Newly made water hazy

[wsboyette]

I have encountered a puzzling problem with newly mixed seawater which I had never experienced before. I made the seawater using RO water and a brand-new bag of Reef Crystals mix and put it in an empty, clean tank with sump filtration system in preparation for adding live rock. The water came out cloudy, and has cleared up very little in a week; so it is still rather hazy. I had never encountered a water clarity problem such as this. I made the water in the same mixing container that I had used for setups in the past (rinsed out thoroughly prior to use), so I don't think it was the cause of the cloudiness. Has anyone ever seen this problem before, and was there anything (such as adding a conditioner) to be done to alleviate it short of replacing the water ?

 

[user 26995]

Check the salinity level. You didnt accidentally mix too much salt in the water?
I would test the ro water for tds and silicates.
If you still have some saltmix left in an open package, I would try mixing a small batch in a bucket with a power head to see if it clears up. If it doesnt, that might possibly prove its the salt mix with a problem. Are you running a filter sock on the overflow? It might help filter out any contaminants and clear it up.
I would also do all the basic tests on the water to make sure there is not a high ammonia level.
If it doesnt clear up I would return all with that batch number, along with a bag of the water so they can see how cloudy it is, and replace the water in your tank. Hopefully its not a big tank.
Personally I would return it all if it didnt clear up in a few hours.

 

[wsboyette]

SG is 1.0225 PPT. 200 micron filter sock on overflow. Ammonia could not be present in brand-new water in a clean tank, I wouldn't think. Could be the mix is at fault, or there are opaque dissolved solids as you suggest. Will wait a while longer and see what happens, and try mixing up a batch of water in my 20L.

 

[mojoreef]

Ammonia could not be present in brand-new water in a clean tank

Sure it could, whats your reading??

Mojo

 

[mojoreef]

Here is a list of salts and their ammonia content right out of the box

IO: 143 ppb
Tropic Marin: 7.7 ppb
Marine Mix: 129 ppb
Reef Crystals: 109 ppb
Red Sea Salt: 73 ppb
Kent: 167 ppb
Coralife: 118 ppb
SeaChem Reef: 10 ppb

Not much really and your bacteria will take care of it right away

Mojo

 

[Krish]

Almost sounds like bad salt. After a week it should have cleared up unless it is some bacterial bloom of some sort. Before water is ever added to my tank it is mixed in a container for about 24 hours or so with a powerhead and when it hits the tank it is always crystal clear. Nevertheless, one week in the tank with circulation, it should have cleared up so I'm figuring either bad salt or maybe bacterial bloom. Any chance to get a picture?

Here is what a bacterial bloom looks like. This happened in my old 24 gal aquapod.

 

[mojoreef]

Opps my bad I didnt see the week thing, it should have cleared up in a day or so. The bacterial bloom is a good possibility.

Mike

 

[kevinpo]

Hello,
I have experienced the same several times over the years. The cause has been bad salt mix. One time it was with 150 gallons which I had to put down the drain. Lost the salt and DI water. Bad batches of salt occur with all brands. It has gotten better in the past couple of years. I go through more salt (up to 1000 gal/month) than the average person so I have a better chance of finding a bad batch. I've had to send as many as 11 buckets back. All companies have replaced the salt at no charge.

Regards,
Kevin