Slightly Cloudy Water

[T-J]

My tank is not as clear as I want it. The water is slightly cloudy, which I thought may be a bacterial bloom due to the installation of the new lights. I've been running a UV sterilizer for over 24 hours and it still seems a bit cloudy.
Parameters are:
Temp: 78
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 1.0
Phos: unk. (test kit arrives Monday)
Calc: 480
Alk: unk. (test kit arrives Monday)
Salinity: 35ppt
Ph: 8.0

My last water change was this past Monday. Changed carbon out today (passive in a bag in the AIO sump).
Suggestions?

 

[T-J]

To clarify, I’d say it’s more of a haze versus milky cloudy.

 

[MERKEY]

How old is your tank?

 

[P-Dub]

My tank is not as clear as I want it. The water is slightly cloudy, which I thought may be a bacterial bloom due to the installation of the new lights. I've been running a UV sterilizer for over 24 hours and it still seems a bit cloudy.
Parameters are:
Temp: 78
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 1.0
Phos: unk. (test kit arrives Monday)
Calc: 480
Alk: unk. (test kit arrives Monday)
Salinity: 35ppt
Ph: 8.0

My last water change was this past Monday. Changed carbon out today (passive in a bag in the AIO sump).
Suggestions?

Patience is my only recommendation. An abundance of patience.

 

[T-J]

How old is your tank?

Just over a month. None of my previous tanks had this issue, but this is my first rank with live sand, Bac7 and dry rock. All my prior tanks were done with Fiji live rock (RIP).

 

[MERKEY]

Just over a month. None of my previous tanks had this issue, but this is my first rank with live sand, Bac7 and dry rock. All my prior tanks were done with Fiji live rock (RIP).

Gotcha...ya unless you rinsed the sand clear first that's going to take time.

 

[MERKEY]

Just over a month. None of my previous tanks had this issue, but this is my first rank with live sand, Bac7 and dry rock. All my prior tanks were done with Fiji live rock (RIP).

Do you have pics of cloudyness?

 

[T-J]

I didn’t rinse it. It was live sand which said no need to rinse and I didn’t want to mess with the bacteria. Possibly a mistake....

I’ve taken a bunch of pics but none really show it very well.

 

[MERKEY]

I didn’t rinse it. It was live sand which said no need to rinse and I didn’t want to mess with the bacteria. Possibly a mistake....

I’ve taken a bunch of pics but none really show it very well.

Looks pretty clear for a month old tank

I understand it doesnt show it very well in the pics but it does look good for only being 1 month old. Add some special blend benificial bacteria if you want to help the bac out. It's not a starter bac like dr Tim's but it's a booster for the bac already in their!

 

[T-J]

Looks pretty clear for a month old tank

Lol thanks. The pic does look clear, but it has this haze to it. Everything else seems fine so I guess I’ll just ride it out for a bit.

The UV did clear out the diatoms pretty quick tho! Well, I assume it was the UV that helped.

 

[Greg P]

Even new 'Live sand' needs to be rinsed to remove the fine sediment. You will not lose bacteria doing this as it's attached to the particles.
The fine stuff you rinse out will be what causes 'mulm' in the future.
if you still have a chance, remove the sand and wash it as much as you can according to the instructions listed in the link provided.

Good luck with your new build!!

Official Sand Rinse and Tank Transfer thread

If you are reading this thread to cure a tank invasion from a link I sent you, we do not need to identify your type of invasion here we do not need you to test anything at anytime regarding nitrate, phosphate etc Above all, we do not need to see a microscope slide picture of your invasion at...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[T-J]

Several days later, including a water change.
Look through the side on these color corrected pics, I think you can see the cloudiness. Should I just leave it or throw the UV back in? Or something else?

 

[krash7172]

I would just leave it. It will clear with proper filtration. I used unwashed live sand and it drove me crazy. Later, I added a diamond goby and went through it again. Looks great now.

 

[MichaelReefer]

It takes time, even with a UV. You better learn Patience, because that's all this hobby is. lol (This is coming from someone with very little)

 

[T-J]

It takes time, even with a UV. You better learn Patience, because that's all this hobby is. lol (This is coming from someone with very little)

20 years in the hobby, I’m well aware of patience. But in all my years I’ve never had this issue. I’ve also never used dry rock (because I used to get Fiji live) and live sand.