AndrewT Posted December 31, 2012 Share Posted December 31, 2012 (edited) Ive had my 75g tank up for about 3 weeks now tank is cycled, but my water has been super milky. All params are in check but the water would not clear. Im using this cpr skimmer, but havent had any luck. So today I got some carbon filter pads and a media sponge to add to the return chamber. Anyone care to chime in on suggestions or whether this is even gonna help? Edited December 31, 2012 by AndrewT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainK Posted December 31, 2012 Share Posted December 31, 2012 I would bet its a bacterial bloom. Although I don't think your tank is completely cycled yet, your water should've cleared up after a week. See if you can buy or borrow a cheap UV sterilizer. It should clear it up in a day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndrewT Posted December 31, 2012 Author Share Posted December 31, 2012 That was gonna be my next option. Yeah water has cleared some initially but definitely not all the way. Ill see if anyone has one I can use. Cheers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kingjames Posted December 31, 2012 Share Posted December 31, 2012 either bacterial bloom or new sand will do this if getting stired up by power heads even just a little Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
victoly Posted December 31, 2012 Share Posted December 31, 2012 do you have any mechanical filtration to pull it out if it's sand particulates vs a bloom? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard L Posted December 31, 2012 Share Posted December 31, 2012 do you have any mechanical filtration to pull it out if it's sand particulates vs a bloom? +1 on the sand since you used the term "milky". What kind of sand are you using? Before you put it in the tank did you rinse it with fresh water until the water ran clear? If it is a bloom, I always think of them as a response to an imbalance and look to correct the imbalance first instead of fighting the bloom. For example I had some Cyano break out in my tank recently and quickly determined that my nutrient levels were too high. I could have wiped it out quickly with a chemical treatment but instead I've been working on reducing the nutrients that feed it to starve it out. It would be helpful if you listed your water parameters for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate and include what test kits you used to get them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndrewT Posted December 31, 2012 Author Share Posted December 31, 2012 All ammonia nitrate, nitrites are at 0. Salinity is .026 ph 8.5. I have caribbean sugar sand in the tank. It was washed and sifted before it was purchased. I had been using stability when I started up the tank as well as when I added livestock. Could it possibly be a bloom due to over dosing stability? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndrewT Posted December 31, 2012 Author Share Posted December 31, 2012 API Test kits... forgot to throw that in Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brooks Posted December 31, 2012 Share Posted December 31, 2012 I think it would be possible that it is a bloom of some sort. Wether or not it was from overdosing Stability or not, I can't say. Try doing a smaller water change and monitor the parameters closely. Also, like everyone else has already said, make sure there aren't any pumps blowing sand around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndrewT Posted December 31, 2012 Author Share Posted December 31, 2012 I have two k3s pointed up at the surface. Ill do a water change today and lay off the stability and see what happens. As far as the media in the skimmer... Any thoughts on that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
victoly Posted December 31, 2012 Share Posted December 31, 2012 carbon isn't going to remove a bacterial bloom. you might have a little luck removing them mechanically, but they won't address the root cause if it is in fact bacterial. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
(Bio)³ Posted December 31, 2012 Share Posted December 31, 2012 Point power heads down at sand... Sounds odd but helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndrewT Posted December 31, 2012 Author Share Posted December 31, 2012 Thanks for all the help guys! Im gonna try a couple of the tips suggested and go from there. Thanks again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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