super cloudy tank

[accordsirh22]

so, i'm not new by a long shot, but this is a situation i have not really encountered before. its a clients 180g tank, went through the cycle in roughly 4-6 weeks to where ammonia was 0, nitrites 0, and nitrates were, idk, 40ish (it was a long time ago so i dont remember exactly). anyways the light was off during the cycle and it was cycled with fish food and ghost feeding.

after the cycle the lights were run around 12 hours a day (6 rows of T5, unsure of age). about this time the fish (pair clowns, hippo tang, very small, yellow tang, foxface, powder blue, also small, lawnmower, and a sixline) were added from QT/previous tank to the 180 as were a few basic corals (gsp, leathers, yellow polyps, etc...). after a few weeks the water started to get cloudy then got VERY cloudy, like milk. then shortly after that it got waaaaay green.

so first thought was ok, bacterial bloom followed by a phyto bloom. i figured the phyto bloom was caused by the lights, assuming they were old bulbs. the lights were replaced with white/blue LED. it did not seem to make much if any difference. I added 400ml of rowaphos as well, even though i doubt phosphates are the problem. multiple 3 day lights out have helped, but it always goes right back to almost what it was. finally after at least 5-6 lights out the green seems to be reducing. but is still fairly green. the cloudyness is still persisting moreso than the phyto bloom. today was the first dose of special blend, and i am REALLY hoping that the special blend solves the problem. this has been going on for nearly 2 months at this point.

feedings have been reduced to once every other day. overall photo period has been reduced to 8-10 hours a day. filter socks added, a canister added to the sump with poly fiber and carbon. nothing is making any kind of noticeable dent in this stuff. and its is becoming very frustrating.

so with all that information, does anyone have any other suggestions or possible fixes? if the special blend doesnt work to clear it up within 3-4 weeks, a couple massive 75%+ water changes will be in order. but i would really prefer to not have to do that.

thanks in advance guys.

[Aquarist007]

IMO you went to fast adding the fish back. The initial cloudyness was a bacterial bloom due to increased levels of ammonia. The second phyto bloom was due to increased nitrates and phosphates
Suggest an immediate series of 30 to 50 percent water changes

[WhiteTang]

Hmm I have no idea what might be causing this but adding so many fish after the initial cycle? Shouldn't fish be introduced a couple at a time? So that the bio-filter (live rock) has time to catch up with the added bioload?
I have been in this hobby only 5 months but I read so much about how to setup a tank i do remember that bioload should be added slowly. You are experienced right?

[accordsirh22]

i have set up stuff way faster with way more fish than this before.given that the fish were added from a 46 with no where near the same amount of rock/surface area, i can almost 100% assure you the fish were not the cause. there was nearly 200lbs of rock and just as much live sand. all the fish are small, less than palm sized for all but the largest (the foxface). this is a 180, not a 55. if the fish had been the issue, i feel it would have resolved by now since the bacteria would have had an additional 2 months to catch up and colonize.

i have been doing 40-50 gallon water changes every two weeks (maintenance schedule). but more massive water changes seem to be in order :/

[catlinth]

Have you tried shortening the photo period some more?

[garyinco]

I've had something happen like that many years ago with a tank. I figured it was some kind of algae bloom. What worked for me was hooking up a Vortex Diatom filter with a small UV inline filter on the output side. Cleared it up quickly and left the water very polished. I liked to finish off with a little of the Vortex powdered carbon. It left the water crystal clear. You mentioned "client" so I'm guessing you do some tank maintenance. I think the Vortex would come in handy for ya. If you get one also buy their tank hanger, it will save a lot of hassle.

[Aquarist007]

Originally Posted by accordsirh22

i have set up stuff way faster with way more fish than this before.given that the fish were added from a 46 with no where near the same amount of rock/surface area, i can almost 100% assure you the fish were not the cause. there was nearly 200lbs of rock and just as much live sand. all the fish are small, less than palm sized for all but the largest (the foxface). this is a 180, not a 55. if the fish had been the issue, i feel it would have resolved by now since the bacteria would have had an additional 2 months to catch up and colonize.

i have been doing 40-50 gallon water changes every two weeks (maintenance schedule). but more massive water changes seem to be in order :/

A lot can depend on the condition of that rock. Having moved over a dozen systems I can tell you every move is a little different from the others

[briankmarsh1980]

I have had this happen years ago with a tank I set up I had no fish in the tank I had green water then it went milky it was gross and there was a snot like residue on the glass. This lasted 2 or 3 weeks and went away. I just assumed it was an algae and bacterial bloom since it was a new tank. But its never happened on any other tank and I haven't seen it in anyone else's tank.

[accordsirh22]

Originally Posted by garyinco

I've had something happen like that many years ago with a tank. I figured it was some kind of algae bloom. What worked for me was hooking up a Vortex Diatom filter with a small UV inline filter on the output side. Cleared it up quickly and left the water very polished. I liked to finish off with a little of the Vortex powdered carbon. It left the water crystal clear. You mentioned "client" so I'm guessing you do some tank maintenance. I think the Vortex would come in handy for ya. If you get one also buy their tank hanger, it will save a lot of hassle.

yea something like that might work, ive been considering a UV for their tank, at least til this clears up.

as a note about further reduced photoperiod, i dont have any absolute control over that one, since they may turn the lights on/off at will lol. what do you think for further reduction? 6 hours? 4? we have been doing basically a 3 day normal lighting, 3 days dark schedule for the past 2 weeks almost.

[Aquarist007]

Two comments
A lot easier to use then the old diatoms is the HOT Magnum canister and their water scrubber cartridge(10 microns)
A uv sterilizer works great for this and if installed correctly can reduce parasites greatly over A 3 to 6 month period

[Art13]

A UV filter is what eventually cleared this up for me, i had the same issue.

[tmz]

A uv should clear it up if it's a bacterial bloom and or phyto bloom. They are good at that. Not a good substitute for parasitic control vis a vie quarantine though.
The other thought is that it may be some dissolving aragonite if your pH is very low.
Is skimming up to par?

[accordsirh22]

skimming is INSANE. its always super thick, dark, and smelly. cup has to be emptied every 3-4 days. no worries on parasite control since everything is QT first. guess ill start looking into UV. any good suggestions for a 180?

[Aquarist007]

Originally Posted by accordsirh22

skimming is INSANE. its always super thick, dark, and smelly. cup has to be emptied every 3-4 days. no worries on parasite control since everything is QT first. guess ill start looking into UV. any good suggestions for a 180?

That's a good sign a lot of dead bacteria being skimmed out

I use the coralife 36 watt skimmer. It has a long barrel giving maximum exposure to the water

[accordsirh22]

is 36w enough for a 180 though?

[Aquarist007]

Originally Posted by accordsirh22

is 36w enough for a 180 though?

I have 10 of them running in tanks with over 200 gal total volume

[accordsirh22]

getting one ordered tomorrow, really hope this fixes it

thank you all for the suggestions/comments

[Aquarist007]

Originally Posted by accordsirh22

getting one ordered tomorrow, really hope this fixes it

thank you all for the suggestions/comments

Your welcome keep us posted

[tmz]

You are welcome. good luck.

[accordsirh22]

so last week it did the magical overnight clear up 2-3 days after a dose of special blend, and 1 day after i installed a 36w UV. so not sure if time, SB, or UV, but its crystal clear now

[Aquarist007]

Originally Posted by accordsirh22

so last week it did the magical overnight clear up 2-3 days after a dose of special blend, and 1 day after i installed a 36w UV. so not sure if time, SB, or UV, but its crystal clear now

Great news thanks for letting us know