Cloudy tank for 2 months

[Brad Coughlan]

Hi
My tank is avout 7 months old and the past 2 months it has been cloudy with a yellow tint to it. It started when I had a cyanobacteria outbreak and I started blasting the sand a rock with a turkey baster, it started the cloudyness and 2 months later, after countless of 35% (ish) water changes, filter floss and carbon it has had a slight improvement but still nowhere near perfect.

The tank is 85litres(20gallons)
Livestock is pretty minimal woth 2 clowfish, 1 peppermint shrimp and 2 hermits
Only have 2 coral at the moment because the cloudyness has put me off buying anymore for the moment

Nitrates are bottomed out at 0

Is there anything I can do to fix the cloudyness?

 

[Lavey29]

It's not to much flow blowing sand dust around?

Kind of a long time for an algae bloom but need complete tank parameters. 0 nitrates is bad.

Cut lights to 6 hours blue and uv only no whites.

 

[musel101]

I say wait it out what you have is a bacteria bloom every time you do a water change or change out the carbon you’re resetting everything I’d let it be. The tank needs to build a bio diversity

 

[Brad Coughlan]

I say wait it out what you have is a bacteria bloom every time you do a water change or change out the carbon you’re resetting everything I’d let it be. The tank needs to build a bio diversity

Thanks for the reply.
Could this also be due to the cyanobacteria breaking down in the water column making it cloudy?

 

[musel101]

Thanks for the reply.
Could this also be due to the cyanobacteria breaking down in the water column making it cloudy?

If that’s the case a UV sterilizer should fix it also. If it’s the type that breaks down in the water column. I could be wrong but I don’t think that if it breaks down it’ll make your water cloudy.

 

[musel101]

Thanks for the reply.
Could this also be due to the cyanobacteria breaking down in the water column making it cloudy?

When I did have Cyanobacteria It would break into the water column at night and then reappear in the morning but during that time it wouldn’t make my water cloudy at least in my experience

 

[Brad Coughlan]

If that’s the case a UV sterilizer should fix it also. If it’s the type that breaks down in the water column. I could be wrong but I don’t think that if it breaks down it’ll make your water cloudy.

Ok thanks!
Would you just say leave it for the week and go from there or perhaps longer

 

[Brad Coughlan]

When I did have Cyanobacteria It would break into the water column at night and then reappear in the morning but during that time it wouldn’t make my water cloudy at least in my experience

Yeah I had the same, however the growth of the cyanobacteria is under control now, I'm pretty certain a lot of the cloudiness is from me sifting the sand bed all the time trying to remove it

 

[Asm481]

I had a similar issue in my biocube. UV corrected mine. Was less cloudy in am, terrible in afternoon. I went 3 weeks no changes and it just continued. When I put the UV in tiwas gone in a day and a half.

 

[musel101]

Ok thanks!
Would you just say leave it for the week and go from there or perhaps longer

Yes it won’t take that long though

 

[Garf]

I’d bite the bullet and put a UV on it. It’s happened twice to me. You’ll probably be able to remove it after a while, or keep it in stand by mode, just in case.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

Personally if it was my tank I would add more rock, and add another powerhead to point at the surface, looks like it can use more flow and gas exchange in there, it looks a bit stagnant. Is there a skimmer on the tank?

 

[Brad Coughlan]

I’d bite the bullet and put a UV on it. It’s happened twice to me. You’ll probably be able to remove it after a while, or keep it in stand by mode, just in case.

Thanks, I was also thinking about a filter sock as well do you think that would help at all?

 

[Brad Coughlan]

Personally if it was my tank I would add more rock, and add another powerhead to point at the surface, looks like it can use more flow and gas exchange in there, it looks a bit stagnant. Is there a skimmer on the tank?

There is a small skimmer, however recently it hasn't been as efficient probably due to all the extra water changes I have been doing

 

[Brad Coughlan]

thanks

 

[Garf]

Thanks, I was also thinking about a filter sock as well do you think that would help at all?

Never helped me. These photosynthetic blooms are a pain in the neck. My last one made my wife’s yellow tang “drunk”. Didn’t appear to be oxygen deprived, but who knows. 24 hrs after adding the UV and crystal clear water, tang not bumping into stuff, dropping his car keys or anything.

 

[Propane]

Personally if it was my tank I would add more rock, and add another powerhead to point at the surface, looks like it can use more flow and gas exchange in there, it looks a bit stagnant. Is there a skimmer on the tank?

What LordofCinder said agitate the surface more. Capful of MB7 might help too.

 

[formallydehyde]

What's the water pH by the way?

 

[Brad Coughlan]

Never helped me. These photosynthetic blooms are a pain in the neck. My last one made my wife’s yellow tang “drunk”. Didn’t appear to be oxygen deprived, but who knows. 24 hrs after adding the UV and crystal clear water, tang not bumping into stuff, dropping his car keys or anything.

Thanks
Will definatley look into a UV sterilizer

 

[Brad Coughlan]

What's the water pH by the way?

Around 8.3