New Tank, Cloudy water problem

[bobyman]

Hello Good people

I'm new to the hobby. I have a new 35-gallon reef tank set up and invested in the best gear for hopefully growing some small fish + LPS'S and SPS'S.

I am just closing one month of the cycle; all tests turned out good to go with adding the first 1-2 fish, but what stopped me was that the water was cloudy, and nothing I did seemed to work.

When setting up the tank, I washed the "reef flowers" sand in a bathtub, put it in the tank, and added water.
It was cloudy for about 2-3 days, and it got better but not entirely better.
During the cycle, I added the "Fauna Marin Bacto Blend" mix for bacteria; that's about it regarding supplements added.

About four days ago (1 month into the cycle) Iv was told to add the "Microbe-Lift-Clarifier" + "Fauna Marin Carb L" I had placed in the sump.
2 days later, the water was about 40% better but still not good.

I was then told to change 25% of the water every two days.
On the first change, I used my water-changing pump to filter the "reef flowers" sand.
My aquarium became much cloudier, to the point that I just removed all the water from the tank (leaving water in the sump).

I'm now thinking of completely changing the sand to another brand or keeping the sand. Try again by adding water, and maybe the cloudiness will go away.

It's very frustrating to get a cycle going for one month and then take all the water out because of this cloudiness issue,
I'm not sure if it's the sand or something else.

I'm adding two pictures of the cloudy tank before and during the water was removed.

What's your take on this?

 

[formallydehyde]

Try checking the pH of the water to make sure it's not high, that can cause magnesium/calcium precipitation and exacerbate thr problem. If it's fine continue doing large water changes and don't add any more supplements or bacteria. Mechanical filtration in the sump like a micron filter sock might also help remove some of the cloudiness if you don't have one below the inlet pipe already

 

[Lavey29]

What is your flow level? I see a gyre pump on a small tank mounted to low.

 

[BeanAnimal]

It certainly looks to me like the sand is getting blown around. It will take forever to settle out if that is the case and it will eat the gyre pump and return pump bearings alive.

Turn off the gyre pump for a day or two and let us know what happens.

 

[DrkNMighty]

Is the gyre pump pointed straight down? Looks like it could be kicking up sand.

 

[Dread Pirate Dave]

How fine is that sand? I expect it will get blown around even with the lowest gyre speed.

 

[KrisReef]

Hell



What's your take on this?

Official Sand Rinse and Tank Transfer thread

If you are reading this thread to cure a tank invasion from a link I sent you, we do not need to identify your type of invasion here we do not need you to test anything at anytime regarding nitrate, phosphate etc Above all, we do not need to see a microscope slide picture of your invasion at...

www.reef2reef.com

This thread explains an easy fix. Do the rinsing in the driveway with a garden hose and buckets.

use the bathtub for bathing, or making hooch or LSD like Owsley did.

 

[bobyman]

Thanks for the input!

Try checking the pH of the water to make sure it's not high, that can cause magnesium/calcium precipitation and exacerbate thr problem. If it's fine continue doing large water changes and don't add any more supplements or bacteria. Mechanical filtration in the sump like a micron filter sock might also help remove some of the cloudiness if you don't have one below the inlet pipe already

Ph in the water test I did during the cycle showed average values. I also have a 200-micron sock, and it indeed turned from white to dirty brown. My "Nyos Quantum Skimmer" however is clean.

What is your flow level? I see a gyre pump on a small tank mounted to low.

It certainly looks to me like the sand is getting blown around. It will take forever to settle out if that is the case and it will eat the gyre pump and return pump bearings alive.

Turn off the gyre pump for a day or two and let us know what happens.

Is the gyre pump pointed straight down? Looks like it could be kicking up sand.

How fine is that sand? I expect it will get blown around even with the lowest gyre speed.

So the sand is ״Pearl White Sand" by Reefflowers, and it is 0.5 - 1m thick.
The gyre pump is on 80%, and sand was kicking from the side of the tank, leaving empty spaces; I adjusted the flow to 60%, but it still didn't seem to affect the cloudiness.

At this point, I have about 15 litres of water left in the main tank, almost all gone, and I'm not sure if I should remove the sand, wash it for hours, and put it back in, or just remove it and replace it with larger sand, like coral sand 1mm+ thick.
The thing is, I do want LPS And SPSs in the future, and I am thinking about changing my "Jump Gyre Flow Pump MJ-GF316" gyre pump into two "MP10 Ecotech" pumps, so I'm not sure if the sand would be able to manage the strong flow.
I also read on this forum that people used UV sterilizers for cloudiness. I'm unsure if I need that; I've never heard of anyone with a tank installing a UV sterilizer.

 

[DrkNMighty]

I'm not sure UV would help with this cloudiness, but I am not an expert on them.

You say that you lowered your gyre pump from 80% to 60%, but do you have it angled down or up towards the surface of the tank? If it is angled down and is kicking up sand that could be causing your cloudiness.

 

[bobyman]

Its not angled down, but it did kick some sand, flow went straight into to the right wall and spread down, causing sandless bald areas on the right side of the tank.

 

[DrkNMighty]

Its not angled down, but it did kick some sand, flow went straight into to the right wall and spread down, causing sandless bald areas on the right side of the tank.

Maybe try turning it down until it is no longer kicking sand around. Then you can see if the cloudiness goes away after that. If that doesn't work at least you have narrowed down one thing that is not causing the problem.

 

[bobyman]

Maybe try turning it down until it is no longer kicking sand around. Then you can see if the cloudiness goes away after that. If that doesn't work at least you have narrowed down one thing that is not causing the problem.

There is no water left in the tank now, so I'm at a point where I think I should repeatedly wash the sand outside of the tank or just replace it with larger sand.
Because I'm not sure it's the sand, it might also be a bacteria bloom. The picture I uploaded of the full tank before the water change might suggest that.

