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Unread 11/24/2013, 04:25 PM   #1
nebraskareefer
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Unhappy milky cloudy tank water???

ok guys i have a question something happened to my tank recently been this way about 2 weeks now. i had a green water issue after i had fixed a huge hair algae problem. (simple fix just started using rodi water and it started dying off i know tap water rooky mistake ) anyways after that i bought a new skimmer and within two days my water was crystal clear. then about two weeks later my tank overnight turned into what it looks like now a white cloudy haze. it should be noted that the only thing i changed during that time span was i was using premixed saltwater from my fish store instead of mixing my own. now this white haze isn't affecting the corals i have in there or fish at all it just looks like a mess. i believe in letting things run there course but if there is any way i can fix this fast id be open to it.

o ya my test
ph-7.8
nitrite-0
nitrate-0
ammonia-0
tanks been running about 1 year





Last edited by nebraskareefer; 11/24/2013 at 04:41 PM.
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Unread 11/24/2013, 04:28 PM   #2
NaClTDog
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How long has the tank been setup?


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Unread 11/24/2013, 04:42 PM   #3
nebraskareefer
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i must have been editing when you posted its been running about a year now


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Unread 11/24/2013, 07:00 PM   #4
bertoni
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I'm not sure what's happening, but a diatom filter likely could clear it up very rapidly. If it's a bacterial bloom, a UV unit would help, too. If it doesn't clean itself up in a day or so, I'd stop feeding and consider some water changes.

How is the skimmer doing?


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Unread 11/24/2013, 07:08 PM   #5
DavidinGA
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I would get a uv filter, having had a bacteria/algae bloom before...

Go to your local PetCo and get one of those cheapo $50 ones; it worked great on my 210gal when I had an issue.


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Unread 11/24/2013, 07:27 PM   #6
salgas
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Did something dye?
Like a coral or anemone?
Even if it didn't do a big water change and add activated carbon to your sump or in a reactor.
It will clear your water right up.


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Unread 11/24/2013, 09:18 PM   #7
nebraskareefer
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hey guys thanx for all of the sugestions nothing died in it i have my fish stocked very minimally at the moment. i have been running carbon and it hasnt seemed to do the trick. iv been doing weekly about 20 percent water changes and still nothing.my skimmers actually doing awsome pulls all kinds of gunk from the water im happy with it. i was going to buy the stuff to set up a sump this paycheck il have to add the uv filter to my list what watt should i get? or would you recommend the diatom filter over uv?



Last edited by nebraskareefer; 11/24/2013 at 09:23 PM.
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Unread 11/24/2013, 09:33 PM   #8
Adamc1303
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I would get the diatom filter over the UV for this issue. The quickest and probably only fix is to do some large water changes. I would go for 50% twice to 3 times in the next week. The real question is what caused this? You aren't running kalk right? That looks like a kalk spill.


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Unread 11/24/2013, 10:03 PM   #9
nebraskareefer
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i am not using kalk no suppliments aside from coravite i will buy a diatom filter this Friday when i buy my sump stuff. im not really sure on the cause one day the water was crystal clear then it was green because of all the hair algae die off then it turned clear now this lol. funny thing is iv always herd its easier taking care of a bigger tank and its been way more of a pain then my 30 gal tank.


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Unread 11/24/2013, 10:17 PM   #10
bertoni
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I'm not sure what has happened, but since you're not dosing any calcium or alkalinity supplements, I think we can rule out a precipitation event. That leaves a spawning event or a bacterial bloom as the more likely culprits.

The diatom filter removes very fine particles, including bacteria, from the water column. It can make the water a lot clearer, but can become blocked fairly quickly, and they're a bit of a pain in the neck to use.

The UV filter kills very small organisms in the water, so it's useful for bacterial or phytoplankton blooms. They are easier to set up than a diatom filter.

I suspect either will work well enough in this situation, so the choice is up to you.


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Unread 11/25/2013, 11:47 AM   #11
nebraskareefer
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ok if i were going to get the uv filter i would just get a cheap one like the guy above suggested if i get the diatom filter id get the vortex one? which ones more is the best choice for a fast clean up. i was looking up diatom filters and everywere i read says not to run them continuously so people drag them out for a few hours and put them away for months seems like a pain. but if it gets rid of this id definatly do it. the uv on the other hand can always be ran. so i like this option as it doesnt feel like a waist of money.


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Unread 11/25/2013, 03:00 PM   #12
thegrun
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I would be concerned about the quality of the pre-mixed water you purchased.


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Unread 11/25/2013, 06:36 PM   #13
DavidinGA
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nebraskareefer View Post
ok if i were going to get the uv filter i would just get a cheap one like the guy above suggested if i get the diatom filter id get the vortex one? which ones more is the best choice for a fast clean up. i was looking up diatom filters and everywere i read says not to run them continuously so people drag them out for a few hours and put them away for months seems like a pain. but if it gets rid of this id definatly do it. the uv on the other hand can always be ran. so i like this option as it doesnt feel like a waist of money.

I went and bought a green Killing Machine (I think that was the name of it) from PetCo ran it for a week and cleared my problem up then took it back ;-)


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Unread 11/25/2013, 07:01 PM   #14
bertoni
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I don't know which I'd pick to have around. Maybe the UV, because I'm lazy and it's a bit easier to run. On the other hand, the diatom filters supposedly can make the water look very clear. I don't know anything about models to recommend, though.


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Unread 11/26/2013, 04:13 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by thegrun View Post
I would be concerned about the quality of the pre-mixed water you purchased.
This! I don't trust the premix. It might have high Nitrates/Phosphates causing an algae bloom or something.


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Unread 11/26/2013, 11:38 PM   #16
nebraskareefer
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ya i learned my lesson with the premix my water was perfectly fine before i started using it. so im linking that to be the issue tomorrow i am going to pick up a uv filter the cheap one from petco and see how it works. i will let you guys know how it goes. all these things i have to keep putting in my tank i definitely need to set a sump up starting to get cluttered with equipment


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Unread 11/28/2013, 12:51 PM   #17
nebraskareefer
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ok thought id update going on day 2 not much improvement i plan on running it a few more days then do a big water change


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Unread 11/28/2013, 08:26 PM   #18
Percula9
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Do a 50% water change with good water and leave the lights off. Probably a bacterial bloom caused by that premixed water.


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Unread 12/02/2013, 06:12 AM   #19
nebraskareefer
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Update man that uv filter is amazing my water is pretty close to crystal clear i was going to clear my tank and take the filter back but man this thing works well im going to run it 24/7


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Unread 12/02/2013, 07:20 AM   #20
DavidinGA
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nebraskareefer View Post
Update man that uv filter is amazing my water is pretty close to crystal clear i was going to clear my tank and take the filter back but man this thing works well im going to run it 24/7

Told ya.

;-)


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Unread 12/03/2013, 12:06 PM   #21
nebraskareefer
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one thing thats crazy is all the hair algae in my tank is dying off rapidly maing a mess i thought it was mostly gone guess not


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Unread 12/06/2013, 01:09 PM   #22
DavidinGA
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Now that you are winning your ha problem it would be good to add gfo if your not already running it. It's easier to stay ahead of a problem than to fix it later....


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Unread 12/06/2013, 07:08 PM   #23
nebraskareefer
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il have to go get one of them guys thanks


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