cloudy water and tank stinks help!

twelvejewelz · 01/19/2009, 12:08 PM

its seems about 2 days ago my water started to get cloudy and my tank stinks! its 3 months or more old with fish and coral in . had an aquaclear fuge. i took out about 80% of the water yesterday and replaced with fresh salt water and this morning its cloudy and still stinks. the tank is 10 gallons. could the cheato in the aquaclear fuge be rotting and causing this? what else could cause this nothing is dead i checked thoroughly .im gona switch out alot of water again today but i dont want to have to keep doing this thanks!

Michael · 01/19/2009, 12:14 PM

sounds like a bacterial bloom, why im unsure, what have you done lately to the tank, anything different from normal, have you dosed anything?

Obi-dad · 01/19/2009, 12:17 PM

I don't think it is the chaeto, I have had it die before, but no cloudy water.

Please test for ammonia, etc, this is a young tank and may not have cycled fully.

Sk8r · 01/19/2009, 12:24 PM

my advice would be immediately to prepare a matching saltwater dip tank (for washing things off) and a second adequate new saltwater tank for housing all live specimens until this gets fixed: never mind cycling that tank: fresh saltwater can keep them alive. Run Carbon in there and feed very sparingly if at all.

Meanwhile, take water to your lfs for testing. You should have your own tests for: salinity, alk, calcium, magnesium. You should immediately run carbon AND a particulate filter in your tank, test for ammonia, then do a 20% water change and stand ready to do one a day until this straightens out. I take it you are using ro/di water only, and that you have a mixing pump for getting saltwater mixed fairly fast. Otherwise sit and stir it until utterly clear.
Hopefully this will get you through this without loss of livestock.

When faced with a tank crash, it is urgent to remove all living things to safe, clean water. Never be caught without a spare bucket and enough salt to do this...because a crashing tank has no spare oxygen and fish/corals/inverts will suffocate.

Having a bottle of Amquel on hand is not a bad idea either.

twelvejewelz · 01/19/2009, 12:24 PM

yes i dosed a 2 part calcium and alk, and started dosing vitamin c . but why would the water smell? and why would it still smell when i changed out nearly all of the water?wouldnt all of those supps have goten siphoned out when i took out old water and out put in new. why would that make it smell, it really stinks ?what else should i do?heres a before and after.

before:

after:

twelvejewelz · 01/19/2009, 12:30 PM

i have tested everything you can possibly test and all parameters are perfect, i use nutri-seawater,half pf my aquaclear is a fuge and the other half is running chemipure and carbon,i added freshly since the crash ,for topoffs yes i only use rodi water, i really dont have anywhere to put all of my stuff. should i put all of my liverock and all of my livestock in a bucket with fresh saltwater , then ditch the sand and add totally new sand and water to my tan k, like i said its only 10 gallons so i use nutri-seawater its just easier i dont care about the money

twelvejewelz · 01/19/2009, 12:31 PM

i just dont understand why it would stink so badly?

Sk8r · 01/19/2009, 12:35 PM

A bucket with a heater, and an airdriven carbon floss filter would be safer, I think, than where they are. Bacterial bloom is likely. Too much nutrient. Dosing any nutrient into a nano is not a good idea because your measures are so tiny. Rotten eggs?? Hydrogen sulfide?

twelvejewelz · 01/19/2009, 12:36 PM

i mean i already took out more than 80% of the water and added fresh saltwater so i really dont get what is going on . im gona take out 50 % again right now just to add some oxygen to the tank since i really have nowhere to put everything. i have alot of nice livestock that i really dont want to lose

twelvejewelz · 01/19/2009, 12:38 PM

mabe alittle like rotten eggs but alittle different, what if for the next week i just change out all of the water every day?i dont mind spending the 100$ on the nutriseawater will this fix the problem?guess ill never dose anything again ***

Michael · 01/19/2009, 12:39 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Sk8r
A bucket with a heater, and an airdriven carbon floss filter would be safer, I think, than where they are. Bacterial bloom is likely. Too much nutrient. Dosing any nutrient into a nano is not a good idea because your measures are so tiny.

