Foggy Water ?

LionFish

LionFish

Resident Photoshopper
Ok i just did a 20 gallon water change adding Ro water for the first time on sunday and i must say the tank was cristal clear for 2 1/2 days,

Last night after returning home from work I knoticed that my water was a greenish color and real foggy. My paramiters are Ph 8.1 gravity 1.025
my filters were changed Sunday as well I ran out of my other test kits

What would cause the water to go from Perfict to Nasty in 2 1/2 days !
 
its possible, if you are doing anything different than what the tank is used to, it can cause cloudiness. taking out a powerhead could definitely cause that
 
Changing filter media will cause it to.You really should change the media once a week to keep it from causing a spike.It actually becomes part of biological filtration,and when you change it out,your throwing out good bacteria.
 
yote said:
Changing filter media will cause it to.You really should change the media once a week to keep it from causing a spike.It actually becomes part of biological filtration,and when you change it out,your throwing out good bacteria.
Click to expand...


I usually change the filter media every 2 weeks . once with water change and once in between.

The tank isnt used to the Ro water so should I do another Ro water change? how much should I do now ? I used to use chemicly treated tap water ! and really dont want to do that again !
 
It wouldnt hurt to go ahead and do another water change.
I doubt that switching to RO is whats caused the cloudiness.Im betting that something has caused an algae bloom.
What kind of lighting do you have,and what do you have living in your tank?
Check your nitrates and phosphates as soon as you can get the test kits.
And,how long are you running your lights?
 
I would run a check on all your parameters especially nitrate and phosphate.A green cloudiness usually cause by an algae bloom.My only guess right now is that maybe you have excess nutrient for it to feed on.
 
yote said:
It wouldnt hurt to go ahead and do another water change.
I doubt that switching to RO is whats caused the cloudiness.Im betting that something has caused an algae bloom.
What kind of lighting do you have,and what do you have living in your tank?
Check your nitrates and phosphates as soon as you can get the test kits.
And,how long are you running your lights?
Click to expand...

My lights are PC I leave one form of light on all the time.
I have my 12Ks and actnic light set to come on at 6 AM and the 12Ks go off at 9PM leaving the actnics on till 11PM When my Lunars come on !

Fish010.jpg


Fish only no Live Rock 5 Snails
 
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R/O water is used for top off for evaporation and for new fresh saltwater makeup for water changes. so when you say you used R/O water for water change I am assuming you mean R/O water and new salt. you need to mix the new salt water that will be used for the water change one to 3 days ahead of time and let it mix and circulate at the same temperature as the tank, also, an air stone is needed to help reoxygenate the water. fresh mixed saltwater is harsh and needs some time to mix well before adding to the system. most likely your new saltwater was not mixed long enough which will cause some cloudiness at first. hope this helps, not enough information given to determine the absolute cause. you would need to list your exact procedure for doing a water change. The maybe a more accurate opinion can be given, so for now it appears to have something to do with your new salt water addition and the fact your ciruclation is not as it was.
 
Ok did a 10 gallon change

apon sucking out my water i knoticed a Corndog stick floating in the bucket I assume that is the culprit. It will probably take a few more changes to get back to normal

Yes i was aware that Ro/salt is to be premixed ahead of time i have been sticking with a 2 day cycle on that mix Thanks

I have 20 more gallons mixing with an airstone as we speak

I tested for nitrates ang had 0ppm amonia was at 0 aswell
salinity 1.021 PH 8.1

Is their any chemical that can help null out the algae bloom to help speed this up a tad ?
 
Nothing much you can do about algae chemical wise. But you can use chemicals to remove the source of the algae. If your nitrates are at zero, then it's probably your phosphates that's the culprit, causing the algae. There are chemicals you can use to remove phosphates, such as RowaPhos and PhosBan that work really well. You can either use these in a regular old filter (just like you'd use carbon) or you can by a phosphate reactor for them.
 
thanks biff didnt check for phosphates. I'll look into that.

I knew that having an open tank (new light) and a 4 year old and 2 year old could be a problem :frustrat: im just glad my fish are ok.

Im testing everyday to make shure the param stay in spec

I read in another thread that i should alternate the filter changes Is that a good idea? change 1 then change the other the next week?
 
Yeah,Never change both pads the same week.
I know what you mean about the kids.I worry about my 3 year old daughter throwing some thing in my sump.
 
sounds like a good ol'e algae bloom to me! mine did the same thing when i first set it up. about two or three days later i had more hair algae than i new what to do with. i my math is correct you are running your'e lights 17 hours a day? thats a LOT of light i.m.o. most people run their lights 12 hours total. less if you are having algae problems. cutting back on lighting could help prevent algae blooms.
 
Im Having Cloudy Water Issues Also And All My Water Test Are Good Now Also, I Also Use Chemi-pure. It Clears Up The Water Nice Wit Hin A Few Days. Good Luck To You And The Tank Looks Great
 
thanks ray ray.
chemi-pure isnt that the red slime remover I have some of that .
I may use it before my next change .
 

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