WHY IS MY TANK CLOUDY...?!??

[Malifry97]

My tank has had this cloud for about three days. The only thing that has changed in my tank is that I got and installed a new filter. I transferred all the media to the new filter. WHAT COULD IT BE?!?! And how do u fix it?

 

[foxt]

What kind of filter did you switch to, and what kind of media did you transfer?

 

[EmdeReef]

Milky white water is usually a bacterial bloom. Water changes, UV should help. It should also go on its own but watch for signs of O2 depletion.

 

[Malifry97]

I switched to a penguin bio wheel 150 I transferred a 1 week old unit of chemipure elite, some filter sponge and some biological ceramic media rings.

 

[Malifry97]

Milky white water is usually a bacterial bloom. Water changes, UV should help. It should also go on its own but watch for signs of O2 depletion.

Ok thanks!

 

[Omgitsjoe]

Looks like a bacterial bloom to me. I have LED and T5. So i cut my T5 of for 48hrs and controlled my urge to overfeed. Went away just fine.

 

[Malifry97]

Looks like a bacterial bloom to me. I have LED and T5. So i cut my T5 of for 48hrs and controlled my urge to overfeed. Went away just fine.

Ok thanks

 

[MERKEY]

How old is your tank? What are the parameters?

 

[Malifry97]

How old is your tank? What are the parameters?

Tank is 2 months old very stable.
Calcium: 380
Alk: 7
Ammonia:0
Nitrites: >5
Nitrates: 10

 

[Mical]

That's quite the bio-load (# of fish) for a tank that's only 2 mos old. With Alk & calcium that low and tank that new, I highly doubt your coral are going to survive. Slow down & watch it evolve.

 

[MERKEY]

Most tanks are not stable at 2 months for all of that. Nitrites need to be closer to 0.

I say add some prime and or special blend.

 

[Malifry97]

Most tanks are not stable at 2 months for all of that. Nitrites need to be closer to 0.

I say add some prime and or special blend.

I just added prime.

 

[Aquanaut WA]

Need to add dr tims bacteria to help cycle. Boost bacteria, a safer option than prime. It takes 7 weeks for Nitrite to zero out.

 

[Malifry97]

Need to add dr tims bacteria to help cycle. Boost bacteria, a safer option than prime. It takes 7 weeks for Nitrite to zero out.

Ok

 

[Katrina71]

If you have an airstone, drop it in to help your fish breathe easier.

 

[Paul B]

Most tanks are not stable at 2 months for all of that.

Forget Prime, your tank needs Time.
Way to new for almost anything which is why those bacteria are all swimming around instead of settling down someplace.

Don't add Prime or anything else and for a few days, severly limit or stop any food. It will calm down.
Keep up the circulation as those bacteria are using much more oxygen than those fish are and if you see the fish gasping near the surface, you will have very little time to change most of the water.

On the bright side, the bacteria will eventually stabilize and you should have a nicely running reef.

 

[Flippers4pups]

I concur no need to add Prime, adding it didn't hurt anything, but didn't help anything as far as the cloudiness is concerned. You don't have any ammonia, so your fish should be fine.

 

[Malifry97]

Forget Prime, your tank needs Time.
Way to new for almost anything which is why those bacteria are all swimming around instead of settling down someplace.

Don't add Prime or anything else and for a few days, severly limit or stop any food. It will calm down.
Keep up the circulation as those bacteria are using much more oxygen than those fish are and if you see the fish gasping near the surface, you will have very little time to change most of the water.

On the bright side, the bacteria will eventually stabilize and you should have a nicely running reef.

Ok thank you

 

[Malifry97]

Ok th

I concur no need to add Prime, adding it didn't hurt anything, but didn't help anything as far as the cloudiness is concerned. You don't have any ammonia, so your fish should be fine.

ok thanks

 

[MERKEY]

I concur no need to add Prime, adding it didn't hurt anything, but didn't help anything as far as the cloudiness is concerned. You don't have any ammonia, so your fish should be fine.

The reason I said add prime is because he is jump starting his cycle. If he didn't add the fish and corals at this early point I wouldn't be concerned of an ammonia spike or nitrite spike. But at this point if his tank cycles hard he could very well lose what's in it which for a new reefer could ruin the whole experience. Adding prime to help alleviate and sudden ammonia spike would help and like you said doent hurt anything and then the special blend adds the benificial bacteria to eat the bloomed bacteria. Once again sutuational.

Really TIME is the only thing to make a tank clear and ready. I was just offering help with his situation and what was done already.

Nothing will clear the water but time and a true cycle.