totally agree

twelvejewelz · 01/19/2009, 12:40 PM

mabe i can go buy a hang on vortex diatom filter? will this be good i really want to avoid taking eveything out . unless i go and buy a brand new biocube and new sand and switch everything over to that? ugh

twelvejewelz · 01/19/2009, 12:43 PM

http://www.aquariumguys.com/vofrfi.html or this?
http://www.petsmart.com/product/inde...:referralID=NA

like i said i really dont want to take everything out if i can avoid it . please help !

twelvejewelz · 01/19/2009, 01:08 PM

im going to the store right now and buyin a new fistank i think, gona put fresh sand and fresh water in it and switch it out ill shake off my live rock in a saltwater bucket and then switch everything out im flippin out right now . ill let u know when i get back how it goes thanks everyone!!!!

Sk8r · 01/19/2009, 01:14 PM

A diatom filter is so huge compared to your tank---yes, it would do the job, and do it about in a few minutes, but wow, I can't imagine one running in a 10g. Mine used to significantly clear a 100g with a 50g sump inside 5 minutes.

twelvejewelz · 01/19/2009, 04:32 PM

i know it cleared my 75 in about 10 minutes crystal clear too. well i just emptied out all of the water and added 100% new saltwater and scrubed off all of the rocks and added alittle more sand since i syphoned alot out .all done ill ppost a picture tomorrow when it clears.well see what happens.im never dosing anything ever again thats for sure ugh

otrlynn · 01/19/2009, 04:45 PM

Since you added sand, be aware that some of what you see might be sand still not settled out of the water, probably not a problem except aesthetically. A cheap 20.00 Penguin HOB filter clears the water nicely however...

otrlynn · 01/19/2009, 04:47 PM

Just one more thought...You don't by any chance have caulerpa in your fuge do you? It can "go sexual" and cloud up the tank. I have no idea whether it smells or not. The steps you have already taken would take care of the caulerpa spawning, but if you have it in your fuge, I would get rid of it.

twelvejewelz · 01/19/2009, 06:58 PM

yea it should all be settled by tomorrow i put a sponge in my hob aquafuge just until it clears. no i have regular cheato in my fuge is all

twelvejewelz · 01/19/2009, 07:30 PM

here it is so far i actually like the rock work better now to so atleast something good came out of it lol. the torch coral isnt looking to good though .

now:

Sk8r · 01/19/2009, 08:36 PM

Your critters don't look too unhappy, which is a good thing. Always trust them to tell you. If they start closing up, worry-time.

I am so glad you're working through this.

Print this mantra in red letters and hang on the stand door: Never add anything you are not testing for!

That will save you a world of trouble.. If you want to dose it, get a test for it. Remember most of these stationary creatures eat light, oxygen, calcium, and water, with a very little protein tossed in, your yellow watchman eats detritus, and the rest only need what will fill their little mouths once a day.

VacavilleFC3S · 01/19/2009, 08:38 PM

my room stunk horribly bad one day when i came home it took me about an hour to realize it was 1/2 a silverside i left in a shotglass full of water

lobsta™ · 01/19/2009, 08:53 PM

my tank is cloudy like that too :\
its so cloudy you'd think a storm is coming
anyway i have a 12 gal nano reef and i added caulerpa and chaeto, however it was cloudy before i added it... i am also stumped as to why my tank is still cloudy.
originally, i purchased a 14 gal biocube, added l/r and aragonite - crystal clear... realized the tank had a crack... got another biocube as a replacement, swapped everything over - still clear.... realized that cube had a crack(f'in nightmare this was) decided to go with a 12 gal jbj nanocube instead, swapped everything over - cloudy... a month later - still cloudy.
i'm trying different things and nothing seems to help so i'm thinking of just waiting it out
12 gal nano
filtration - chemi-pure, l/r rubble, poly filter, poly fill
12lbs l/r 10 l/bs aragonite
1 clown, hammer coral, zoas, shrooms, trumpet coral, frogspawn, peppermint shrimp, emerald crab
nas snails & other snails which i dont know what they are called

everything is alive and kickin
tank levels are good
i am truly stumped

twelvejewelz · 01/19/2009, 10:26 PM

yea i never over feed and my calcium was a little low so i decided to dose . guess ill just do water changes twice a week to keep everything replenished instead of dosing anything in such a small tank and risking anything. i really wanted to dose vitamin C because ive heard such good results from other reefers in the zoanthid forum but i guess ill attempt that when i get a larger tank. there just isnt enough water to be messing around haha..

