Cloudy water

[Jesstaki]

Hello,

I have a 30g reef tank thats been running 3+ months, within the last few days I have noticed the water has been getting pretty cloudy..?

So, in a nutshell...I did recently start treating with Kick Ich and Rally (w/in lst 2 wks) due to a prior Ich infestation that happened about 5 wks ago. (I tried treating with the Kich Ich and Rally then too, but unfortunately I didnt identify the problem soon enough and lost all fish except my Hawaiian Wrass to the parasite) I sat on my hands after that for 3-4 wks and then added 3 new fish (blue tang, yellow watchman, and a Clarki) after just 2 days I noticed white Ich-like specks on the Blue Tang and immediately did a water change and added appropriate doses of Kick Ich and Rally to the tank.
It seems to have worked, b/c its been over a week and all fish are still alive and appear to be Ich free I only used Rally the first 3 days (as recommended) and have continued adding Kick Ich every 3rd day.

So are the treatments causing the cloudy water?

I do have corals and other inverts in the tank as well: Hammer, Zoanthid polyps, Xenia, Colt, a fungium/fungia and a clam. None of them appear to be affected at all.

I did have the only anemone I had die today after about 3+ wks, (I removed it right away) but i think that it was due to the Clarki being too rough. I have also learned that my tank is still too young for anemones

Ammonia, Nitrites, Nitrates, ph, etc. all look good.

Usually stays between 1.023 and 1.025 and a temp of 80-82 degrees.

Sorry for the long read- any advice is appreciated and if any additional info is needed pls let me know.

Thanks!

 

[Dalbery]

I'm not sure on the cloudiness. Are you running carbon? If not I would do so asap. Also on a 30g you shouldn't add 3 fish all at once. Too much added bio-load all at once. What do you have for liverock and filtration? Do you have a skimmer? are you running ro/di water?

 

[Jesstaki]

I thought it might have been too many as well, but the guy at the lfs assured me it would be ok I definitely wont make that mistake again. I have 60 lbs LS and approx 25+ lbs LR and I'm continuing to add as I get more corals. I have the Eheim Ecco filter and Bak Pak protein skimmer, no on the ro/di, I've been told we have safe tap and always use AquaSafe in the water. I'm not running a carbon, but I do have one I can put in.

 

[ac7av]

First let me say welcome to Reef Frontiers

It’s hard to say for sure in your case. I would say if the water has always been clear then the treatment is probably the cause. From one who has lost all in an ich outbreak my self, you should never add any fish directly to your display tank. Always quarantine them first for at least 6 weeks. The one sure fire way to cure ich will kill most all corals and other inverts you may have. Most all this other things available over the counter for ich control are just a waste of time and money and as you found out with the loss of your fish, they just don’t work out well.

You should read threw these links,
Curing marine ich http://www.reeffrontiers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=50933
Marine ich information http://www.reeffrontiers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=27003
Quarantine process http://www.reeffrontiers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=27022


A long read but its right up the ally your asking about.

 

[tike]

+1 on the carbon. After any treatment in the tank you should add some carbon to remove it. I am sure this will clear the cloudy water.

 

[Dalbery]

Are you running filter floss or foam in your eheim? If so how often do you clean or replace it? That can turn into a big nitrate trap. Most people run them w/o foam or floss. Also I would never run tap water. RO/DI only. I would fire your lfs. They are not helping. You have found the best place right here to find out all you need to know. Oh Ya Welcome!!

 

[Jesstaki]

Thanks everyone so much for the quick replies and great advice, I will get the carbon in asap and be sure to check out the links provided.

 

[thatguy559]

have you been testing the water??? the cloudyness could be do to adding 3 fish with a heavy bioload and the system is trying to play catch up. causing a mini cycle. test the water and post results

and +1 for carbon after doing treatment

 

[Jesstaki]

I have been doing wkly water changes since the first outbreak of Ich, since adding the 3 fish I have done 2 15-20% changes- one last Mon 9/13 and another today. The water tested good last Tuesday and I'll have it tested again tomorrow and post results.

Thanks again

 

[thatguy559]

cloudy water can be a number of things. added chemicals, calcium storms, and increased bioload causes ammonia spike if your current lr/ls could not handle the new load.

 

[Krish]

Welcome to RF!! First thing came to mind was a bacterial bloom when I saw the title. I would increase surface aggitation if you don't already have good surface aggitation and as suggested, run the carbon incase it is something else. If it is infact a bacterial bloom, it may take a little while to balance out and for the water to clear back up. Good luck!

 

[Jesstaki]

Today the water is much more clear, I did have it tested and everything looked good except the PH is a bit high. I also pulled apart the filter and rinsed out all the pads. I did not add the carbon pad b/c I'm still using the Ich treatment... which brings me to another question, how long do I use it for? I began on 9/12 and have added 2 oz. doses every 3rd day, all the fish are still alive, eating, and do not appear to have Ich. Also, when finished w/Ich trtmt, how long should I wait to add the carbon?

 

[thatguy559]

here read this....research and patience is key in this hobby.
http://www.reeffrontiers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=50933

 

[07FocusST]

cant remember what it is called... but I have had it happen to all 3 of my tanks when they were new. Its a sort of Bateria Bloom... should be able to Google it.