Saltwater Mixing Process and Bacteria Bloom (maybe?)

[chaserdogg01]

Hi all,

Been dealing with a bit of a bacteria bloom (I think) in my 75-gallon tank and I am trying to get down to the bottom of what could be causing it.

One thing I came across was people (and chat gpt) saying that it could have to do with the mixing of the saltwater and letting it sit without aeration or circulation (powerhead or aerator). I tend to just hand mix the salt with a ladle until it has all been dissolved and then let it sit till after I am off work and execute the water change. After seeing this may be problematic, I ordered some powerheads and will let the saltwater mix overnight moving forward. I only have one spare heater so I may just get a 10–12-gallon brute can to mix and heat it as I hear temp can be a problem as well.

Beyond that, my nitrates are sitting around 5-15 PPM, I do a 10% change weekly (8 gallons), my salinity hovers around 34 PPT, I use reef crystals and RODI for my mixing as well. I just recently added some powerheads to make sure gas exchange at the surface was sufficient and another in the mid-level of the tank to make sure flow was strong enough. Only have two clownfish and a CUC in the tank. Just replaced carbon in filter and all mechanical media (fluval 407). I've attached a pic of the milky haze with the lights on to hopefully illustrate the issue better. No skimmer.

Please advise! Thank you!

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Bacteria will only grow in a salt mix with added organic matter.

What salt mix are you using?

 

[chaserdogg01]

Bacteria will only grow in a salt mix with added organic matter.

What salt mix are you using?

Reef Crystals!

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Ok, so Reef Crystals is a mix I would not leave unstirred because it does contain organics (vitamins and a metal chelator).

I can’t say whether it contributed to your particular bloom, however.

 

[chaserdogg01]

Ok, so Reef Crystals is a mix I would not leave unstirred because it does contain organics (vitamins and a metal chelator).

I can’t say whether it contributed to your particular bloom, however.

Good to know. Will use the new powerheads I get while mixing and see if that helps with the problem. Thank you.

*Edit* Would not having coral in the tank to absorb the additional nutrients being added in with the water changes potentially cause an issue? I plan on adding some softies and easy to keep LPS, but have not yet.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Good to know. Will use the new powerheads I get while mixing and see if that helps with the problem. Thank you.

*Edit* Would not having coral in the tank to absorb the additional nutrients being added in with the water changes potentially cause an issue? I plan on adding some softies and easy to keep LPS, but have not yet.

I don’t see a reason for the bloom. Is it white or greenish?

 

[chaserdogg01]

I don’t see a reason for the bloom. Is it white or greenish?

Definitely more whiteish/cloudy. Sorry if the pics on the first post don't capture it well. I felt that side shot gave a good representation as you can only see through about two feet of the tank from the side before hitting the cloudiness.

 

[Bryon Jaeger]

Hi all,

Been dealing with a bit of a bacteria bloom (I think) in my 75-gallon tank and I am trying to get down to the bottom of what could be causing it.

One thing I came across was people (and chat gpt) saying that it could have to do with the mixing of the saltwater and letting it sit without aeration or circulation (powerhead or aerator). I tend to just hand mix the salt with a ladle until it has all been dissolved and then let it sit till after I am off work and execute the water change. After seeing this may be problematic, I ordered some powerheads and will let the saltwater mix overnight moving forward. I only have one spare heater so I may just get a 10–12-gallon brute can to mix and heat it as I hear temp can be a problem as well.

Beyond that, my nitrates are sitting around 5-15 PPM, I do a 10% change weekly (8 gallons), my salinity hovers around 34 PPT, I use reef crystals and RODI for my mixing as well. I just recently added some powerheads to make sure gas exchange at the surface was sufficient and another in the mid-level of the tank to make sure flow was strong enough. Only have two clownfish and a CUC in the tank. Just replaced carbon in filter and all mechanical media (fluval 407). I've attached a pic of the milky haze with the lights on to hopefully illustrate the issue better. No skimmer.

Please advise! Thank you!

I recently added a 40 gallon tank to my mix. It was cloudy until I added a UV-sterilizer and that cleared up with in 2 days.

 

[chaserdogg01]

I recently added a 40 gallon tank to my mix. It was cloudy until I added a UV-sterilizer and that cleared up with in 2 days.

This tank is about 5 months old so not sure it’s anything to do with that. I don’t doubt that a UV would help, but trying to get to the root cause of the issue!

 

[Fish Fan]

I recently added a 40 gallon tank to my mix. It was cloudy until I added a UV-sterilizer and that cleared up with in 2 days.

Welcome to R2R, and thank you for sharing your experience!

 

[Dan_P]

Hi all,

Been dealing with a bit of a bacteria bloom (I think) in my 75-gallon tank and I am trying to get down to the bottom of what could be causing it.

One thing I came across was people (and chat gpt) saying that it could have to do with the mixing of the saltwater and letting it sit without aeration or circulation (powerhead or aerator). I tend to just hand mix the salt with a ladle until it has all been dissolved and then let it sit till after I am off work and execute the water change. After seeing this may be problematic, I ordered some powerheads and will let the saltwater mix overnight moving forward. I only have one spare heater so I may just get a 10–12-gallon brute can to mix and heat it as I hear temp can be a problem as well.

Beyond that, my nitrates are sitting around 5-15 PPM, I do a 10% change weekly (8 gallons), my salinity hovers around 34 PPT, I use reef crystals and RODI for my mixing as well. I just recently added some powerheads to make sure gas exchange at the surface was sufficient and another in the mid-level of the tank to make sure flow was strong enough. Only have two clownfish and a CUC in the tank. Just replaced carbon in filter and all mechanical media (fluval 407). I've attached a pic of the milky haze with the lights on to hopefully illustrate the issue better. No skimmer.

Please advise! Thank you!

Just read the entire thread. Here are some ideas.

I use Instant Ocean. It is prepared in a 5 gallon bucket, stirred by hand for less than five minutes. It is slightly hazy at the start but clears. It is stored unmixed in the covered bucket. It is always clear when using it over the next week.

Cloudy water can be caused by dust from the substrate or a precipitate of calcium carbonate. Is the cloudiness constant or only after a water change?

The notion that cloudy water is a result of a bacteria bloom is rarely if ever supported by evidence. A micro algae bloom is far more likely than a bacteria bloom because aquaria are typically organic carbon limited. There just is not enough labile organic carbon to grow that much bacteria. There is typically more than enough fertilizer and bright light to grow micro algae. It is a wonder that all aquaria aren’t all green soup containers.

Judging the color of slightly hazy aquarium water might not be as easy as we think. A bloom of pelagic dinoflagellates could appear colorless.

 

[chaserdogg01]

Hi all, to answer your question, it was constantly like this, before and after water changes. Didn’t matter what I did.
Fortunately I just bit the bullet and got the green killing machine and holy moly, that has been all the difference. See update pics attached :)