clowdy

[poksal]

OK, I'll post fresh testing data tomorrow evening if it doesn't show improvement.

I changed from MH lights to LED's and have had a recent algae problem (with the MH lights). or well plenty of algae anyway... so now with the LED's the algae has died WAY BACK... and my water has turned cloudy.. I'm wanting to blame the cloud on the algae kill back.. any comments?

Now, add to the equation that I added a Bio-pellet reactor to the system after the cloud had formed, and may of added a little too many pellets for my first batch... of that I have corrected to much fewer pellets.

I did a water change a couple of days before adding the LED's, been cloudy now for about 4 days, also, today I put a length of air hose on the end of a baster bulb and blasted masses of dead algae off most of the LR.. and that seems to of been processed through the sump, fuge, and skimmer... I'm already back to the cloud in only two hours.

Ok... now you may calculate my cloudy water. .. thank you... nicely..

 

[Ted]

well I dont do reactors so dont know about that...What i do know and what I am usually guilty of is...screwing around with my tank to much. Your tank is new. You are going to have blooms and die backs for at least the first 6 months...Its natural and just part of the big picture...relax a little, find the place you want to let it sit at for a while and leave it alone. Yes do water changes, tests, scrape the glass, but no big changes. Dont rework the aquascape (thats a hard one for me, stupid rocks seem to change shapes overnight) stick with the leds and get those tuned in but dont add more panels because you read some guy in Africa says a row of neon pink will be the next miracle...(that was a joke) You seem to be a big time tinker, more then I am so this will be the hardest thing you do...Set the main systems and let them run...:twocents:

 

[poksal]

@ Ted
..... well... you pretty much got me pegged... I'm always striving for the next level, trying to make it better. That is what I did for so many years, it is in my blood and is who I am.

The wrong MH lamps was a big dumb mistake.. tests look good though. I figured blasting away much of that algae would speed up the clear-up (get-er-done) and this AM the water does look better, by far the best in several days.

I will heed your advice... though it may kill me.. "wink" .. well... I'll TRY to leave it alone anyway! Looking at the tank this AM blasting the dead algae was a good step, It got most of the crap moving into the sump, fuge, and skimmer. Geeze the skimmer got a work out. The catch jar has a 1/4 cup of peas soup in it from only a day and a half.

Also, I haven't seen my two emerald crabs in a few days.. I hope they are molting.. I hope! ..They are a mated pair.. or I hope so anyway.

 

[poksal]

I almost started a new thread to be sure and get responses...

We are still working on the cloudly issue.. AND it is bio-pellet related.. or at least I think it is.

After I cut back my pellet quantity to about a 1/4 cup the cloudy water began to improve. At that time I decided it was not the pellets but was because I had blasted the algae and the water had cleaned-up. Although it was cloudy before I blasted the dead algae (for those not in tune, I had changed from MH to LED's too. This triggered a blessed event of algae die back.. ALSO.. my fuge is kicking in and assisting in the algae kill back.. So this is not a simple problem combination to figure.. not to me).

OK ,back to the story, I added some more pellets, only about another just over a 1/4 cup and the water started to cloud again. So... I have removed all but about three heaping tee spoons.. (my best guess).

The cloud looks more like a spooky mist that swirls through the tank, like a fog rolling in, but everywhere.

Here are the current test stats as of the last half hour.

temp .....................................79°f
Salt ......................................1.026
Ammonia ..............................not detectable
Alk .......................................11.2
Calcium .................................520
Copper ..................................not detectable
Phosphate ............................not detectable
Mag .....................................1100
Nitrite ...................................not detectable
Nitrate ..................................not detectable
pH .......................................8.3


Boi-pellet Reactor = Vertex, running vertex pro-bio pellets. The GFO & carbon reactors listed in my sig line aren't actually on line yet. I want to get a handle on this first.


Advice, hand slaps... whatever??? .....bring it!