cloudy water... now what?

[btmedic04]

Yesterday I did a 5 gallon water change on my 20 gallon aquarium. same brand salt ive been using since set up, same procedure. mix half a cup of salt into the 5 gallon at a time until its dissolved before adding the next half cup (till i get 1.025-1.026 salinity) now heres the only differences i did this time:
1. i moved a small piece (1/2lb) of live rock from a leaning position to laying on the sand bed
2. i turned off and unhooked my Aquaclear 50, took out the media and gave the filter housing a good cleaning in the sink
3. when i put the filter back in, i filled the first 2 media notches with cut to fit deep blue nitrate remover pads. third notch has carbon
4. shook the bag of salt really well to mix it up

did my water change (new water is RO/DI and was completely clear before it went in) but later on, I noticed the water getting cloudy lastnight before I went to bed. i took out all media and did a parameter check. no ammonia or nitrites, nitrates around 10-20. woke up this morning and got ready for work, left the lights out because i have a bit of cyano + the cloudiness. came home from work and its still cloudy, maybe a bit more so. Another parameter check showed no ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate at around 20. corals seem a bit stressed and are retracted, but the fish are fine and my emerald crab even molted.

what exactly am i seeing and how do i proceed from here?

[HumbleFish]

How long do you let the new saltwater mix before using it?

[btmedic04]

usually about 2 hours. brand is omega sea if that helps. when i pour the salt in, the water is room temp (69 degrees) I hand mix with a stainless steel spoon to get most of it mixed then put a koralia 425 and a 50w heater in the 5 gallon bucket and let it get up to temp. i skipped the heater this time, but the new sw was clear when i poured it the aquarium. tank temp is about 78-80 degrees. from my research ive narrowed it down to calcium precipitating or a bacteria bloom. just to err on the safe side, ive aimed my powerhead up towards the surface and increased the rate of flow on my AC 50 to increase surface agitation for CO2/O2 exchange. PH has been testing a bit low since this happened. it usually runs around 8.2 but has been testing at 7.8. Also the cloudiness looks almost smokey in the water

[HumbleFish]

Are you using a refractometer to test SG? If memory serves, refractometers account for temperature - hydrometers do not. Meaning, if you tested the 69 degree water with a hydrometer it will change SG once it hits 78-80. And it may not be related to your problem, but I would let the the s/w mix for 12-24 hrs before using. And just use a powerhead to mix; ditch the stainless steel spoon.

[btmedic04]

hydrometer for the time being. i know for a fact that it reads .002 higher than actual SG (compared my hydrometer readings to a reputable LFS's refractometer. and by reputable, the owners will not sell livestock to a customer if your tank is not cycled. they asked if my tank was cycled and what the params were before i bought my first clown) refractometer is on the list of upgrades

Ill pick up a maxijet for salt mixing duties and retire the spoon of muscle fatigue tomorrow and start mixing 12-24 hours in advance.

[Boston21]

Let the sw mix for a day or 2 and you will be fine.