Need Advice for Repeated Cloudy Water

[beartooth91]

I have a 30 gal, Berlin style tank. No sand - skimmer is an AquaC Remora. I have approx 35 lbs of live rock in the tank and I'm running a hang on power filter with activated charcoal. Tank makeup is a home made doser which does kalkwasser. Lighting is power compacts. I have 2 clowns, a wrasse, and a goby. Tank was set up in November with uncured rock. Its been doing well until about 6 weeks ago - no ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, or phosphate. Several weeks ago, I purchased some long feather caulerpa for the tank. It did well for about 3 or 4 weeks then I woke up 1 morning to a light green cloudy tank. We fought it with partial water changes to no avail. A couple of weeks ago, we did a complete water change on the tank and removed all of the caulerpa (there may be a couple of misc strands left). The rock was briefly rinsed in fresh salt water. It was crystal clear for a couple of days, then started clouding up again. We're back to 20%-50% pwc's every day or two and yet the tank is still cloudy.
Would someone please point me in the right direction ?

Thanks,

Mark

 

[roka64]

Welcome to the site!
Is the green cloud on the glass/substrate or in the water column?
You may want to change out the GAC, it usually is only good for 1-2 weeks depending on feeding, bioload and a few other things.
How old are your bulbs? When lights get older, the light spectrum will shift and cause an algae outbreak (same sometimes applies to new bulbs).
How long do you run your lights?
How often/what/how much do you feed?

 

[beartooth91]

Welcome to the site!
Is the green cloud on the glass/substrate or in the water column?
You may want to change out the GAC, it usually is only good for 1-2 weeks depending on feeding, bioload and a few other things.
How old are your bulbs? When lights get older, the light spectrum will shift and cause an algae outbreak (same sometimes applies to new bulbs).
How long do you run your lights?
How often/what/how much do you feed?

Its a whitish-green cloud in the water column.
We're changing out the activated charcoal approx every other day.
Bulbs were purchased in November. I'm running them on 12 hour cycles.
Feeding is once per day, sometimes twice of Formula One flakes.

 

[CaptainAhab]

My guess.. To much food, too much light. Lotta phosphates in flake. Why run the AC? Esp if you're changing it out every 2 days. Gotta be $$$$ unless it's cheap stuff then.. it may be contributory to your green water.

 

[roka64]

Any chance you can get a pic?
I agree with the Capt, the GAC could be putting out some sediment and under the right lighting may look greenish/whitish.
I'm not familiar with an algae that stays suspended in the water column.
Can you direct your flow towards the filter and see if that clears it up?

 

[beartooth91]

I've been assuming all along the white-green cloudiness is still a result of residual caulerpa gametes in the water. I just can't figure out where their coming from.....
But, since I haven't heard any replies directing me that way; maybe its something else...?

 

[melosu58]

I've been assuming all along the white-green cloudiness is still a result of residual caulerpa gametes in the water.

This would be my guess if you had alot of it in the tank.