Cloudy water

[scotty333]

Guys

If guessing it’s bacteria but why if it is?

I don’t know if you can see from the pic but overnight the water clarity went from perfect to cloudy
I had to scrape whatever of the glass and did a 30% wc.

Thd nems are cheesed off but no efffect on the fish or inverts

Any ideas what’s happening?

 

[DanyL]

That’s probably not a bacterial bloom.

You played with your PH and likely elevated it too much, over its tipping point where it started to precipitate as Calcium carbonate.
Hence why you had to scrape it off of the glass.

Now you must use low PH supplement such as Sodium Bicarbonate for your Alk for awhile, until all the precipitation left overs will get covered with biofilm, otherwise they will act a catalyst and keep the precipitation going.

 

[scotty333]

It’s a different tank my friend but I do agree with the precipitation but how overnight?

 

[DanyL]

It’s a different tank my friend but I do agree with the precipitation but how overnight?

What are you dosing in this tank?

 

[scotty333]

What are you dosing in this tank?

Only thing I can think of was that the temp was a bit low ( 21) so I cranked it up to 26 which happened overnight

 

[DanyL]

looking back at the picture, you don’t have any stony corals in there so it’s unlikely it was caused by dosing high PH Alk supplement.

I don’t think the temp change would make any difference in terms of precipitation.

Maybe someone else will have an idea what may have caused it.

 

[scotty333]

looking back at the picture, you don’t have any stony corals in there so it’s unlikely it was caused by dosing high PH Alk supplement.

I don’t think the temp change would make any difference in terms of precipitation.

Maybe someone else will have an idea what may have caused it.

Nah no corals at all just 2 nems
Since I’ve not dosed anything and you don’t think the temp swing I’m stumped too

Boss!

 

[scotty333]

So I think I was right about the bacteria because 2 days ago my no3 was 10 ,today is 0 despite quite a lot of food going in so I think the bacteria consumed it
Crystal clear today

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

If it is bacteria, that's not generally a big deal, but it brings up the question why. Did you add organic matter in some form?

 

[scotty333]

If it is bacteria, that's not generally a big deal, but it brings up the question why. Did you add organic matter in some form?

Not added anything but 600g of dry rock a week ago and as I said above I had a temp swing

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Not added anything but 600g of dry rock a week ago and as I said above I had a temp swing

I'm not seeing a reason for a bacterial bloom unless something died, but in any case, I'd just observe.

 

[scotty333]

Well I don’t know what’s going on here , nems were all shriveled up so did another 25% wc and the waters a bit cloudy again and the nems are completely curled up

 

[DanyL]

Can you better describe what you had to scrape off the glass?
If it was hard white coating then its precipitation, if it’s just a biofilm than probably a bacterial bloom.

I would also test your parameters and see if something shifted significantly.

 

[scotty333]

Sure
It was white and took a bit of effort to scrape off

Po4 .04
No3 0 but raised to 3

Will check others soon but it’s nsw I’ve used for wc

Sure
It was white and took a bit of effort to scrape off

Po4 .04
No3 0 but raised to 3
Calcium 410
Kh 9.9

I don’t know why it’s 9.9 as it was nsw level at 7.3 so I checked my nsw and it’s 7.3

Hmmmm