Cloudy Water

[mcritter86]

My tank is 3 weeks old. When I started it the water was cloudy when I added the live sand (duh) and then it cleared up in 24 hours and was awesome until last Friday. Then I noticed that it was a little cloudy looking at it from the front and VERY cloudy looking in from the side. You can't even see the other side of the aquarium. I attached some pictures but I don't know it there are the clearest. I have one small coral, 3 green chrome damsels, 1 lawnmower blenny, and one foxface. I have tested my water every two days and, I think, it is pretty good. I don't know what my lights are except that they are LED. This is what I bought: MARINELAND® 55 Gallon Aquarium/LED Hood/Stand Ensemble - Fish - PetSmart. I have the lights on for 12 hours, and night lights on for 12 hours. Live rock and live sand. I changed the filters on Monday and did a 10gal water change today during my lunch break. I do have a power head and it was pointed to the top of a rock, I just now adjusted it to the top of the tank. Here are some specs:

Water temp: 80
Tetra EX70 filter. 340gph.

BEFORE THE WATER CHANGE:
Salt: 1.025
Ph 7.8 (I know a little low)
Ammonia 0.5 (I know it is high, bought some chemical for it but want to see what happens when I test tomorrow after changing the water today)
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 5 (One reason for the water change)
Calcuim 480
Carbo Hardness 11 degree
Phosphate 0.25

I have read on a couple of sites a protein skimmer may help. Ideas?

Also, the pictures were taken now. 24 hours after filter change, 6 hours after water change.

 

[chuysvt]

its your filtration..you need a sump..or more hand on the back filters..it will clear up but with that filtration that you have its going take days to clear up because theres alot of sand flowting around..one think that will help.is call water clarifier...its about $5.

 

[chuysvt]

i see that you dont have room for a sump ,do what i did got a big canister...my water has been very clear,levels or at 0.....
but i allways have to be checking my levels.. to make sure my tank is ok , because i dont a sump.i dont get the benifits from what a sump has..

 

[Chain]

I would definitely get a protein skimmer as they are extremely beneficial. The white cloudiness is the beneficial nitrifying bacteria which are suspended in the water column. They will eventually settle out into the live rock and filter media. This is the cycle still in the beginning stages in your tank. I would guess to venture you may incur some loss of your marine life as the ammonia and nitrite levels may yet spike. I can recommend using some purigen in your HOB filter to remove excess ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. This will slow your cycle down some but keep your fish water less toxic. Also using some prime won't hurt either. The Prime converts ammonia into ammonium which isn't toxic to fish or coral but still feeds the nitrifying bacteria in the tank. I know nothing about the lights, but I doubt they are appropriate for any coral save the softies with the smallest light requirement. You could also use a few more powerheads in the tank for water flow and surface agitation. This will help a bit with pH. Be careful with that HOB filter as they have the potential to become nitrate factories in saltwater aquariums without proper maintenance. Im sure someone else will chime in and cover all the things I left out. Those are just my opinions on what I would do.

 

[kevdogg]

You are also going to need more rock, the live rock is where most of your filtration should be taking place. The rule of thumb is 1-2 lbs of rock per gallon.

Also the canister filter will also cause the same issues as the HOB filter by raising your nitrates. IT will need to be religiously maintained so it will not become and issue.

 

[Samhain]

+1 you need a good bit more live rock. You can start with dry rock; it's cheaper and will quickly become live as bacteria grow on it. And a protein skimmer is a great idea!

I will also add that you've stocked really, really quickly. The general rule of thumb is 1 fish every 2-4 weeks unless you're adding a pair of fish (i.e. pair of clowns, pair of gobies, pair of basslets) or a small school (i.e. chromis). You are at your stock limit and you haven't even finished your cycle. Your tank is also too small for a foxface.

And the Marineland LEDs that come with the ensembles are single brights, which aren't appropriate for keeping even the lowest light corals. The double brights are ok for the lowest light corals, and reef-capables are even able to support sps and nems (the highest light requirements) depending on the depth of the tank.

I hate to be such a Debbie Downer, but I want you and your tank to succeed. And I want you to have happy, healthy fish. Good luck!

 

[chichimom79]

+1 everyone!
Do you have your heater set at eighty, or is that running temp? I would lower that to 77-78 if you can.Watch those fish for stress. They should not be in your system at this point. You might think about rehousing them until you get your tank stable.