As for lobsta:how old is the tank? has it cycled? might want to try adding a filter sponge to collect floating particules?just a suggestion

lobsta™ · 01/19/2009, 10:48 PM

it's been 6 weeks, with other tanks i've started i haven't had this problem, they usually clear up after 3 weeks
maybe this is different?

01/19/2009, 12:08 PM	#1
twelvejewelz Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: New York Posts: 1,054	cloudy water and tank stinks help! its seems about 2 days ago my water started to get cloudy and my tank stinks! its 3 months or more old with fish and coral in . had an aquaclear fuge. i took out about 80% of the water yesterday and replaced with fresh salt water and this morning its cloudy and still stinks. the tank is 10 gallons. could the cheato in the aquaclear fuge be rotting and causing this? what else could cause this nothing is dead i checked thoroughly .im gona switch out alot of water again today but i dont want to have to keep doing this thanks!

01/19/2009, 12:14 PM	#2
Michael NTTH Rookie Help Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Gloucester, England,UK Posts: 7,808 Blog Entries: 6	sounds like a bacterial bloom, why im unsure, what have you done lately to the tank, anything different from normal, have you dosed anything? __________________ Don't be afraid to ask questions, we in the new to the hobby are here to help you [For My Tank Spec,Photo Album,Articles and website, click on my name] MY Very Kindest and Warmest Regards , MIKE Current Tank Info: I have a 92 gal Corner Tank, and way too many pieces of equipment to list really, (proud member of the reef central corner club)

01/19/2009, 12:17 PM	#3
Obi-dad Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: CT Posts: 4,314	I don't think it is the chaeto, I have had it die before, but no cloudy water. Please test for ammonia, etc, this is a young tank and may not have cycled fully. __________________ Greg, member of ARKSC and CTARS Visit our CTARS club website by clicking my RC name then 'visit homepage' - and please support your LFS Current Tank Info: 75g mostly stonies. DIY LEDs (24 CW XP-G, 48 RB XR-E) on dwizum CAT4101 drivers, DIY Hydra controller, SSB, Korallin Ca Reactor, Euroreef skimmer

01/19/2009, 12:24 PM	#4
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	my advice would be immediately to prepare a matching saltwater dip tank (for washing things off) and a second adequate new saltwater tank for housing all live specimens until this gets fixed: never mind cycling that tank: fresh saltwater can keep them alive. Run Carbon in there and feed very sparingly if at all. Meanwhile, take water to your lfs for testing. You should have your own tests for: salinity, alk, calcium, magnesium. You should immediately run carbon AND a particulate filter in your tank, test for ammonia, then do a 20% water change and stand ready to do one a day until this straightens out. I take it you are using ro/di water only, and that you have a mixing pump for getting saltwater mixed fairly fast. Otherwise sit and stir it until utterly clear. Hopefully this will get you through this without loss of livestock. When faced with a tank crash, it is urgent to remove all living things to safe, clean water. Never be caught without a spare bucket and enough salt to do this...because a crashing tank has no spare oxygen and fish/corals/inverts will suffocate. Having a bottle of Amquel on hand is not a bad idea either. __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

01/19/2009, 12:24 PM	#5
twelvejewelz Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: New York Posts: 1,054	yes i dosed a 2 part calcium and alk, and started dosing vitamin c . but why would the water smell? and why would it still smell when i changed out nearly all of the water?wouldnt all of those supps have goten siphoned out when i took out old water and out put in new. why would that make it smell, it really stinks ?what else should i do?heres a before and after. before: after: __________________ -Tom Current Tank Info: 75 gallon mixed reef. 20 gallon high nano sps/zoa reef, soon to be 40gallon breeder SPS reef

