Why Is My Water Cloudy???

[stoneriff]

Hello folks;
I have a 120 gallon reef tank. 4'x2'x2' My calcium reactor is off. My parameters are perfect.
Calcium 450
Mag 1350
PH 8.2
Alk 2.8
Temp 78.1
Nitrates .02 almost undetectable
No phosphates
Did a water change 2 days ago.
Clean filter socks
Skimmer is working well
Flow is good.
I'm not over feeding.
Water is a bit cloudy.
What am I missing???

Thank you.

 

[kenconnect]

Couple of ?
Are you using ro water
what salt are you using and how long did u let it mix before you did ur water change.

 

[prattreef]

It could just be a bacterial bloom which is nothing to worry about and will clear on its own.

 

[stoneriff]

Couple of ?
Are you using ro water
what salt are you using and how long did u let it mix before you did ur water change.

Definitely using RO/DI water. I have a Typhoon Extreme filter with very new filters. My TDS meter is reading 0 output, and 12 input. I'm using Instant Ocean right now. The water was mixed for 2 days before I did a water change. I will be switching to ESV Salt once the IO is done. I just received a shipment of ESV Salt.

 

[stoneriff]

It could just be a bacterial bloom which is nothing to worry about and will clear on its own.

Thank you. I hope that's all it is. Should I do another small water change? Do you think that will help?

 

[Imbarrie]

Try a different filter sock. Maybe the one you used wasnt completely clean.

 

[prattreef]

I would let it ride its course unless it gets appreciably worse. A fresh change of carbon wouldn't hurt and might do some good. Watch your fish carefully. If they show signs of distress--rapid breathing etc. ( bacterial blooms can consume a lot of O2) then I'd take more radical action.

 

[stoneriff]

Try a different filter sock. Maybe the one you used wasnt completely clean.

I did. Changed both with new ones that i ran in the rinse cycle twice last night. I let them dry over night, and put them in this morning. Very weird. Fish are fine. Corals are wide open. I don't get it.

 

[stoneriff]

I would let it ride its course unless it gets appreciably worse. A fresh change of carbon wouldn't hurt and might do some good. Watch your fish carefully. If they show signs of distress--rapid breathing etc. ( bacterial blooms can consume a lot of O2) then I'd take more radical action.

The fish seem fine. Eating and swimming normally. I will change carbon now. Thanks.
If it doesn't improve, any ideas?

 

[coralcrazy]

Get a uv sterilizer, I had the same thing happen to me, amazon has one for 40$ should clear it up

 

[stoneriff]

Get a uv sterilizer, I had the same thing happen to me, amazon has one for 40$ should clear it up

I've heard pros and cons on UV'S. Anyone else have experience with UV's?

 

[strgazr27]

What cons have you heard? If utilized properly a UV can be a tremendous help in a reef setup. The key is proper sizing and flow to achieve what you want it to do.

 

[stoneriff]

I just changed the carbon. My carbon in the reactor was calcified and solid. I had to chip it out. I just cleaned it and added fresh ESV carbon. Let's see what happens.

 

[stoneriff]

What cons have you heard? If utilized properly a UV can be a tremendous help in a reef setup. The key is proper sizing and flow to achieve what you want it to do.

I've heard that UV's can also eliminate good organisms as well as the bad ones.

 

[jedimaster1138]

I had a bacterial bloom that I let go, thinking it was natural. Then it got worse. Then it killed 2 of my fish (clowns) overnight. Water changes, filter socks, carbon, GFO, skimming did nothing leading up to the deaths. After WC's things would be clearer and then 6 hours later I was looking at milk water. Then I put in a UV...clear water in 12 hours. I'll never run without one again.

Yes, UV's also kill some of the beneficial things in the water, but that's mainly things like pods (if they go through the UV, which isn't guaranteed) and possibly plankton, if you have any in water (turn it off if/while you dose in plankton for coral feeding) What seems to always be forgotten is that the VAST MAJORITY of the nitrifying bacteria - ie the bio filter - do not live in the water, they live in the rocks and the sand. So running a UV isn't going to kill your bio filter. I've read a lot of about UV sterilizers and more than half of the people who are against them think they destroy bio-filters. That's simply not true.

I'd watch your fish closely as well. If they start acting odd, act. If the cloudiness gets worse, act. If you do WC-'s and it comes right back, act.

<-- Has 2 UV units now, one in his DT, another in his QT.

 

[thirty5]

Do you wear Glasses? Are they dirty??

LOL

Sorry I had to have some input...

 

[prattreef]

UV units are very valuable ( but not requisite ) additions to reef systems. If your situation continues, I would not hesitate to add one. There is very little downside. Where people run into issues with UV's is deluding themselves into thinking they can control parasite outbreaks with them--which you can, but the sizing and flow rates are really important for this purpose, and most people run units that are far too small to accomplish this aim.

 

[Aquadicted]

+1 for uvs + flow ratio

 

[stoneriff]

Do you recommend any good quality UV's for my 120 Gallon tank?
Thanks.

 

[stoneriff]

Do you recommend any good quality UV's for my 120 Gallon tank?
Thanks.

Anyone?