days. The water was crystal clear (ammonia: 0, nitrite: 0, nitrate ~ 5), then I finally got detritus which I cleared up with Phos Guard within a week. The water and rock were back to being super clean, then I added snails and a shrimp, two clowns and a few frags. All of a sudden I noticed the tank began getting cloudy. I verified that is wasn't microbubbles but seems to be floating debris. The coral and fish seem fine but the cloudiness is getting worse. Is this a bacterial bloom? Should I avoid water changes and just ride it out? Any help would be appreciated.

 

[mike89t]

Sounds like a bacteria bloom. Pretty common in a new tank.

 

[MrTPlush]

Likely a bacterial bloom, biggest concern is oxygen level. Make sure you have lots of surface movement. If the fish start breathing fast or stick close to the top you made need to aerate.

I believe water changes are perfectly fine to do. Mine cleared up fairly fast after I turned my skimmer on.

 

[Erich01]

Likely a bacterial bloom, biggest concern is oxygen level. Make sure you have lots of surface movement. If the fish start breathing fast or stick close to the top you made need to aerate.

I believe water changes are perfectly fine to do. Mine cleared up fairly fast after I turned my skimmer on.

I will plan on doing a big water change today and move the power head closer to the surface. What is the remedy for bacterial blooms? Time?

 

[MrTPlush]

I will plan on doing a big water change today and move the power head closer to the surface. What is the remedy for bacterial blooms? Time?

Should go away within a week. If it doesn’t it could be a different problem.

 

[Erich01]

I forgot to dip my two frags I got from a store I trust, I am wondering if this is the culprit. The bloom started about 4 days after added. Is this most likely what happened? I introduced some foreign bacteria to the tank? Also my heater got the temp all the way up to 81 degrees.

 

[MrTPlush]

I forgot to dip my two frags I got from a store I trust, I am wondering if this is the culprit. The bloom started about 4 days after added. Is this most likely what happened? I introduced some foreign bacteria to the tank? Also my heater got the temp all the way up to 81 degrees.

Seems more coincidental than anything, but maybe someone more experienced can enlighten on that possibility.

Bacterial blooms and other new tank syndromes can vary when they hit based on all kinds of factors. Sometimes it happens a few weeks in, sometimes months down the road.

I have a QT that appears to have a bacterial bloom over two months in