Help with cloudy tank???

[dacarlson]

I am hoping someone can help with my problem. I recently set up a 135 gal. Tenecor bow front tank with their reef ready package. It included overflow, w/d trickle filter with Berlin PS. I used approx. 150# of Fiji live rock and 4"-5" of coral sand. Lighting is made up with 8 110W VHO bulbs (8 hours for Actinic 03's and 6 hours for Actinic Whites) Temp. is at 79degrees.

After cycling, hermits, snails, brittle stars were added and shortly after a Yellow Tang, pair of Ocellaris, Neon dotty and 6 Green Chromis. Shortly after a Umbrella leather and small red open brain were added. Everything was going great, water parameters are fine, and the fish are doing great. Feeding is done sparingly twice a day with pellets and frozen. A week ago I noticed the water getting a bit cloudy. As of today the tank looks gross...... The water is not just cloudy but it looks as if there are clouds of stuff in the water column. I have set up many reef systems and have never seen anything like it. All the live goods are still doing great, even the two corals are out full. I'm starting to think I have clouds of phytoplankton. Is that possible. If so how do I clear up the water.

Any ideas…….

Dave

 

[mehdirah]

Hello,

I have a similar problem on a "new/old" 75 gal tank: it was a fish tank for more than 10 years and I converted it to berlin reef last summer, in the process changing most of the water but not all (as I still had a big Lo vulpinus in the tank and I didn't wanted to catch it). At that moment, I added a tunze skimmer, more pumps for water circulation (3 pumps of about 300 gal/hour). I also added 80 pounds of live rock.

When I added the 250W HQI 3 months ago I got a diatom bloom (brown) on the live rocks. Brushing and siphoning it from rocks, with charcoal filtration every week and kalkwasser for top-off removed nearly everything from the rocks. Please note that adding turbos do not work: they ate algae but all died in a few weeks period, I suppose that my algae is toxic (the Lo also avoid them).

But a month ago, while rocks problem was improving, water became cloudy, with a brown color. And the water problem increased every week.

Needless to say, I cannot measure any phosphate or nitrates... I suppose that all the nutrients are stored in the algae themselves.

So, last week, when I cannot saw the back of my tank, I took drastic measures: only 1 hour of light per day, the Lo was fed only once a day instead of 2 or 3 times, charcoal (1 third of a cup) and mechanical filtration changed every day. After a week, water is still cloudy but situlation already improved a lot.

Yesterday I have added a third of a cup of kent phosphate sponge, changed it today after 20 hours and put a new dose which will stays a few days.

I will give you new in a few days, saying if phosphate sponge improved further the situation.

In your case, I am just afraid that cutting lights will harm your invertebrate: fortunately, I still don't have any in that aquarium, I wait for the algae problem to be solved. But it is probable that reducing photoperiod time a little could improve things. Also, you could certainly feed less.

I didn't tested it, but a UV steriliser will definitely solve the problem as it kills everything in the water. But your equipment must be ready to collect all the dirt that will come from the quickly dead algae. It is what afraided me, so I din't go that way. But once the water is clear again, I will definitely buy one to prevent any similar problems in the future.

Good luck,
Mehdi Rahman

 

[dacarlson]

Thanks for the input. Keep me informed on how you progress. I have cut back the lighting some for now. The tank has no micro or diatoms but just the water column filled with something. If I take out water and let set it settles out in clumps and not just a even sedement on the bottom.

DAve

 

[mehdirah]

Hello,

I wanted to give a few news. My water is now nearly clear. Combination of phsophate sponge and nearly no lights (now up to 2 hours a day) worked great.

I will continue that until end of the week and then go back to a more normal lighting period... while still using phosphate sponge to prevent any further problem.

How is your aquarium ? Did the trick worked in your case ?

Mehdi Rahman