Why is my reef tank water is CLOUDY?

CyberGuy · Feb 12, 2021

My 20 gallon tank has been set up for 1 month. The first 2 weeks of cycling showed clear water despite using Dr. Tim's and Brightwell Microbacter XLM.

I added 4 acro frags on the 3rd week and after 1 month they have polyp extension and retained their color without any loss of tissue.

5 of my small fish are doing great and eating well.

I do not know why my tank has been cloudy starting week 3. No fish die. Acros doing well. Tank glass is cleaned. I have a refugium with cheato and dragon breath. I use new filter sock.

It has been cloudy for the last 1 week. Any reason why and how should I fix it? Thanks.

Also, my tank went through a dirty cycle and my rocks and sand are really clean now, with the help of CUC.

Garf · Feb 12, 2021

Good luck with the acros in a tank so young. Dry rock start I presume? Are you experienced? Not impossible if you know what you are doing, but not not easy.

cmmatxh · Feb 12, 2021

bacterial bloom? i have the same problem, following this thread to see if someone helps. i was told to use a uv sterilizer but don’t know which one to get

cmmatxh · Feb 12, 2021

do you have any sand sifting fish?

CyberGuy · Feb 12, 2021

Garf said:
Good luck with the acros in a tank so young. Dry rock start I presume? Are you experienced? Not impossible if you know what you are doing, but not not easy.

I am an experienced reefer. I have been reefing for more than 30 years.

Here is my current 120 gallon mixed tank.

Yes, I used dry rock. I am taking acro frags from my established 120 gallon to test out in my 20 gallon and so far they are doing well.

First time I experienced the cloudy water though after 3 weeks into the life of the tank.

CyberGuy · Feb 12, 2021

cmmatxh said:
do you have any sand sifting fish?

I do not have any sand shifter fish. I do not believe it is from sand dust since it was crystal clear for 3 weeks.

My sand is Tropic Eden Reefflakes 3.5 mm grade.

Garf · Feb 12, 2021

Nice.
Edit - Not sure you need our advice tbh
Edit 2 - you’ve never had a bloom before?

ReefHomieJon · Feb 12, 2021

CyberGuy said:
I am an experienced reefer. I have been reefing for more than 30 years.

Here is my current 120 gallon mixed tank.

Yes, I used dry rock. I am taking acro frags from my established 120 gallon to test out in my 20 gallon and so far they are doing well.

First time I experienced the cloudy water though after 3 weeks into the life of the tank.

Beautiful tank reefhomiecyberguy

ReefHomieJon · Feb 12, 2021

praying for your acros reef homie lol

CyberGuy · Feb 12, 2021

Garf said:
Nice.
Edit - Not sure you need our advice tbh
Edit 2 - you’ve never had a bloom before?

Never had this cloudy issue before in all my years of reefing. It only get cloudy when I put in the water for the very first time with the sand on the bottom. It normally just clears up the next day. By the way, I rinsed the sand real well too.

I guess from some of the comments on here, it is probably a bacterial bloom. I will wait it out for another week to see if it will resolve.
The glass gets dirty real fast too so it is not fun to clean the glass everyday now until the cloudiness resolves.

MichaelReefer · Feb 12, 2021

CyberGuy said:
My 20 gallon tank has been set up for 1 month. The first 2 weeks of cycling showed clear water despite using Dr. Tim's and Brightwell Microbacter XLM.

I added 4 acro frags on the 3rd week and after 1 month they have polyp extension and retained their color without any loss of tissue.

5 of my small fish are doing great and eating well.

I do not know why my tank has been cloudy starting week 3. No fish die. Acros doing well. Tank glass is cleaned. I have a refugium with cheato and dragon breath. I use new filter sock.

It has been cloudy for the last 1 week. Any reason why and how should I fix it? Thanks.

Also, my tank went through a dirty cycle and my rocks and sand are really clean now, with the help of CUC.

Probably a bacterial bloom.

Garf · Feb 13, 2021

CyberGuy said:
Never had this cloudy issue before in all my years of reefing. It only get cloudy when I put in the water for the very first time with the sand on the bottom. It normally just clears up the next day. By the way, I rinsed the sand real well too.

I guess from some of the comments on here, it is probably a bacterial bloom. I will wait it out for another week to see if it will resolve.
The glass gets dirty real fast too so it is not fun to clean the glass everyday now until the cloudiness resolves.

I ran into a never ending bloom. Decided, enough was enough and got a UV. The next day it was gone.

Alexopora · Feb 13, 2021

CyberGuy said:
Never had this cloudy issue before in all my years of reefing. It only get cloudy when I put in the water for the very first time with the sand on the bottom. It normally just clears up the next day. By the way, I rinsed the sand real well too.

I guess from some of the comments on here, it is probably a bacterial bloom. I will wait it out for another week to see if it will resolve.
The glass gets dirty real fast too so it is not fun to clean the glass everyday now until the cloudiness resolves.

My best guess is that your tank is still young (in terms of nitrifying bacterial population as well as biodiversity) hence the bloom. Its probably free floating bacteria that caused the cloudiness since the ones normally found in the filter media and rock-work are still in the midst of colonising and establishing. Still unsure on the specific conditions that leads to bacterial blooms but in my experience out of my four tanks, only one went through it somewhere around the 2nd month mark. This was in Jan 2020 and by then there were no fish and just a couple of sexy shrimps with some softies. However it disappered within two days and ever since hasn’t appeared again.
Cloudiness shouldnt be an issue as long as there is sufficient aeration since bacterial blooms indicate a sudden explosion in free floating bacterial population which increases the demand for oxygen. Since these are most likely aerobic bacteria.

You did mention that the glass gets dirty real fast? Is it algae?