cloudy water/sump full of suds

[54seaweed]

I am totally baffled this morn
I woke up to my tank being cloudy and suds pouring out of my sump
I did nothing different when I did my water change yesterday
same RO/DI water , same salt mix
after the water change yesterday it was done around noon , everything was crystal clear, my bottom tank is still clear and I done a water change in it as well

I know what a sand cloud looks like and no it's not that ,
all my live stock is accounted for so that rules that out
my parameters look good
nitrite 0 ppm
nitrate 0 ppm
ammonia .03 ppm
ph 8.4 ppm
phos .04 ppm
calcium 500
alk 9 ppm

nobody used my buckets for anything as I keep them in a big trash bag tied shut and everyone in my home knows hands off my pails

its a sudsy soapy looking foam
not a bad batch of salt as I used it for months nothing like this happen before
wonder if I should switch over to all microfiber charcoal pads to clear it up
or do water change after water change after water change
oh I dread that
any ideas
oh and they haven't been fed since yest before the water change

 

[PB_Smith]

do you have well water?
My dad lives in Peyton and their well water is loaded with borax and will foam/suds up if not properly filtered.
If you have well water and your RO/DI filters have failed, then maybe.....


just grasping at straws here though......

 

[54seaweed]

No on the well also checked RO/DI filters there clean I put some water from the RO/DI unit in a glass and shook it to see if I get suds nothing
think my first line of action is a good cleaning of the sump

 

[54seaweed]

strange part is its clearing up since lights came on

 

[54seaweed]

found the problem
a piece of dead macro in overflow hose got stuck
once I got it out things got better rather fast
how a big piece of macro got into my overflow in the first place is beyond me
anyway its out
micro fiber charcoal pads should clean the rest

 

[mr_X]

It's just a biological event that causes these things- a death of a fish, or invert, algae releasing nutrients....something like this. It's not a major problem, but it can overflow the skimmer for some time. I just had a similar occurrence. It didn't overflow the skimmer, but it did cloud the water for a few hours. I haven't found out the cause, but all fish are accounted for and the water is back to clear.

 

[54seaweed]

had a big piece of dead macro stuck in the overflow tube
still haven't figured out how it even got by the screens

 

[mr_X]

Maybe it grew in there?

 

[54seaweed]

I would kind of agree with that but the macro's have only been in the tank aprox a month
but that would have been a good thought