Cloudy water

[amahairas]

I have a 75g aquarium been running for a couple of months now, I cycled the tank with the microbacter starter kit and it went well. The starter kit also came with a bottle of microbacter clean, to use over the next few months to battle through the ugly phase. The ugly phase has begun and hasn't been horrible, but ugly none the less. I dose the recommended amount of microbacter clean once a week or so, never more than once a week though. Recently, like the last few days I've woken up to a super cloudy tank, like not able to see from one side to the other side of the tank. All my parameters look good. 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, nitrate is reading 0 but my guess is its because the algae is sucking it up right now, kH 8, phosphate is reading between 0-0.25 but Im running GFO so its probably 0 its an API test kit. Calc 400, and mag 1200. There are 2 clowns, and starry blenny, tomini tang, 3 emerald crabs, and 3 nassarius snails. Torch coral, Duncan, GSP, and a couple of mushrooms. Everyone seems happy and healthy, except the Duncan hasn't been opening fully during the day. The weird part is as the day goes on the tank clears up more and more until the lights turn off and its nearly completely clear. I just swapped carbon a couple of days ago, added and extra filter pad and polishing pad, I have a reef octopus 150 that is pretty well dialed in as well. I do turn it off for several hours when I add the microbacter clean though. I have no clue what is causing the cloudy water by day, and clear water by night. Let me know what you guys think, thanks.

 

[Idoc]

Bacterial blooms cause cloudy water. It is coming from the stuff you are dosing to clean the tank, which is bacteria. The problem with bacterial blooms is that the bacteria depletes the oxygen from the water. So, you need to ensure you have good oxygen exchange...point a powerhead toward the surface, add air stones, remove the cup from your skimmer and let it overflow into the sump. I'd probably also do a larger water change if this doesn't clear up by this evening.

Also, I'd recommend removing the GFO...this seems to always end in disaster for new tanks! You want some nutrients in the tank...shoot for around 5-10ppm nitrates, 0.05-0.08ppm PO4. Allow some of the ugly phases to run their courses...use more CUC to manage it vs chemicals.

That would be my advise...

 

[amahairas]

So would you recommend not dosing the microbacter clean? I started dosing this stuff then it was a few days later that I got the bloom. I thought that was what it could be, but with it clearing up at night and then coming back in the morning is what threw me off.

I just restarted this tank after it sitting empty for a few years which is why I even had the GFO reactor. I was iffy about putting it on to start, but figured I'd put my equipment to use. I'll just empty that canister and leave the carbon one running.