Cloudy tank - possible causes?

[Reef_Frank]

Over the last week or so my tank has become particularly cloudy. I think this is because of a bacteria / algae bloom but I'm not sure. Nearly beaten my current battle with dinos & diatoms and now have run into the issue of a cloudy tank!

Does anyone have any other ideas / suggestions for this?

pH has also shot up from 8.2 to 8.6 this week.

Ammonia : 0
Nitrate : 2
pH: 8.6
Alkalinity: 8
Calcium: 400
Magnesium: 1280

 

[blaxsun]

Are you dosing or supplementing with anything, ie: bacteria, Nopox, etc.

 

[Reef_Frank]

Are you dosing or supplementing with anything, ie: bacteria, Nopox, etc.

Have been dosing phosphate to achieve a level of .02 but that's it for the past few weeks

 

[blaxsun]

Have been dosing phosphate to achieve a level of .02 but that's it for the past few weeks

What are you all running for filtration, ie filter socks, skimmer, etc.

 

[Reef_Frank]

What are you all running for filtration, ie filter socks, skimmer, etc.

Have got four filter socks and a protein skimmer, although admittedly the protein skimmer has been too high in the water and so perhaps has not been running optimally until yesterday.

 

[Lavey29]

I had cloudy water like this when my nitrate and phosphate bottomed out. Need to increase you nitrates number and what is current phosphate? Do you run carbon? 4 filter socks may be overkill and stripped nitrate out. Maybe run 2 and 2 media cups in case you want to run certain media in your sump.

 

[Reef_Frank]

I had cloudy water like this when my nitrate and phosphate bottomed out. Need to increase you nitrates number and what is current phosphate? Do you run carbon? 4 filter socks may be overkill and stripped nitrate out. Maybe run 2 and 2 media cups in case you want to run certain media in your sump.

Yeah I've had trouble with my phosphate, Nitrate has been steady around 5 - 10 before today's testing.. phosphate is .02 or .03 but having trouble keeping that up! I actually do run 2 socks and 2 media cups sorry for the mistake in main text!

 

[Lavey29]

Yeah I've had trouble with my phosphate, Nitrate has been steady around 5 - 10 before today's testing.. phosphate is .02 or .03 but having trouble keeping that up! I actually do run 2 socks and 2 media cups sorry for the mistake in main text!

Sounds like you are on the right track. My cloudy water cleared up as I dosed neophos and neonitro to get my numbers up. I now have sufficient fish to keep them up without additives. Also sometimes my trochus snails drop their junk in the water and that clouds up the tank awhile.

 

[Reef_Frank]

Sounds like you are on the right track. My cloudy water cleared up as I dosed neophos and neonitro to get my numbers up. I now have sufficient fish to keep them up without additives. Also sometimes my trochus snails drop their junk in the water and that clouds up the tank awhile.

I hope I'm on the right track.. seems like one problem after another early on in this hobby! Thanks for the help

 

[ScottB]

Really does look like a bacterial bloom. Assuming you have fish in there, I would be worried about a lack of oxygen. Tune the skimmer and make sure you have some turbulence on top of the water.

 

[Lavey29]

I hope I'm on the right track.. seems like one problem after another early on in this hobby! Thanks for the help

I feel your pain. Same problems with my tank but I've tried to maintain a different approach the past few months. Trying to stay more natural rather then adding stuff everytime something goes off. I only run a bag of carbon in my sump now and my skimmer. Only one sock to. I recently set up a chaeto fuge to. I believe taking a more natural approach and letting my 8 month old tank work through these phases as part of the maturing process will work better. Moderate GHA currently but coraline building so hope it will out compete now.

 

[Reef_Frank]

Really does look like a bacterial bloom. Assuming you have fish in there, I would be worried about a lack of oxygen. Tune the skimmer and make sure you have some turbulence on top of the water.

Yeah 12 fish in there, thanks for this - planning on a large water change too