Help me please ....My tank is super cloudy ...

[Fishy2020]

Hi Reefers,

My tank has been running for almost 4 to 5 years and recently I been having issues with nitrate. Note - I do not overfeed my fish or coral - I will feed them prawn and fish pellets for approx. 2 mins before removing all uneaten food.

Currently my water parameters are:

Nitrate - 40+ ppm
Nitrate - 0 ppm
Ammonia - 0 ppm
PH - 7.8
Mag - 1360 ppm
Cal - 470 ppm
KH/Alkalinity - 7dkH (which i understand is just a bit low)
Phosphate - 0.6

To help remove the nitrate, I added Reef Essential Nitrate Remover, however soon after, the tank went cloudy ...

I waited 6 + hours and thought it might be best to do a 20% water change. I re tested my tank and the nitrate went slightly down.

The next day I went to test my water parameters again and the nitrate went back up to 40 ppm (note i did not feed my fish/coral at this time). I added more of the Nitrate Remover and the water went super cloudy again.

I am worried my tank might be crashing soon? Should I do a 50% water change? Or should I leave it ... Could it be old tank syndrome? I have experienced this in my life.

So far, my corals and fish are looking okay but due to the water being cloudy, I am worried for there safety/well being... any help/advice would be appreciated. Thank you!

 

[sfin52]

Bacterial bloom. I would turn your skimmer on so the bloom wont deplete oxygen

 

[dwair]

Bacterial bloom. I would turn your skimmer on so the bloom wont deplete oxygen

This. Might not be a bad idea to do another WC, just don't go to crazy. But turn on the skimmer for awhile and let it run and see if it clears up. Just keep an eye on your coral.

 

[Fishy2020]

Bacterial bloom. I would turn your skimmer on so the bloom wont deplete oxygen

Hi @sfin52

Thanks for the response. The skimmer is turned on and running atm.

 

[Fishy2020]

This. Might not be a bad idea to do another WC, just don't go to crazy. But turn on the skimmer for awhile and let it run and see if it clears up. Just keep an eye on your coral.

Hi @dwair , you reckon I should do a 50% water change? I was reading that a 20% water change might not do much to remove the cloudy water plus nitrate ...

 

[dwair]

Hi @dwair , you reckon I should do a 50% water change? I was reading that a 20% water change might not do much to remove the cloudy water plus nitrate ...

I wouldn't do a 50% right away. Let the skimmer do its job and see what happens. If your coral are looking super bad, at that point yes, do a large wc, but I'd just wait on the skimmer. if you have some carbon, throw it in there as well.

 

[Fishy2020]

I wouldn't do a 50% right away. Let the skimmer do its job and see what happens. If your coral are looking super bad, at that point yes, do a large wc, but I'd just wait on the skimmer. if you have some carbon, throw it in there as well.

@dwair Thank you! Ill keep a look out on my nitrate levels and skimmer. Fingers cross.

 

[dwair]

@dwair Thank you! Ill keep a look out on my nitrate levels and skimmer. Fingers cross.

Np, let us know how it all works out and continue to ask questions. As I always said in the Military - The only stupid question is one left unasked.

 

[Crustaceon]

You just essentially vodka dosed your tank and created a bacteria bloom. No big deal, It’s not going to hurt anything. Just run your skimmer for oxygenation and so it can export that gut-loaded bacteria and leave the tank alone. You’re not going to end a bacterial bloom by trying to physically remove it and if you do a water change, there’s a good chance you’ll actually prolong the bloom. Just leave it alone and stop adding nitrate remover for now. It’ll clear up in a day or two on its own and this is coming from someone with a lot of experience using carbon sources and purposefully creating bacterial blooms like what you’re seeing. Once it clears up, try cutting your nitrate reducer dose in half and only increase the dosage slightly if you don’t see any change in nitrate level each day. Also, keep a close eye on your phosphates when using that stuff. You may have to dose a little phosphates in concert with the nitrate reducer otherwise you could bottom out Po4 and won’t get any further No3 reduction.

 

[Fishy2020]

You just essentially vodka dosed your tank and created a bacteria bloom. No big deal, It’s not going to hurt anything. Just run your skimmer for oxygenation and so it can export that gut-loaded bacteria and leave the tank alone. You’re not going to end a bacterial bloom by trying to physically remove it and if you do a water change, there’s a good chance you’ll actually prolong the bloom. Just leave it alone and stop adding nitrate remover for now. It’ll clear up in a day or two on its own and this is coming from someone with a lot of experience using carbon sources and purposefully creating bacterial blooms like what you’re seeing. Once it clears up, try cutting your nitrate reducer dose in half and only increase the dosage slightly if you don’t see any change in nitrate level each day. Also, keep a close eye on your phosphates when using that stuff. You may have to dose a little phosphates in concert with the nitrate reducer otherwise you could bottom out Po4 and won’t get any further No3 reduction.

@Crustaceon Thank you for the response. Should I stop adding the Nitrate remover even if my Nitrate levels are hovering around 40-60 ppm before the tank can clear up? Or should I go off by the way my fish/corals are reacting?

 

[Crustaceon]

@Crustaceon Thank you for the response. Should I stop adding the Nitrate remover even if my Nitrate levels are hovering around 40-60 ppm before the tank can clear up? Or should I go off by the way my fish/corals are reacting?

Don’t add any more right now. Wait for the tank to clear up and then add a half dose. It could take several weeks to reduce your nitrates, but your fish and corals will be fine. Just take it slow. Keep an eye on your skimmer cup. If it’s filling up faster and smellier than usual, it’s a good sign things are going in the right direction. When you dose carbon sources for rapid nitrate reduction, you want to keep the tank clear or in a state of very slight visible bacteria bloom. A little haze is ok. Again and this is imperative, check your Po4 daily and make sure it’s at least at .02ppm before adding more nitrate remover otherwise you’ll likely bottom out Po4 which will cause issues for corals.

 

[Fishy2020]

Hey everyone, just an update on the situation. I left the tank alone - added a couple of air pumps in the sump to allow for oxygenation and within the next 24-36 hours - the tank cleared back up. I am happy to report that all fish and corals survived! Thank you to all that contributed. @sfin52 @dwair @Crustaceon !

 

[dwair]

Hey everyone, just an update on the situation. I left the tank alone - added a couple of air pumps in the sump to allow for oxygenation and within the next 24-36 hours - the tank cleared back up. I am happy to report that all fish and corals survived! Thank you to all that contributed. @sfin52 @dwair @Crustaceon !

Awesome to hear!!!!

 

[Crustaceon]

Great to hear