cloudy water

I have a 120 gal, tank it has been up and running since march of this year.  All has been well until yesterday. When I got home from work the water was really cloudy.  I did all of my tests and everthing looks good the filter bag in the sump was running water out of the top so I took it out and washed it.  The medium in the bag has only been in for a few weeks so it's not bad. My corals don't look to good everything is closed down.  this is the first salt tank I have had and there is no one in my area for help!! Maybe I should have bought guppies!!  Any Ideas would be great
 

Cloudy water usually ends up being a bacterial bloom. The best way to fight it is with a UV sterilizer. It will kill the bacteria and your skimmer should then be able to clear up the water.

I bought this tank used and it doesn't have a uv sterilizer sounds like I need to get one

tammy wrote: ...The medium in the bag has only been in for a few weeks so it's not bad. ...My corals don't look to good everything is closed down.  ...this is the first salt tank I have had and there is no one in my area for help!! Maybe I should have bought guppies!!  Any Ideas would be great

You have come to the right place for help. Guppies are great but they can become boring compared to the amazing variety and growing life of all types in a reef aquarium. How did you find utahreefs.com?

Corals do eat bacteria but when it's gone wild like this, they will temporarily close up. Not to worry, they will open again when the bloom fades.

The easiest method we have found to clear the water is twofold:
- First, stop all feeding and supplements, except Alk and Ca supplementation.
- Second, add a bag of AC to the system. AC stands for Activated Carbon. In my experience, AC is the only special filtration product that is absolutely necessary for all reef aquariums. All other necessary filtration is the biofiltration accomplished by the four live components spoken of here: Reefkeeping Tips
AC is pretty much used up after 2 weeks so it needs replacing, but I have found that running AC for 2 weeks/month is sufficient for effective removal of the things that AC removes.

What is the "medium in the bag" that you spoke of? Is it AC? Where is this bag located in the system? AC is most easily placed in a high flow area, like a loose bag of about 2 cups of AC near a pump intake where the water will run past the AC granules allowing for quick removal of the organic matter which is feeding the bacteria bloom. Placing it in the filter sock is counter productive since the particulate matter that a filter sock is meant to remove will clog the bag of AC.
Some hobbyists choose to buy a "Reactor" to place their AC in, but this is simply one more aquarium gadget that takes up space and electricity. I prefer to KISS.



Edited by Mark Peterson - September 11 2011 at 10:27am

I go down to elmo every few weeks, thats right next to hunnington. It does sound like you need a uv.

Using vinegar is not the best way to get rid of aptasia/glass anemones. There are several other options, peppermint shrimp is one that several people have used successfully. Using the vinegar to get rid of the pest could have contributed to the issue. What is your pH as vinegar will alter it? Also there is a chance that the die off on the rock fed the bacteria and caused it to bloom. I would do a check of all essential parameters (pH, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, alk, ca, salinity) to see which one is off.

In the meantime, follow Mark's advice with the AC and stop feeding for awhile. Also if you have a refugium with macro in it, run the lights 24/7 until it clears out. If you don't then see if you can get some chaeto or other macro algae to place in the display tank and sump. When you put it in the sump, get a cheap clip on shop light and a 65K twist CF bulb and run it 24/7. The reason is that the macro will help act as a buffer when the bacteria starts to die off. The die off will cause your tank to get polluted and the macro will help to absorb the stuff.

Yes, even after a week, if the rock is not underneath too much other rock making it a pain to move, I would twist, turn and shake it to see if any trapped bubbles can be released.

We recommended ceasing all feeding. Soon the bacteria will run out of food. In fact if left alone it will eat until it starves and the water will clear naturally. The use of AC and lighting macroalgae 24/7 is a way to ensure that it doesn't come back. If you can't have a Refugium with macroalgae, just put a bunch of Macroalgae in the tank up high where the light can shine on it.
FYI, a UV Sterilizer may still be needed as a last resort after simpler things have been tried.

You are awesome. I like your attitude. We can help you with all things reef.
Please feel free to post a pic of your tank, maybe even a before pic if you have one. A picture is worth 1000 words. It may seem crazy, but we can often see things in a picture that help us make suggestions. If you can't figure how to post a pic here or if it's a cell phone pic, try to email it to me at [email protected] or send it to the phone # below.

There are at least two stores in the Provo/Orem area that I know of and can recommend.  One is up in Orem at around 800 North-ish called Reef Runners.  Another is Jay's Jungle on Center street in Provo between 200 and 400 West.  You might look them up on the internet to be sure on those addresses, but I got a phone number for Reef Runners (801) 226-3474.  The phone number for Jay's Jungle is (801) 356-7387.  I would call them and ask if they have any macro algae.  If they don't, I believe there is someone in the Orem area that might have some chaeto you could have.  You should check in the aquarium classifieds on this site.

If it were fine particulate, it would have cleared up by now.

Is this pic you sent me they way it looks with cloudy water?