New to Saltwater tank

rajaraj

New Member
View Badges
Joined
Aug 16, 2024
Messages
3
Reaction score
1
Location
India
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I am new in this hobby (started around 9 months back) and as expected have been running in to quite a bit of issues :).

Tank size: 4 feet x 2 feet x 4 feet

85D52B93-99BC-4622-89AD-5F99792BFE71.JPG 04CC2B02-B4C7-421C-8591-BE2B2FCBCFF2.JPG 652BA781-CF60-4039-A76B-D2A09CACFD17.JPG

Tank was doing fine until couple of months ago had bacterial bloom. Water was very cloudy. Local aquarium people recommended the following:

1) 30% water changes every 2 weeks.
2) Adding activated carbon media to the filer for couple of weeks.
3) Clean sponge media every two days until the cloudiness goes away.
4) As a last resort, tried seachem clarity.

The cloudiness of the water even though reduced, it's still not as clear as before. Is there anything else I can try?

Water parameters:
Ammonia - 0ppm
Nitrate - < 10ppm
Nitrite - 0ppm
pH - 8.4
 

Gumbies R Us

Certified Noob
View Badges
Joined
Nov 10, 2022
Messages
13,499
Reaction score
23,227
Location
North Georgia
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I am new in this hobby (started around 9 months back) and as expected have been running in to quite a bit of issues :).

Tank size: 4 feet x 2 feet x 4 feet

85D52B93-99BC-4622-89AD-5F99792BFE71.JPG 04CC2B02-B4C7-421C-8591-BE2B2FCBCFF2.JPG 652BA781-CF60-4039-A76B-D2A09CACFD17.JPG

Tank was doing fine until couple of months ago had bacterial bloom. Water was very cloudy. Local aquarium people recommended the following:

1) 30% water changes every 2 weeks.
2) Adding activated carbon media to the filer for couple of weeks.
3) Clean sponge media every two days until the cloudiness goes away.
4) As a last resort, tried seachem clarity.

The cloudiness of the water even though reduced, it's still not as clear as before. Is there anything else I can try?

Water parameters:
Ammonia - 0ppm
Nitrate - < 10ppm
Nitrite - 0ppm
pH - 8.4
How is the flow in your tank? Maybe upping the flow might reduce some of the water cloudiness issues.
 

AmazingYocool

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Aug 11, 2024
Messages
48
Reaction score
48
Location
USA
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I am new in this hobby (started around 9 months back) and as expected have been running in to quite a bit of issues :).

Tank size: 4 feet x 2 feet x 4 feet

85D52B93-99BC-4622-89AD-5F99792BFE71.JPG 04CC2B02-B4C7-421C-8591-BE2B2FCBCFF2.JPG 652BA781-CF60-4039-A76B-D2A09CACFD17.JPG

Tank was doing fine until couple of months ago had bacterial bloom. Water was very cloudy. Local aquarium people recommended the following:

1) 30% water changes every 2 weeks.
2) Adding activated carbon media to the filer for couple of weeks.
3) Clean sponge media every two days until the cloudiness goes away.
4) As a last resort, tried seachem clarity.

The cloudiness of the water even though reduced, it's still not as clear as before. Is there anything else I can try?

Water parameters:
Ammonia - 0ppm
Nitrate - < 10ppm
Nitrite - 0ppm
pH - 8.4
Your water quality seems alright. As for now, keep adding carbon and replace it after about a week. Its said that it can last a month, but if the water is more dirty than normal (or in this case cloudy) then it gets used up quicker. Sometimes white cloudyness stems from a bacterial bloom. Some things like this just need strong filtration and time. Everything seems healthy, so thats great!

I love that bird wrasse
 
OP
OP
R

rajaraj

New Member
View Badges
Joined
Aug 16, 2024
Messages
3
Reaction score
1
Location
India
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
How is the flow in your tank? Maybe upping the flow might reduce some of the water cloudiness issues.
Thanks for your response. I have a Maxspect Gyre XF350 wavemaker with one flow director flow.JPG pointing down and other one pointing horizontally (attached pic). If I increase the speed even a bit, it starts disturbing the sand bed.

 
OP
OP
R

rajaraj

New Member
View Badges
Joined
Aug 16, 2024
Messages
3
Reaction score
1
Location
India
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Your water quality seems alright. As for now, keep adding carbon and replace it after about a week. Its said that it can last a month, but if the water is more dirty than normal (or in this case cloudy) then it gets used up quicker. Sometimes white cloudyness stems from a bacterial bloom. Some things like this just need strong filtration and time. Everything seems healthy, so thats great!

I love that bird wrasse
Thanks for the suggestion. Yes, it was most likely due to bacterial bloom. Another observation was that when cloudiness increased, some fishes were having trouble breathing (lost a couple of them). Have added 4 air stones until this gets cleared. I was worried that it has been 2 months and water still hasn't cleared up.
 

AmazingYocool

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Aug 11, 2024
Messages
48
Reaction score
48
Location
USA
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Thanks for the suggestion. Yes, it was most likely due to bacterial bloom. Another observation was that when cloudiness increased, some fishes were having trouble breathing (lost a couple of them). Have added 4 air stones until this gets cleared. I was worried that it has been 2 months and water still hasn't cleared up.
Your tank is an odd shape, and its very tall. With a normal long tank, flow can get throughout the entire tank Left to right. I would consider adding more flow, and seeing if that improves the fish's Resperation. Airstones are a great tempoary solution!


Try to have the flow reach the middle of the tank, instead of the top side and bottom side. Maybe that will help
 

TOP 10 Trending Threads

IF YOU HAD A CAREER IN REEF-KEEPING, WHAT WOULD YOU BE DOING? AND WHY?

  • Selling and distributing livestock!

    Votes: 26 44.8%
  • Selling and distributing equipment!

    Votes: 8 13.8%
  • Breeding and Aquaculture!

    Votes: 24 41.4%
  • Livestock Disease and Treatment!

    Votes: 4 6.9%
  • Chemistry!

    Votes: 7 12.1%
  • Designing and Maintenance of tanks!

    Votes: 13 22.4%
  • Research and Education!

    Votes: 14 24.1%
  • Reefing Equipment and Dry Goods Creation and Manufacturing!

    Votes: 8 13.8%
  • Conservation!

    Votes: 15 25.9%
  • Other (please explain)!

    Votes: 4 6.9%
Back
Top