cloudy tank help

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Griff

Griff

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My water is quite cloudy. Thoughts on what it could be? I am running a biopellet reactor and oversized skimmer. I did use some phosphate rx but that was over a week ago. Nitrates are close to 0, not measurable with Api test kit and phosphates are at 0 Hannah checker. I do have some diatoms and detritus build up probably from curing the rock in tank. Not bad in my opinion at all. I only have to scrape the glass once a week or less. Could the bio pellets be causing the cloudiness? Would a fish less tank cause some sort of bacterial bloom? Could it be from the phosphate rx? I dosed over several days and tested after each. I'm not running carbon or anything else. Should i be concerned about moving my fish and corals over. Quarantine technically ends today but I'm nervous about making the move.


I posted this in my build thread and only received 1 response. So reposting here.
 
Top Shelf Aquatics
Pretty sure it's bacterial bloom. Depending on the phosphate Rx that may have fed the bloom.
 
Nutramar Foods
Don't be nervous. But I would wait just for good measure. I'd say it's best to not cause the fish anymore stress as they get used to thier new home and acclimate to it.
Depending on how thick it is it may clear up quickly. Also you may want to do a quick read on Po Rx and see if it's a carbon source or bacterial that caused it. Some bacterial supplicants come with food sources that react to other bacteria and bloom them.

No other foods aminos prime or anything?
How old is the tank?

I'd look at it as the tank telling you it's not ready yet.
 
Tidal Gardens
The bio pellets will make the water cloudy when you first start using them. Here is a thread here on R2R about bio pellets and cloudy water. I started with a 1/4 dose and did have a haze but the water is clear now. Give a week or so. Post a picture and that will help, this just the process of adding bio pellets in a reactor. Make sure the flow in the reactor is a very low tumble to were the pellets barely tumble.
 
Equipment is not turning white. Biopellets are at lowest setting but it's a biochurn and they stil spin quite fast. I was thinking of adding a carbon sponge at the baffle. I'm leaning towards its the phosphate the bound to the PO4 rx. I thought that would be skimmed out but I don't have the skimmer dialed in quite right.

Thoughts on removing 50-75% of the pellets?
 
Hey Griff, I was hoping a chemist or more bio pellet guys would chime in, they may still. Week ends. Everyone is doing a water change:D.

Me I would pull the bio pelletts. All of them. based on this. you dont actually have enough food in the system to worry about No control. It seems the pellets are seeded with food on the pellet to encourage bac growth. eventually the pellets , as bac have been lured there become an extension of the bio filter. right now they are only becoming food.
SO
IF it is a bac bloom.
I dint finish research on after math problems and cleanup/recoverey of Lant Cl use (you should research this). it seems it oxidizes and precipitates and then is absorbed back into the system white powder is the residual before re absorption.

IF it is Lanth Cl Overdose
its possible (low research) the lant Cl fed the new and also fed and seeded bio pellets to cause the bloom(Po rx has free carbons? or free carbons are released upon use???? @twilliard ) or dissolved the Po so fast it precipitated, as in the thread posted, it just needs time too. with no live stock no harm no foul.

IN either of the now three scenario's.(one the other or both,) its a low oxygen environment right now. the fish will (should:rolleyes::oops:) have to wait.

an air stone imo will help. you will have to do a WC(i know its a pain) but dont do it now.wait a week and let the bac run its course. Precip/ re absorbtion too.
the Bac bloom may be a bonus as now, after it clears up youll have a very very strong bacterial population. with out the pellets.


So IMO learn Lanth cloride & recovery(it should be fine over time imo),pull pellets and wait a week, 30 percent WC, add airstone, wait a week, add fish. lightly ghost feed the tank the whole time.
(smile at it too please, its not feeling well)
I bet the water clears next saturday or tuesday or even before if im right about the pellet being seeded &/or poss free carbon availability.

then as the detectable nitrates rise slowly add bio pellets back one tablespoon at a time. and keep watching ammoina after you add the fish but i bet it wont budge because the bac filter is now superman.
Doing this I would also bet you wont add pellets back in for 6 months even if you feed heavy(not stupid:eek::D)

@Randy Holmes-Farley Im in over my head sir. Lanth Cl use links please. And thank you.

@Griff If you have room, consider a refugium. you may never add pellets, unless you have a seriously large fish stock. imo.
 
Ecoscape Reef Rock
Lanthanum chloride is inorganic (not knowing if the product has free carbons) but I am wondering if the it's the flocculant that is being seen due to inadequate skimming?
If the skimmer was up to the task what it will be pulling out will be a white in color effluent at the current tank condition.
 
Thank you for the well thought out and researched response! This is the reason I'm a member here at reef2reef!!!!

I will pull the biopellets wait 1-2 weeks before adding fish.

There is a fine powder in the sump. It's white to offshore in color. I'm not sure if it from the LC or the reactor or both.

I used the directions from the PO4 rx waited two days retested with Hannah checker then did new dose. I had to do this 3 separate times over the course of a week.

I was supprised because the first dose should have brought it close to 0. Doses 2 and 3 were substantially smaller.

Either way I'll take the biopellet reactor offline. I only started it this early to bring no3 down as it was so high in the begining.
 
ReefBot Lab, Automated Water Tester
Added phosban 150 carbon reactor, cleanup crew and Refugium today. Hopefully that will help to clear up the cloudy water. Biopellet reactor went offline a few days ago. I still have a fine dust in the dump pilled up. My thought was to use a turkey baster to get it out. I still don't have any idea if it came from the reactor or the phosphate rx. Also ghost feeding the tank about 6 sinking pellets every other day. Thoughts on the amount of ghost feeding? Thoughts on cloudy water from phosphate rx or biopellets?
 
Griff said:
Equipment is not turning white. Biopellets are at lowest setting but it's a biochurn and they stil spin quite fast. I was thinking of adding a carbon sponge at the baffle. I'm leaning towards its the phosphate the bound to the PO4 rx. I thought that would be skimmed out but I don't have the skimmer dialed in quite right.

Thoughts on removing 50-75% of the pellets?
Click to expand...
I am just see your question and apologize.

What brand of phosphate RX are you using? When I was using Red Sea NoPox I would get a hazy film on the glass when really started working. I would clean it off with and glasses float cleaner.

As far as the bio pellets, as I stated I started with a 1/4 dose and I am at a 1/3 dose and that is were I need to be. I did have a little cloudyness but the cloudyness went away in two days. I move a lot of water on the surface of my tank with adds oxygen to the water. Read this about bio pellets please. About midway down it is suggested to aime the power head toward the surface to airate the water for gas exchange.

If you need more help hit replay and I will see a notification from this thread.
 
I didn't follow up on the Rx. The bit I did read makes me want to say Rx because of the dust. I recall it said it would pass.

Honestly a tablespoon won't hurt at all. But really only do it once. You'll just have more stuff grow.
I try to think this way on food.
Whet you feed the tank now. Won't affect it for a couple weeks. The tank feeds slow digests slow and poops slow.
Fish and corals are different.
 
Chewy.com
Added filter floss to one of the baffles and water cleared up drastically in 24hrs. I don't know why I didn't think to do this before.

Sometimes I think I need to look at the tools I have more vs. getting online and buying more equipment. I purchased 6 ten micron filter socks that I was going to modify to fit the reefer series. Also purchased a media reactor for carbon which I wanted to add anyway but that's not really the point. I'm going think a little more about my existing resources before buying new stuff.
 
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