White Water

[sytnom]

Hi. I see another post about cloudy water, not sure if it's the same issue, but thought I'd ask. My sump has been going for about 1 1/2 months. My main tank has been going for 2 1/2 weeks. I just cleared the "brown all over everything" stage, and now my water is milky white. I just put some carbon in yesterday to see if it'll clear. Any ideas what causes the cloudiness? I don't do changes, I don't skim, and I don't filter, other than the carbon I just put in. When the water clears, I'll take that out. The last tank I had I remember the water clouding with an algae bloom after changing the lights to higher output. i haven't changed the lighting, so it shouldn't be that. Any thoughts? (By the way, I run the tank this way because it works and I like it , so don't all jump on board and tell me I'm doing wrong )

Thanks, Monty

 

[shallowreef]

I don't do changes, I don't skim, and I don't filter,

Monty,

I'm not going to jump all over you but those are important things that you are skipping out on. Carbon may do the trick but i don't know. How big of a tank is this? How big of a sump? What are you using for circulation? Are you adding anything else to the tank besides carbon?

Get back to us with the answers to those Qs and hopefully we can help you out.

Nick

 

[sytnom]

The tank is 100 Gallons and the sump is 55 gallons. I realize that in the "popular mindset" the no water changes, and skimming, and filtering is a bab no-no and that you "can't possibly keep a successful tank" that way. I ran a very successful reef tank for over 2 years that way, before I sold it to upgrade to this one. I am just starting over.

As for circulation, I am using 4 maxijets (230 gph) and a viaaqua pump with a horizontal spraybar that is 4 feet long spraying back into the display just below the surface. In the sump I use a 240 gph filter (that came with the 55 gallon tank), but I unly put carbon in when the water yellows a bit, just to polish it back clear.

I use a DSB and macro algaes, plus a lot of live rock for the bio-filtration. I do daily water top-offs with well water (which I used for 2 years on the previous tank)

Current inhabitants are: a cleaner shrimp, a yellow clown goby, a strawberry pseudochromis, and a very small scopas tang. (also several snails and a handful of blue leg hermits)

I use 440 watts of PC lighting on the display and 220 watts of pc lighting on the sump. The lights run for 8.5 hours per day. 4 Hours in the morning (7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.) This schedule is so that I can look at my tank when I am home.

I can't think of anything else about the tank. Hope that is enough info for some kind of idea.
Thanks,
Monty

 

[shallowreef]

Hmmm... Well has it always been this cloudy since you started or did this just start?

Also do you use filter socks at all? I'm guessing that you most likely do not use them.

 

[sytnom]

No, no socks. The water just turned, at the same time my brown algae cleared up. I am guessing (TOTAL GUESS) that i now have a diffeent, water-bourne, algae bloom. I just wanted some other opinions. Also, I forgot to say that my test all show zero for bad stuff and normal for all other readings (except my always high calcium)

 

[shallowreef]

Could be. Have you tested your tank for the basics to see if anything is outa whack? Would you ever consider running phos remover?

 

[sytnom]

I actually have a phosphate test. I'll run it and see what my levels are.

The reason I don't run all of that other stuff and I really try to avoid chemical help is that nature really can take care of our systems. I, and others that I know do it all the time this way. If we use some common sense and don't overstock our tanks, the system will balance out by itself. It take a little more patience, but it is WELL WORTH IT. Besides, look at all of those hundreds of dollars I save. (No replacing my salt all the time, no $200+ skimmer, no phosban, no ... (you get the idea) ) When I show people my tank they always say - yeah but I hear that saltwater is SO HARD. I say, not true. I never clean it, all I do is add water everyday and feed my fish ( I do scrub the glass when it gets growth on it). It works, you should give it a try.

Monty

 

[james734]

Could it be calcium precept? If you calcium is high can it not create a simlar condition.

 

[sytnom]

Don't know. Anybody know?

 

[shallowreef]

He doesn't add any calcium though so i am trying to figure out how it can get that high to cause that type of a reaction. Do you see it coming from your main return or is it just everywhere? It sounds like dust from the sand is being kicked around but that is just a guess.

Is there anyway that you could post a picture of the tank so we can see just how cloudy it is?

 

[sytnom]

I would be totally shocked if it were sand. It is in both tanks. I'll see if I can get one (a pic) tonight.

 

[james734]

My thought was if the calc is already high and doing a WC change adds more calc. in the process then that's where I was thinking the precpt would come in. :?:

 

[shallowreef]

Have you added a lot of water lately? What is the temp inside the tank? I don't have well water so i do not know if the well water could be reaking havoc on your tank or not. Since you ahve ued it before with no problems i am guessing that this is not the case.

 

[shallowreef]

I see what you're saying james.

 

[dnjan]

Also, I forgot to say that my test all show zero for bad stuff and normal for all other readings (except my always high calcium)

Could you post actual values for the test results? Since calcium solubility is a function of magnesium and alkalinity, having the actual test results would help determine if you are seeing a calcium precipitation.
(brand of test kit used would also be useful)

 

[james734]

So, You say your calc. is high, How high is it?

 

[shallowreef]

Now we may be getting somewhere.

 

[sytnom]

Calcium is around 600
pH is ~7.9 to 8.1
Nitrites are 0
Nitrates are 0
Can't remember alk, but it is a normal acceptable range

I also tested my well water calcium levels and it is 20 or less.

 

[shallowreef]

i think the picture will do us good. Are you shore its not a bad piece of equipment? Does the water smell?

 

[DonW]

I'd double check the ca test. Since the main tank has only been up for 2 1/2 weeks with no filtration. I'd give it a few months.