I can add that now when water is gone out of the main tank, I still have water in the sump, and they are also still cloudy.

 

[KrisReef]

There is no water left in the tank now, so I'm at a point where I think I should repeatedly wash the sand outside of the tank or just replace it with larger sand.
Because I'm not sure it's the sand, it might also be a bacteria bloom. The picture I uploaded of the full tank before the water change might suggest that.

I can add that now when water is gone out of the main tank, I still have water in the sump, and they are also still cloudy.

I was thinking just like you are before I washed my first tank full of sand. The cloudy stuff is not the main part of the sand and it washed away fairly easily.

I put 2-6 inches of sand in a 5 gallon bucket, put a few inches of water over that, swirled with my hands and then poured out the dusty water. Repeat until the water is clear immediately after refilling with fresh.
Dump that sand in the tank and repeat until all the sand is clear,

If you buy new sand for goodness sake rinse it off thoroughly before adding to the tank and you will not have any clouds when you or a fish move it around in your tank.

This will make keeping your tank looking nice and clear for the rest of your sands days.

 

[Lavey29]

There is no water left in the tank now, so I'm at a point where I think I should repeatedly wash the sand outside of the tank or just replace it with larger sand.
Because I'm not sure it's the sand, it might also be a bacteria bloom. The picture I uploaded of the full tank before the water change might suggest that.

I can add that now when water is gone out of the main tank, I still have water in the sump, and they are also still cloudy.

It's not a bloom. It's an underwater sand storm because even at 60% that gyre is to strong for a small tank.

 

[Glowurm]

Hello Good people

I'm new to the hobby. I have a new 35-gallon reef tank set up and invested in the best gear for hopefully growing some small fish + LPS'S and SPS'S.

I am just closing one month of the cycle; all tests turned out good to go with adding the first 1-2 fish, but what stopped me was that the water was cloudy, and nothing I did seemed to work.

When setting up the tank, I washed the "reef flowers" sand in a bathtub, put it in the tank, and added water.
It was cloudy for about 2-3 days, and it got better but not entirely better.
During the cycle, I added the "Fauna Marin Bacto Blend" mix for bacteria; that's about it regarding supplements added.

About four days ago (1 month into the cycle) Iv was told to add the "Microbe-Lift-Clarifier" + "Fauna Marin Carb L" I had placed in the sump.
2 days later, the water was about 40% better but still not good.

I was then told to change 25% of the water every two days.
On the first change, I used my water-changing pump to filter the "reef flowers" sand.
My aquarium became much cloudier, to the point that I just removed all the water from the tank (leaving water in the sump).

I'm now thinking of completely changing the sand to another brand or keeping the sand. Try again by adding water, and maybe the cloudiness will go away.

It's very frustrating to get a cycle going for one month and then take all the water out because of this cloudiness issue,
I'm not sure if it's the sand or something else.

I'm adding two pictures of the cloudy tank before and during the water was removed.

What's your take on this?

Fact you got a gyre in the tank and one side of has a glass bottom tells me you've used fine grain sand and its being blow all over the place.

Edit - Move the Gyre higher up in the tank, and turn it way down, maybe 30/40%. If your planning to run an SPS tank then yeah maybe replace the sand for something larger. My tank is x2.5 the side of yours and my gyre only runs at 60% maxed out (random setting, admittedly i have another powerhead), the heads are also directed so only half point up and across the others point down.

 

[Ghostyboythedog]

Hello Good people

I'm new to the hobby. I have a new 35-gallon reef tank set up and invested in the best gear for hopefully growing some small fish + LPS'S and SPS'S.

I am just closing one month of the cycle; all tests turned out good to go with adding the first 1-2 fish, but what stopped me was that the water was cloudy, and nothing I did seemed to work.

When setting up the tank, I washed the "reef flowers" sand in a bathtub, put it in the tank, and added water.
It was cloudy for about 2-3 days, and it got better but not entirely better.
During the cycle, I added the "Fauna Marin Bacto Blend" mix for bacteria; that's about it regarding supplements added.

About four days ago (1 month into the cycle) Iv was told to add the "Microbe-Lift-Clarifier" + "Fauna Marin Carb L" I had placed in the sump.
2 days later, the water was about 40% better but still not good.

I was then told to change 25% of the water every two days.
On the first change, I used my water-changing pump to filter the "reef flowers" sand.
My aquarium became much cloudier, to the point that I just removed all the water from the tank (leaving water in the sump).

I'm now thinking of completely changing the sand to another brand or keeping the sand. Try again by adding water, and maybe the cloudiness will go away.

It's very frustrating to get a cycle going for one month and then take all the water out because of this cloudiness issue,
I'm not sure if it's the sand or something else.

I'm adding two pictures of the cloudy tank before and during the water was removed.

What's your take on this?

When I had cloudy water I bought a uv sterilizer, never has been cloudy since I bought it, it's crystal clear in my tank.

 

[bobyman]

So, in case we are talking about a sand issue, should I give it a good wash until it's clear? Or should I replace it, as small sand will cause problems in the future?

 

[Glowurm]

So, in case we are talking about a sand issue, should I give it a good wash until it's clear? Or should I replace it, as small sand will cause problems in the future?

Are you planning to tone down the Gyre? Maybe move it higher? And yeah washing the sand before putting in your display is always a good idea..

 

[bobyman]

Are you planning to tone down the Gyre? Maybe move it higher? And yeah washing the sand before putting in your display is always a good idea..

I thought about changing the gyre into two "MP10 Ecotech" units.
And i did wash the sand for 30 minutes. Thought that would be enough.

 

[sturgesz]

Give it a few days, it’ll clear also throw in a filter sock to help clear the particles