Cloudy tank

[PghReef]

Pretty sure its just new tank uglies. Only been set up a few weeks and have already gone thru diatoms and has some gha. The rock was cycled in a dark tote for a year with waterchanges though and everything test out normal. Didnt have a cycle in the tank only in the rubbermaid last year. The 2 coral crags look good and the snails are alive and eating algae but the water has been cloudy thr past week.

Is this just another mini cycle with a bacterial bloom or is it a floating algae of some kind. Seems clearer in the morning and gets worse as the day goes on with the lights on. Everything looks healthy just hate the cloudy water and the film forming on the sides of the tank. I can clean them and within an hour its already back.

 

[cancun]

Pretty sure its just new tank uglies. Only been set up a few weeks and have already gone thru diatoms and has some gha. The rock was cycled in a dark tote for a year with waterchanges though and everything test out normal. Didnt have a cycle in the tank only in the rubbermaid last year. The 2 coral crags look good and the snails are alive and eating algae but the water has been cloudy thr past week.

Is this just another mini cycle with a bacterial bloom or is it a floating algae of some kind. Seems clearer in the morning and gets worse as the day goes on with the lights on. Everything looks healthy just hate the cloudy water and the film forming on the sides of the tank. I can clean them and within an hour its already back.

Do you have pics?

 

[PghReef]

 

[cancun]

In my opinion that looks like a bacteria bloom to me.....what are your other parameters?

 

[PghReef]

That's what in thinking. Ammonia nitrite and nitrate all 0. Nitrate might be a little higher hard to tell. The clowns corals and snails all look good

I'm thinking the best approach is to keep up with the testing to make sure nothing sneaks up and ride the mini cycle out. Not adding anything until it worked it's way clear again.

 

[flchamp89]

I vote bacteria bloom as well. Give it a few days.

 

[abraha]

I have the same problem. Tank is 2 months old.

 

[TriggerFinger]

Would adding bottled bacteria help or worsen a bacterial bloom?

 

[00Barracuda00]

Would adding bottled bacteria help or worsen a bacterial bloom?

Chiming in to ask the same question. I wonder what the outcome would be.

 

[TriggerFinger]

Chiming in to ask the same question. I wonder what the outcome would be.

I have a feeling there is excess bacteria and not enough nutrients for the bacteria to consume thus causing a bacterial “overdose” type situation. I could be completely wrong though.

 

[00Barracuda00]

I have a feeling there is excess bacteria and not enough nutrients for the bacteria to consume thus causing a bacterial “overdose” type situation. I could be completely wrong though.

Interesting hypothesis. So then to clear it, you'd need to add an additional source of ammonia? That sounds wild.

 

[TriggerFinger]

I assume ammonia may clear a bacterial bloom. Maybe heavy skimming would also. I would not reccomend adding ammonia to a tank with animals in it.

Another observation; It seems like a lot of these posts are pictures of new tanks without an established biofilm. The rocks are all nice and white and the substrate is full of diatoms or just as white as the rock. *knock on wood* I didn’t have any type of bacterial bloom...and I think it’s because I have legit live rock that was in the ocean 24 hours before it was in my tank. I have life in my rock that dry rock will never have. I also go VERY slow in my stocking...I only added 6 hermits, 4 snails, 1 fish, 2 shrimp and two mushroom corals over the course of 6 months.

Again, these are just my observations and thoughts and I could be way off base. Don’t act on anything I say, they are just thoughts and not facts.

Interesting hypothesis. So then to clear it, you'd need to add an additional source of ammonia? That sounds wild.

 

[00Barracuda00]

I assume ammonia may clear a bacterial bloom. Maybe heavy skimming would also. I would not reccomend adding ammonia to a tank with animals in it.

Another observation; It seems like a lot of these posts are pictures of new tanks without an established biofilm. The rocks are all nice and white and the substrate is full of diatoms or just as white as the rock. *knock on wood* I didn’t have any type of bacterial bloom...and I think it’s because I have legit live rock that was in the ocean 24 hours before it was in my tank. I have life in my rock that dry rock will never have. I also go VERY slow in my stocking...I only added 6 hermits, 4 snails, 1 fish, 2 shrimp and two mushroom corals over the course of 6 months.

Again, these are just my observations and thoughts and I could be way off base. Don’t act on anything I say, they are just thoughts and not facts.

I agree with you. Most of these cloudy tanks seem to be younger than a year at least, and have quite a few fish swimming in them, with completely pristine rocks.

My curiosity lies where we see tanks that have quite a bit of biofilm on the rocks, and even some of the glass, but still cloudy water. I'm curious as to what basic chemistry gets out of balance to cause it, and what simple steps could be taken to fix it. All too often I see how dosing X or Y product clears things right up... but that's a temporary solution 9 times out of 10. Additional doses are almost always required a few months (or even weeks) down the road. I've just always wondered if there was something else that could be monitored or even reduced before the permanent new addition of a turf scrubber or something.

 

[Crested]

From what I've heard, the bacteria that makes water cloudy/milky is different from nitrifying bacteria. Apparently this bacteria is larger and lives in the water column and not on surfaces which is why the water becomes cloudy. So I would think that adding ammonia wouldn't do much. I've also read somewhere that in order for you to clear the water with water changes you would have to replace 20% of the water every 15 minutes or something ridiculous like that.
My tank was in the same boat as yours about a month ago (at the 2 month old mark) and it went away on its own within a few days.

 

[mbmax]

This type of event happens a lot in New tanks. It is a bacterial bloom. The good thing is that it will go away by itself.
Don’t add anything and be patient .