My Tank is Getting Cloudy

[Nanna]

I have a 55g show tank. I've had it setup now for 10 days. I hope I'm at the peak of the cycle. My parameters are: Ammonia 8.0, Nitrite .75, Nitrate 160,
PH 7.8, Salinity 1.0245, and Temp is 78. The coraline algea on my live rocks is spreading to the other rocks.
I have about 50lbs of live sand and about 25lbs of live rock. My heater is a Jager Eheim Aquatics 3606 heater. I also have a Protein Skimmer/Biological Filter all in one with a Rio 600 RVT Powerhead. I'm also running a Maxi-Jet 900 pump and powerhead. My filter is a Penguin Bio-wheel 100. (I will be using a wet/dry filter system in the next week or so)
Over the past few days, all of my "dead" rocks have gotten a brown looking algea on them and my water has gone from crystal clear to cloudy.
Is this due to my tank cycling or am I having a problem in the tank.
Any help and advice will be greatly appreciated.

 

[BL1]

Usually cloudy water is a sign of a bacterial/algae bloom. For the moment I wouldn't worry too much about it. You're going to have lots of algae problems with a nitrate reading of 160. Once your cycle finishes you'll be able to start doing water changes and getting those numbers down.

 

[Bifferwine]

That happens sometimes when a tank is cycling. As Brian said, it's the bacterial population exploding to catch up with the waste being produced. It could last a week or so, so hang in there.

 

[Nanna]

Thanks folks, I keep telling myself its just part of the cycle but I wanted to be sure. This is probably going to sound silly, but how do I know when the cycle has finished since my numbers are so high? Will the parameters drop and stay steady and then I work on getting everything balanced the way they should be?

 

[BL1]

When your cycle finishes, your ammonia and nitrites will be 0. The nitrates will stay high unless you do water changes to lower them.

 

[little_fish]

When the ammonia and nitrites are zero your cycle has ended. The nitrates wont go to zero on their own, you manage those by doing water changes, or having a fuge.

 

[Smitty]

+1 everyone...what you're seeing is a natural part of the cycle...perform a nice wc after all the other levels have balanced out.

 

[Nanna]

Since my Nitrate level is so high (160) can I add something like Chemiclear or Purigen to try to bring the level down, or maybe water clarifer to help clear it up or should I just leave it alone until the cycle ends? It looks so ugly!

 

[Smitty]

You could do a water change to bring those levels down some...that's the most effective and safe way to do so.

 

[little_fish]

You should try and stay away from chemicals like water purifies, they can do quite a bit of harm in marine systems. I know its super hard to wait, but just wait for it to clear up on its own.

 

[Nanna]

Thank you Smitty. How much of a water change would be safe since the tank is still cycling?

 

[ErinCahir]

I believe the general consensus is 20%, but someone else is going to have to chime in on that.

I would also skip the wet-dry filter and go with a fuge.

 

[Jmck]

To be honest, you can do as big a water change as you want during the cycle, most of the bacteria is living in the sand and not the water. But, there is little point doing it while you are cycling unless you are trying to keep something Alive.

I would just suggest you wait it out until your ammonia and nitrites hit zero and do some huge water changes

Beacuse imagine, if you do 50% at a time it will go from 160 to 80 then another 50% brings you to 40 then to 20 then to 10, so try to do an 80% when you finish and drastically reduce your nitrates.

When your tank is settled once a week with a 20% water change is an excellent way to do it. Or even bi weekly.

good luck :)