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12/29/2014, 05:09 PM
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#1 |
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Registered Member
Join Date: Mar 2012
Posts: 89
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Cloudy water, can't seem to shake it
Hello!
I have a 90 tank that has become butty. It's been butty for several months now and nothing I try is fixing the problem. I moved to a new house, and in the process had to break down the tank, transport and set it back up. Everything seemed to be great, but after a while my buttiness started to creep in. Under the 90 gallon tank I have a 20 gallon sump. In the sump I have a skimmer and GFO/Charcoal filtration. In the process of trying to fix this, a week ago I redesigned the sump so it now uses 2 filter socks. I have been changing the socks every day to try and filter out organic matter before it has a chance to decompose. The water looks cleaner, but it's still very butty. Any advice is much appreciated. |
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12/29/2014, 06:01 PM
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#2 |
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Registered Member
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Charlotte
Posts: 488
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When did you last change the charcoal?
What are your water parameters? |
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12/29/2014, 06:16 PM
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#3 |
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Registered Member
Join Date: Mar 2012
Posts: 89
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Changed the charcoal when I redid the sump (about a week ago).
Did water tests today. 0 across the board for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. 400ppm for Calcium, Magnesium is about 1400 ppm. Couldn't get a good alkalinity test, not sure why. Basically, water parameters all look good. |
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12/29/2014, 07:05 PM
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#4 |
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#347, 19 years
Join Date: Dec 1999
Location: Biddeford, ME
Posts: 1,714
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Looks like a bacterial bloom.
Put a UV sterilizer on it, it will clear up quickly. |
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12/29/2014, 08:03 PM
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#5 |
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Registered Member
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Ohio
Posts: 596
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+ 1 on the bacterial bloom. My newly setup tank is going through one right now too. Cant even see into the tank. Ugh. Anyway, it will subside on its own in time.
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Rimless 60 Cube |
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12/29/2014, 08:05 PM
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#6 |
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Registered Member
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Alabama
Posts: 2,912
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By "buttiness" you do you mean cloudy. Your sump looks very clear. Have you done some WCs to try to clear it up? W/ the socks on, I don't think a HOB power filter could do much more good, but is usually the best at clearing cloudy water. If you're not dosing carbon or running bio-pellets, what other source could be causing what appears to be a bacterial bloom? Does it get more cloudy throughout the day, is it more clear when lights are first on?
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OK, but where does the meat go! ------------------------------------------------ 120g SPS, 125g mix, 56g FOWLR, 20g qt Last edited by wrott; 12/29/2014 at 08:17 PM. |
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12/29/2014, 08:14 PM
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#7 |
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Registered Member
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Madison WI
Posts: 795
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just curious, what water do you use? tap or RO?
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Steven Liu See More at: bluemarineart.com Current Tank Info: 180 Mix Reef + 28G Seahorse Species Tank |
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12/29/2014, 10:30 PM
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#8 |
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Registered Member
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Ohio
Posts: 596
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Newly set up tanks often have bacteria blooms.
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Rimless 60 Cube |
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12/30/2014, 12:25 AM
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#9 |
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Registered Member
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Lewiston, Idaho
Posts: 1,395
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We had a bacterial bloom in our 600 when we set it up it wouldn't go away on its own so we had to use a UV sterilizer that cleared it up in about 1 week.
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01/08/2015, 10:04 PM
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#10 |
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Registered Member
Join Date: Mar 2012
Posts: 89
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Thanks for the replies everyone!
I spent a day researching UV sterilizers and finally ordered a 9w Odyssea UV Sterilizer which is rated for 90 gallons with a maximum flow rate of 900 gph (my return pump maxes out at 811 gph, so this seemed like the perfect fit). The Sterilizer arrived yesterday and I installed it immediately. It's been running for 24 hours and what a difference! I can't believe it actually. For about 5 months I have had cloudy water and it all but disappeared overnight! Thanks for the advice, a UV sterilizer was definitely the way to go! |
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