01/19/2009, 12:30 PM	#6
twelvejewelz Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: New York Posts: 1,054	i have tested everything you can possibly test and all parameters are perfect, i use nutri-seawater,half pf my aquaclear is a fuge and the other half is running chemipure and carbon,i added freshly since the crash ,for topoffs yes i only use rodi water, i really dont have anywhere to put all of my stuff. should i put all of my liverock and all of my livestock in a bucket with fresh saltwater , then ditch the sand and add totally new sand and water to my tan k, like i said its only 10 gallons so i use nutri-seawater its just easier i dont care about the money __________________ -Tom Current Tank Info: 75 gallon mixed reef. 20 gallon high nano sps/zoa reef, soon to be 40gallon breeder SPS reef

01/19/2009, 12:31 PM	#7
twelvejewelz Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: New York Posts: 1,054	i just dont understand why it would stink so badly? __________________ -Tom Current Tank Info: 75 gallon mixed reef. 20 gallon high nano sps/zoa reef, soon to be 40gallon breeder SPS reef

01/19/2009, 12:35 PM	#8
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	A bucket with a heater, and an airdriven carbon floss filter would be safer, I think, than where they are. Bacterial bloom is likely. Too much nutrient. Dosing any nutrient into a nano is not a good idea because your measures are so tiny. Rotten eggs?? Hydrogen sulfide? __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

01/19/2009, 12:36 PM	#9
twelvejewelz Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: New York Posts: 1,054	i mean i already took out more than 80% of the water and added fresh saltwater so i really dont get what is going on . im gona take out 50 % again right now just to add some oxygen to the tank since i really have nowhere to put everything. i have alot of nice livestock that i really dont want to lose __________________ -Tom Current Tank Info: 75 gallon mixed reef. 20 gallon high nano sps/zoa reef, soon to be 40gallon breeder SPS reef

01/19/2009, 12:38 PM	#10
twelvejewelz Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: New York Posts: 1,054	mabe alittle like rotten eggs but alittle different, what if for the next week i just change out all of the water every day?i dont mind spending the 100$ on the nutriseawater will this fix the problem?guess ill never dose anything again *** __________________ -Tom Current Tank Info: 75 gallon mixed reef. 20 gallon high nano sps/zoa reef, soon to be 40gallon breeder SPS reef

01/19/2009, 12:40 PM	#12
twelvejewelz Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: New York Posts: 1,054	mabe i can go buy a hang on vortex diatom filter? will this be good i really want to avoid taking eveything out . unless i go and buy a brand new biocube and new sand and switch everything over to that? ugh __________________ -Tom Current Tank Info: 75 gallon mixed reef. 20 gallon high nano sps/zoa reef, soon to be 40gallon breeder SPS reef

01/19/2009, 12:43 PM	#13
twelvejewelz Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: New York Posts: 1,054	http://www.aquariumguys.com/vofrfi.html or this? http://www.petsmart.com/product/inde...:referralID=NA like i said i really dont want to take everything out if i can avoid it . please help ! __________________ -Tom Current Tank Info: 75 gallon mixed reef. 20 gallon high nano sps/zoa reef, soon to be 40gallon breeder SPS reef

01/19/2009, 01:08 PM	#14
twelvejewelz Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: New York Posts: 1,054	im going to the store right now and buyin a new fistank i think, gona put fresh sand and fresh water in it and switch it out ill shake off my live rock in a saltwater bucket and then switch everything out im flippin out right now . ill let u know when i get back how it goes thanks everyone!!!! __________________ -Tom Current Tank Info: 75 gallon mixed reef. 20 gallon high nano sps/zoa reef, soon to be 40gallon breeder SPS reef

01/19/2009, 01:14 PM	#15
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	A diatom filter is so huge compared to your tank---yes, it would do the job, and do it about in a few minutes, but wow, I can't imagine one running in a 10g. Mine used to significantly clear a 100g with a 50g sump inside 5 minutes. __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

01/19/2009, 04:32 PM	#16
twelvejewelz Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: New York Posts: 1,054	i know it cleared my 75 in about 10 minutes crystal clear too. well i just emptied out all of the water and added 100% new saltwater and scrubed off all of the rocks and added alittle more sand since i syphoned alot out .all done ill ppost a picture tomorrow when it clears.well see what happens.im never dosing anything ever again thats for sure ugh __________________ -Tom Current Tank Info: 75 gallon mixed reef. 20 gallon high nano sps/zoa reef, soon to be 40gallon breeder SPS reef

01/19/2009, 04:45 PM	#17
otrlynn Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Chester County PA Posts: 1,508	Since you added sand, be aware that some of what you see might be sand still not settled out of the water, probably not a problem except aesthetically. A cheap 20.00 Penguin HOB filter clears the water nicely however... __________________ Lynn 1 horse, 1 dog, 2 cats, small pond with a few koi. The fish tank is gone.

