Cloudy water

x3x_Rockstar_x3x · Mar 16, 2020

Everything was fine, then boom, got cloudy overnight. All parameters are good, but corals are irritated. Now, it won’t clear up

JoshO · Mar 16, 2020

What are the parameters out of curiosity. Have you changed anything in the sump or filter? Added anything or changed anything? Are all your livestock accounted for?

x3x_Rockstar_x3x · Mar 16, 2020

Temp 80
Alk 7.8
PH 8.0
Ca 480
Mg 1460
Po4 0
No3 80

The only thing I did was top off the reservoir.
The nitrate level is high especially considering I just recently did a water change. And all inhabitants are accounted for

JoshO · Mar 16, 2020

Nitrate 80???

philosophile · Mar 16, 2020

Sounds like a bacterial bloom.

So if we dont know the cause, I would suspect a dead creature somewhere in your tank/rock.

But, in the meantime, add extra oxygenation to prevent bacteria from using up the oxygen and killing everything in your tank. Skim wet to help remove the bacteria. Doing a partial water change can help, but in all likelihood the bacteria will just repopulate and make it cloudy again. Keep some freshly mixed saltwater to replace the skimmate. Empty frequently.

Personally I wouldn't do much more than that, unless you start seeing coral go downhill. If you do then do water changes, maybe every other day.

Edit: whoa nitrate 80... missed that. Yeah giant water changes every day for a while if that number is right. How old is this tank? Did it get cycled properly?

William Mumford · Mar 16, 2020

Bag of carbon if you are not running a reactor.

brandon429 · Mar 16, 2020

You should just rip clean your whole tank. That’s a full water change + substrate rinse, harmless. it will fix all causes. Nanos are easily accessed, no it’s not harmful it’s regenerative and oxygenating and all the good things a natural storm brings to a real reef.

we have several nanos and full sized tanks as recent entrants into our deep clean threads, if you want to not entertain any mysteries, just rip it clean. We have a 120 gallon reef worth at least five grand that has done two cleans recently, and nothing is wrong with his tank. He’s doing it for preventative maintenance and to test the working nature of forced storm cleaning which as a side benefit fixes all cloudy water conditions regardless of the cause.