 

[Northstar24]

1. SLOW DOWN - there is no reason that a tank up for 3 weeks should have 5 fish in it already. Also, keep in mind that the general rules for stocking a saltwater tank is 1 fish per 10 gallons, meaning you've already reached your stocking limit Nothing good ever happens quickly in a reef tank, and your finding out first hand what happens when you move too quickly. If your reading ammonia on a new tank, there shouldn't be anything living in it. What you're seeing cloud the water is likely a baterial bloom as the bacteria are trying to keep up with the ammonia production

As others have said, you should really plan on adding some addtional live rock, as this is where your primary filtration takes place (and where all those bacteria floating around in your water column want to live)

A protein skimmer would be a smart purchase, but I would purchase one only after you have gotten more rock in your tank, that is going to be your best spent money at this point IMO

Corals - With the LED canopy you have, you arent going to be able to keep even low light corals long term. I suspect the coral you have will have issues either due to the water quality issues you're seeing or the lack of a light that can support it. If you are serious about keeping corals, you will need to look into upgraded lighting ,but not until your other issues are sorted out

I may sound harsh, but you've skipped a lot of steps and at the end of the day, I want you to have a successful tank - please dont take it personally

 

[mcritter86]

Wow, thanks for all the posts guys! I do know you need to take it slow with new tanks but the guy at the fish store insisted it would be okay to put some fish in already. I do plan on getting more live rock and will def purchase some tomorrow, and a protein skimmer. The fish have not been looking very active the past couple of days, mainly hiding in the rock. I will try to bear down and get this tank in 100% condition, whatever it takes!

 

[Samhain]

Always remember that the guy at the fish store is there to sell you stuff. If he gives you some misinformation that leads you to buy more stuff, it's more money in his pocket and less in yours. The folks here have lots of experience and are willing to share it free of charge. No one here is trying to make money off your inexperience, so it's a great place to ask questions and learn stuff!

 

[mcritter86]

What do you guys think about those uv skimmer things? Any suggestions on a protein skimmer I can get at a pet store so I can install it tomorrow?

 

[Bifferwine]

Petco and Petsmart do not sell any skimmers that are worth the boxes they are packaged in. For a skimmer, your best bet is to get one online. You will find that you will end up having to get the vast majority of your saltwater supplies online -- chain pet stores like those two just don't carry much that is useful in this hobby.

I agree with the others to not rush on the protein skimmer just yet. The skimmer won't do anything that water changes can't accomplish for now. Save up your money and get a good one -- it will cost a couple hundred bucks, probably.

One of the biggest lessons that all of us have learned through experience is to not buy cheap/crappy equipment to start with, with the intention of upgrading later! This goes for skimmers, lights, everything! It is much more expensive to buy the "cheap" lights that I can afford right now, but then six months later, you end up rebuying the good lights that you should have bought in the first place, and you are out the $100 that you spent on the cheapos!

It's always better to take it slow, buy things right the first time around, and not have to replace them a few months later.

 

[little_fish]

Hello and Welcome!

+1 everyone

 

[JustinsReefTank]

+1 Everybody! They have u covered.

 

[mcritter86]

Added about 20lbs of rock. That will bring my total up to about 37lbs. I know you guys would like 55, but will have to space it out on money :). Tank still very cloudy, might have gotten worse. It is taking up the whole tank, so it doesn't seem like a bloom. But I guess with my powerhead and all it pushed it throughout the tank. I guess I will just keep on my schedule and see how it goes. Next up is a 5 gal water change and water testing tomorrow. Anyone think 10gal would be better? I would say yes, cause to me it means getting more cloudyness out, but it would also mean taking out more cycling bacteria. My last ammonia test was at 1.0, highest ever, put some ammonia lock, whatever API sells, in and I'll see if it improoved tomorrow. Enclosed an updated pic, the shiny part on the right side in the middle is another rock, a lot of reflection on it.

 

[Samhain]

Just make sure that if you're adding rock in increments that it is dry rock or fully cured live rock. If it isn't fully cured or completely dry, then you will have mini-cycles every time you add rock. And if your ammonia has never reached 1.0, you probably had a really small cycle in the beginning and never really adequately cycled your tank. I would strongly recommend finding a temporary home for your fish while your tank finishes cycling.

 

[little_fish]

+1 Samhain

 

[slm32123]

+2

Get those guys out of there, and let your tank finish its cycle. If you want to speed up the cycle, check out Dr. Tim's One and Only. That stuff cycled my tank in a week. Here's their website.Dr. Tim's Aquatics

You will need the 4 ounce bottle of One and Only. I'm not sure if they still do it, but they may include a free bottle of ammonium chloride. If they do, and you want to use that, ABSOLUTELY make sure you have EVERY FISH OUT of the tank before you put any in.

 

[mcritter86]

Unfortunatley I have no where to put the fish, other than the 5 gal bucket I use to water changes. I saw the other thread on a good protein skimmer. Will reference it in a couple of weeks when I will buy one.

 

[Samhain]

You can even see if your LFS will "board" your fish temporarily while your tank cycles. Just somewhere to get them away from the toxic waste that will kill them or severely shorten their lives.