How to get rid of cloudiness...

[TaknByD]

I have a 55g corner bow front tank. I use to have an emperor 400 as my filter and was experiencing some cloudiness and figured I should upgrade my filter. I just recently bought a Fluval 405 which is super nice and quite. But I am still having cloudy water. I have tried using a clarifier chemical that didn't work. I have even done water changes with no avail. Does anyone have any ideas on what I could do to help get rid of the cloudy water? Thanks in advance...

[txg8gxp]

Alittle more detail on foods/additives? Have you been adding any bacteria additives/etc. How long has the tank been running? How long are you letting the fresh mix salt water to mix, is it clear before adding it to the tank?

[allan]

Do you run charcoal in the filter?

[TaknByD]

Well I use to do my own water changes by making my own saltwater, but lately I have been buying them from the lfs to try to see if it will help the quality of my water. I have been giving my fish frozen food (Marine Cuizune and Krill for the Anemone). My tank has been running for over three months now and was clear at one point... I installed the new filter yesterday and gave my tank a does of a biological agent that is suppose to help the bio process for my filter. And my filter has 4 bags of charcoal (I believe that is what it is... It's what came with the fluval) and 4 bags of ceramic tube things... If I was at the house I would be able to tell you exactly what all it is... **** this last minute Christmas shopping... :D

[allan]

The cloudy water could (probably) be algae in the water column.

I'd stop feeding the anemone as it will get enough from the food given to the fish and what it receives from the lights.

Stephens questions above are on target when you get the chance.

[TaknByD]

Would a protein skimmer help this at all? Or benifit my tank whatsoever? I'm still really new to all the saltwater mombo-jumbo so please bare with me. I was told that seeing that I want to eventually get a sponge in my tank that having a protein skimmer is a bad idea because the bubbles that they cause would kill the sponge?

[jrsatx20]

Would a protein skimmer help this at all? Or benifit my tank whatsoever? I'm still really new to all the saltwater mombo-jumbo so please bare with me. I was told that seeing that I want to eventually get a sponge in my tank that having a protein skimmer is a bad idea because the bubbles that they cause would kill the sponge?

not true i have had sponges in the tank with a skimmer running

[TaknByD]

not true i have had sponges in the tank with a skimmer running

Was it a hang on? If so what kind? I tried out a seacloan 100 I believe and it was terrible... My tank was snowing bubbles. I was looking at the coralife super skimmer, but I'm just a little hesitant... I also forgot to mention that I purchased some new lighting... I was using regular florescent bulbs.... 4 bulbs all together... I then purchased some T5 bulbs for my tank... Could it be the lighting that is causing the cloudiness?

[ErikH]

I have tons of sponges growing, and I have a skimmer. Air pressure will crush a sponge (some) if they are taken out of water. You may also want to rethink using freshwater stuff (emperors/fluvals) and go with a more traditional setup, ie a sump. A sump is a tank under the tank, an ideal place to top off your tank with freshwater (salt does not evap) as well as a place to hide a good sized skimmer, any heaters, or other unsightly things that you do not want to see in the display tank.

[jrsatx20]

dont think its the lighting. it was on my 55gallon with a hang on filter. it was also a seaclone. the water level in the tank has to stay at the correct level for the seaclone to work properly. the seaclone needs a couple of days to break in. try raising the water to see if the bubbles stop. i put the seaclone in a sump and it worked a lot better than hob. try an octopus hob skimmer if u want to stay away from a sump

[TaknByD]

I'll have to look into the octopus skimmers then... But I have no room in my stand for a sump. I have learned that I will be stearing away from oddly shaped aquariums in the future. But back on subject... Is there anything I can do about the cloudiness or is it just a waiting game?

[txg8gxp]

With you adding a bacteria additive, I would think the cloudy water is just a bacteria bloom. If so it should go away in a few days. If it doesn't, then it could be caused by something else. Have you been testing the salinity of the salt water you are buying? Adding water that is not completely mixed or that is at a different salinity could cause cloudy water aswell. Just a few ideas.

[TaknByD]

Does the salinity need to be dead on? There had been times that I have noticed that my salinity levels in my tank were a little high and I would compensate with water that had a little lower salinity... Is that a bad thing?

[jrsatx20]

yes if you are adding water to raise it back up to correct level( top off). if your doing that thats why it is reading high. when water evaporates it leaves behind the salt which makes the water in the tank a high salinity.

[TaknByD]

So what do you do to lower the salinity? Because I have been using water with a little lower salinity to bring it back down...

[allan]

Do a water change and instead of adding salt water just replace with rodi.

[allan]

^^^^slowly^^^^

[TaknByD]

Sorry, but what is rodi?

[Europhyllia]

a dose of a biological agent that is suppose to help the bio process for my filter. :D
What was it that you used? I am with Stephen on this one: my guess is bacterial bloom.
What are you feeding and what is the biological agent you used?

[TaknByD]

I am feeding them frozen foods... One is Marine Cuisine and the other was frozon krill for my anemone. I had dosed my tank with Nutrafin from Cycle. It is a biological aquarium supplement. It is suppose to immediately establish safe biological aquarium enviroment and kill off Ammonia and Nitrite. I am also noticing things flying around in my tank that look like sand particles. They are also landing on my rocks... My intake is a good 4 to 5 inches from the sand and I don't see any sand being sucked in through the intake..

[Europhyllia]

Hm. Okay then probably not a bacteria bloom I guess. Precipitation of some kind perhaps?
What does the bacteria product look like? Milky? Particles in it?

[TaknByD]

Hm. Okay then probably not a bacteria bloom I guess. Precipitation of some kind perhaps?
What does the bacteria product look like? Milky? Particles in it?

It is actually clear... But there are particles within it...

[ErikH]

You need to top off with just plain ol fresh water.... RODI is Reverse Osmosis DeIonized water which is filtered water, coming from a RODI unit. You can purchase the units from www.buckeyefieldsupply.com.... That would make your standard tap water, which has a TDS (total dissolved solids) rating of about 288 down to 0. Essentially you will strip the tap water of all of the muck in it so that it comes out perfectly pure. You want really pure water so that you have less problems down the line with nuisance algaes, etc.... You may not see any now, but if you keep adding just plain ol tap, it will be a problem in the future. The particulate in the water could be sand or detritus (poo) from fish. You want to get as much of this out of your water column as possible, which is why reefers employ the use of a skimmer. I highly reccomend the use of one, preferably in a sump. If you would like to come and see it all in action, you are more than welcome to come talk shop at my house. My wife digs photography, and I am sure she would appreciate the time to talk to other photographers. Let me know, there will always be an open invite. :)