Cloudy water

Kingspade18 · 08/08/2012, 06:38 PM

So my tank has been cycling for a week and the last few days diatoms have been blooming. Now it is really brown in there and my water is cloudy. Is this normal while in this stage??

Sent from my Motorola Electrify using Tapatalk 2

andy2966 · 08/08/2012, 07:39 PM

I had the same problem while I was cycling my tank. I have a magnum 350 canister filter and used the micron cartridge for water polishing and the tank was crystal clear after 2 days. You will need a micron filter that traps small particles. Hope This helps. It will eventually clear up on its own but I wanted to remove as much of the Diatoms as I could.

ecvernon · 08/08/2012, 10:50 PM

its only a week that passed. cloudy water is normal until the cycle gets further along. how did you kick start the cycle to get the process started?where are your parameters such as ammonia nitrate and nitrite? that will help determine how far along you are in the cycle

ArrecifeJunkie · 08/09/2012, 02:23 AM

Mine was terrible looking until the cycle was nearly finished. I put 100 lbs of live rock in and 4 days later the cycle was finished. I must have been close to the end though but it cleared the water right up.

Kingspade18 · 08/09/2012, 04:52 AM

My levels are amm: less than.25 havent been higher than .50, nitrite 1, nitrate 20

Sent from my Motorola Electrify using Tapatalk 2

coolbreeze · 08/09/2012, 04:52 AM

Sounds normal You just have to wait it out

Kingspade18 · 08/09/2012, 10:15 AM

Should i be running any carbon or gfo right now? And would using tap water be making this worse?? My tap is 133tds i do have an rodi just waiting for new filters/membrane and plumbing parts.

Sent from my Motorola Electrify using Tapatalk 2

Mavrk · 08/09/2012, 11:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kingspade18

Should i be running any carbon or gfo right now? And would using tap water be making this worse?? My tap is 133tds i do have an rodi just waiting for new filters/membrane and plumbing parts.

Sent from my Motorola Electrify using Tapatalk 2

I was going to suggest doing water changes during your cycle, but I don't know if I would add more tap water to the system.

Kingspade18 · 08/09/2012, 11:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mavrk

I was going to suggest doing water changes during your cycle, but I don't know if I would add more tap water to the system.

well im not sure when the parts for my rodi will be here and am stuck with tap water top offs anyway for the time being. i was thinking of doing a water change also to get my sg down because it is at 1.030 right now.

sqwat · 08/09/2012, 12:14 PM

never ever use tap water it can test good one day then full of clorine the next.i dont even like ro water.i use only distilled.take youre time you have months to go till any full stability happens.if you like to burn money add corals and fish whenever but they will recede and look like $hit and get algea all over.if you want everything perfect do not add anything but paly and mushrooms after 4 months then at the 10th to 11th month u can slowly add more expensive andchallenging to keep corals trust me take it slow or you will hate this hobby.

Reef1121 · 09/11/2012, 11:33 PM

Having the same problem in my tank but the tank is fully cycled 4 weeks now using Dr. Tims method. Looks like the diatom algae is free floating in the water. Also have a 200 micron filter bag on the return and skimming. Nothing seems to help. nitrate is at .25ppm and phosphate at .08ppm (red sea pro tests)

And I wouldnt ever use distilled water in a reef tank. Most distilling processes use copper coils which sometimes leaches copper into the water. I stick with RODI and never anything else. Tap water breads algae.

08/08/2012, 06:38 PM	#1
Kingspade18 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Dubuque, Iowa Posts: 129	Cloudy water So my tank has been cycling for a week and the last few days diatoms have been blooming. Now it is really brown in there and my water is cloudy. Is this normal while in this stage?? Sent from my Motorola Electrify using Tapatalk 2

08/08/2012, 07:39 PM	#2
andy2966 Registered Member Join Date: May 2012 Location: Saint Louis, MO. Posts: 376	I had the same problem while I was cycling my tank. I have a magnum 350 canister filter and used the micron cartridge for water polishing and the tank was crystal clear after 2 days. You will need a micron filter that traps small particles. Hope This helps. It will eventually clear up on its own but I wanted to remove as much of the Diatoms as I could.

08/08/2012, 10:50 PM	#3
ecvernon Premium Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: brooklyn,ny Posts: 84 Blog Entries: 2	its only a week that passed. cloudy water is normal until the cycle gets further along. how did you kick start the cycle to get the process started?where are your parameters such as ammonia nitrate and nitrite? that will help determine how far along you are in the cycle

08/09/2012, 02:23 AM	#4
ArrecifeJunkie Registered Member Join Date: May 2012 Location: West Palm Beach Posts: 108	Mine was terrible looking until the cycle was nearly finished. I put 100 lbs of live rock in and 4 days later the cycle was finished. I must have been close to the end though but it cleared the water right up.

08/09/2012, 04:52 AM	#5
Kingspade18 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Dubuque, Iowa Posts: 129	My levels are amm: less than.25 havent been higher than .50, nitrite 1, nitrate 20 Sent from my Motorola Electrify using Tapatalk 2

08/09/2012, 04:52 AM	#6
coolbreeze Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 51	Sounds normal You just have to wait it out

08/09/2012, 10:15 AM	#7
Kingspade18 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Dubuque, Iowa Posts: 129	Should i be running any carbon or gfo right now? And would using tap water be making this worse?? My tap is 133tds i do have an rodi just waiting for new filters/membrane and plumbing parts. Sent from my Motorola Electrify using Tapatalk 2

08/09/2012, 12:14 PM	#10
sqwat Registered Member. Join Date: Oct 2011 Posts: 653	never ever use tap water it can test good one day then full of clorine the next.i dont even like ro water.i use only distilled.take youre time you have months to go till any full stability happens.if you like to burn money add corals and fish whenever but they will recede and look like $hit and get algea all over.if you want everything perfect do not add anything but paly and mushrooms after 4 months then at the 10th to 11th month u can slowly add more expensive andchallenging to keep corals trust me take it slow or you will hate this hobby.

09/11/2012, 11:33 PM	#11
Reef1121 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Travis AFB Posts: 332	Having the same problem in my tank but the tank is fully cycled 4 weeks now using Dr. Tims method. Looks like the diatom algae is free floating in the water. Also have a 200 micron filter bag on the return and skimming. Nothing seems to help. nitrate is at .25ppm and phosphate at .08ppm (red sea pro tests) And I wouldnt ever use distilled water in a reef tank. Most distilling processes use copper coils which sometimes leaches copper into the water. I stick with RODI and never anything else. Tap water breads algae.