Cloudy water.

Alwaysalty · Dec 9, 2012

I guess I will start with some info.
All tests salifert
Nitrates 0
Phosphates 0
Alk 8.6
Cal 430
Mag 1440
Salinity 1.025 (refractometer)
Morning noon and night my water seems to be cloudy. Not like a milky color just not carbon filtered clear. I have a 1400 gph koralia and a mag 7 return pump moving water on a 54 corner and I had concern about my sand stirring up dust but I unplugged the koralia and it didn't help, because the substrate does tumble a bit. I have had the tank running now for 3 months and it has been clearer previously. I understand its a new system but its also not my first and it seems significantly stable. So I'm asking for help what to do differently? Thanks for taking the time to read.

3Twinklets · Dec 9, 2012

Try adding a blue filter pad in your sump. Also, what kind of substrate do you have? Are you possibly tumbling a bit to much and breaking it up?

NanaReefer · Dec 9, 2012

Could be a bacterial bloom. Are you using a type of chemical filtration?

Alwaysalty · Dec 9, 2012

I use aragonite substrate med coarse. I use microbacter7 no other forms of chemical filtration, old school setup.

Alwaysalty · Dec 9, 2012

Nothing else huh?

SeahorseKeeper · Dec 9, 2012

I run carbon and filter pads. This helps to make my water crystal clear.

Alwaysalty · Dec 10, 2012

I guess I will keep running my carbon in conjunction with my filter socks and add filter pads.

beaslbob · Dec 10, 2012

kill the lights and stop adding any food for a few days.

Should clear up in a week or two.

my .02

riksreef · Dec 10, 2012

I would have to agree with the carbon filter pads.... I also run sea gel, this may help a little....

Alwaysalty · Dec 10, 2012

beaslbob said:
kill the lights and stop adding any food for a few days.

Should clear up in a week or two.

my .02

And this is a solution to what problem? Just for future reference.

revhtree · Dec 10, 2012

Your ammonia could be up! I noticed this in my tank several months ago and I found a large pile of pellets that had been sucked into the overflow into the sump that was decaying. I removed them and did a water change and the cloudy tank was gone.

Alwaysalty · Dec 10, 2012

Just out of curiosity microbacter and regular water changes wouldn't help the ammonia cycle out? Just so I understand correctly.

Alabamareef · Dec 25, 2012

How long has it been since youve change your carbon and filter socks?

Jd85 said:
I guess I will keep running my carbon in conjunction with my filter socks and add filter pads.

Alwaysalty · Dec 26, 2012

I do it as a weekly thing w my water changes.

beaslbob · Dec 27, 2012

Jd85 said:
And this is a solution to what problem? Just for future reference.

Cloudy water.

And cyano bacteria also

.Marshall · Dec 27, 2012

I agree with beaslbob, keep up with running carbon and your filter socks, really no need to run a filter pad IMO. It is most likely a bacterial bloom and you will have a couple of these within the first 6~7 months of your tank being setup. Don't worry too much about it, if you really want the water to clear up fast you could run a cheap UV sterilizer for a day or two and that should do the trick.

IF you want to go the UV sterilizer route I suggest the "Mean Green Killing Machine" from petco, it is like $35 and works like a charm, I used it on my 75g even though it is reccommended for tanks up to like 30g, it doesn't matter, this just means the water in the tank will turnover slower which is really what you want.