01/19/2009, 04:47 PM	#18
otrlynn Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Chester County PA Posts: 1,508	Just one more thought...You don't by any chance have caulerpa in your fuge do you? It can "go sexual" and cloud up the tank. I have no idea whether it smells or not. The steps you have already taken would take care of the caulerpa spawning, but if you have it in your fuge, I would get rid of it. __________________ Lynn 1 horse, 1 dog, 2 cats, small pond with a few koi. The fish tank is gone.

01/19/2009, 06:58 PM	#19
twelvejewelz Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: New York Posts: 1,054	yea it should all be settled by tomorrow i put a sponge in my hob aquafuge just until it clears. no i have regular cheato in my fuge is all

01/19/2009, 07:30 PM	#20
twelvejewelz Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: New York Posts: 1,054	here it is so far i actually like the rock work better now to so atleast something good came out of it lol. the torch coral isnt looking to good though . now: __________________ -Tom Current Tank Info: 75 gallon mixed reef. 20 gallon high nano sps/zoa reef, soon to be 40gallon breeder SPS reef

01/19/2009, 08:36 PM	#21
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	Your critters don't look too unhappy, which is a good thing. Always trust them to tell you. If they start closing up, worry-time. I am so glad you're working through this. Print this mantra in red letters and hang on the stand door: Never add anything you are not testing for! That will save you a world of trouble.. If you want to dose it, get a test for it. Remember most of these stationary creatures eat light, oxygen, calcium, and water, with a very little protein tossed in, your yellow watchman eats detritus, and the rest only need what will fill their little mouths once a day. __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

01/19/2009, 08:38 PM	#22
VacavilleFC3S Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Vacaville California Posts: 2,613	my room stunk horribly bad one day when i came home it took me about an hour to realize it was 1/2 a silverside i left in a shotglass full of water

01/19/2009, 08:53 PM	#23
lobsta™ Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: long island, new york Posts: 91	my tank is cloudy like that too :\ its so cloudy you'd think a storm is coming anyway i have a 12 gal nano reef and i added caulerpa and chaeto, however it was cloudy before i added it... i am also stumped as to why my tank is still cloudy. originally, i purchased a 14 gal biocube, added l/r and aragonite - crystal clear... realized the tank had a crack... got another biocube as a replacement, swapped everything over - still clear.... realized that cube had a crack(f'in nightmare this was) decided to go with a 12 gal jbj nanocube instead, swapped everything over - cloudy... a month later - still cloudy. i'm trying different things and nothing seems to help so i'm thinking of just waiting it out 12 gal nano filtration - chemi-pure, l/r rubble, poly filter, poly fill 12lbs l/r 10 l/bs aragonite 1 clown, hammer coral, zoas, shrooms, trumpet coral, frogspawn, peppermint shrimp, emerald crab nas snails & other snails which i dont know what they are called everything is alive and kickin tank levels are good i am truly stumped

01/19/2009, 10:26 PM	#24
twelvejewelz Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: New York Posts: 1,054	yea i never over feed and my calcium was a little low so i decided to dose . guess ill just do water changes twice a week to keep everything replenished instead of dosing anything in such a small tank and risking anything. i really wanted to dose vitamin C because ive heard such good results from other reefers in the zoanthid forum but i guess ill attempt that when i get a larger tank. there just isnt enough water to be messing around haha.. As for lobsta:how old is the tank? has it cycled? might want to try adding a filter sponge to collect floating particules?just a suggestion __________________ -Tom Current Tank Info: 75 gallon mixed reef. 20 gallon high nano sps/zoa reef, soon to be 40gallon breeder SPS reef

01/19/2009, 10:48 PM	#25
lobsta™ Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: long island, new york Posts: 91	it's been 6 weeks, with other tanks i've started i haven't had this problem, they usually clear up after 3 weeks maybe this is different?