Cloudy water over a month now.

[Danroo]

Good morning to everyone.

I’ll start with my tank being 6 months old now it’s a 20 gallon FOWLR tank with only a hob filter for the filtration. My parameters the last week I checked were

salinity: 1.022
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 2
Phosphate: 0.03
Temp: 78F
Calcium: 390
Magnesium: 1260
Alkalinity: 8.2

test kits: salifert

livestock: 2 clownfish, 2 Bengai cardinals, orchid dottyback. Cleaner shrimp. Red brittle star. 3 trochus snails. 3 hermit crabs.

Feeding: only rinsed mysis shrimp once a day which would be gone in 3-4 bites.


I started with dry rock and live sand. My nitrates and phosphates have been constant after I have replaced 2 HOB filters after my tank has been cycled. Both were aqueon one was more powerful than the others.

I was replacing cartridges which also brought in the cloudiness. Would be constant after that because of the removal of beneficial bacteria

3 weeks ago I gave in with the removal of this cartridge and bought a tidal cause I also needed the surface skimming. The beneficial bacteria did form on the matrix but I feel like it’s not enough to get outcompete the cloudiness and ordered fritz turbo ( will arrive on Tuesday).

It has been a month since I did a water change due to phosphate and nitrate being constant and yesterday I added filter floss.

so my question is. Is there a lack of biological filtration?

 

[One Breath 808]

This is after 1 hour with a 5 gallon water change.

Looks to be working. Wait a few days and do another

 

[Danroo]

Looks to be working. Wait a few days and do another

I’ll do one this coming Tuesday.

 

[One Breath 808]

I’ll do one this coming Tuesday.

What is your ammonia at?

 

[Danroo]

What is your ammonia at?

Was 0 before the water change, tested again still 0

 

[Screwgunner]

Charcoal i use 8 tablespoons for 120 gallon system every two weeks.

 

[Danroo]

Update:

this is after 24 hours.

 

[Danroo]

Update:

2 days after second water change.

 

[Aqua Man]

@Danroo

hows the tank looking now?

 

[monkeyCmonkeyDo]

It does not even look cloudy in any of the op's pics. Lol.
Why no on tell op to get a protein skimmer? Or add a media bag full of charcoal or carbon. Leave it in for 4 days or more until u can see long ways through ur tank.
No wc needed here. Lol. My opinion. Feed more.
-d

 

[Danroo]

It does not even look cloudy in any of the op's pics. Lol.
Why no on tell op to get a protein skimmer? Or add a media bag full of charcoal or carbon. Leave it in for 4 days or more until u can see long ways through ur tank.
No wc needed here. Lol. My opinion. Feed more.
-d

@Danroo

hows the tank looking now?

I took these yesterday. I was using charcoal that comes with aqueon filters and replaced the filter with tidal. Right now I’m using purigen instead of those, but the problem I’m facing is every time I over dead that water starts showing up being cloudy doesn’t affect my nutrients. Nitrates stay constant 2 and phosphates 0.03. I’m scratching my head and wondering who is eating my nitrates.

 

[Aqua Man]

Why no on tell op to get a protein skimmer?

Because skimmers are not needed for a successful reef! Bare bones reefing! Lol

 

[Danroo]

Because skimmers are not needed for a successful reef! Bare bones reefing! Lol

I don’t have anything against skimmers. I’m just trying to keep less equipment as possible and more natural. Plus my tank feels too overcrowded once I have accomplished everything on this small tank and move on a bigger one like a 180 or something I’ll definitely keep a skimmer on that.

 

[Aqua Man]

My 20 tall, Aqueon HOB, heater and 1 power head. That’s it! I stopped using the cartridges and just cut a filter pad to fit. Carbon in a small mesh bag inside filter. 2 fish, 1 clown and a starry blenny. 4-5 snails.

 

[Danroo]

My 20 tall, Aqueon HOB, heater and 1 power head. That’s it! I stopped using the cartridges and just cut a filter pad to fit. Carbon in a small mesh bag inside filter. 2 fish, 1 clown and a starry blenny. 4-5 snails.

Looks great. Yeah I ditched the cartridges, the tidal provides a surface skimmer and has matrix rocks, a polishing pad and a foam, which I just cleaned it with tank water when I did my water change 3 days back. I was thinking of replacing purigen with carbon which I have made a bag of it now that my tank has cleared up.