Water not crystal clear =(

[bjj_junkie]

Hello everyone, I'm still new to this hobby and this is my first reef tank so I'm not sure how long some things take. My tank has been running for a month and one week and from my understanding I'm done or in the very last stages of cycling. My question here is that I find a slight haze in my water and I don't know why. Is it too early to worry about this? I mean the water is clear but not crystal clear. The tank is 4 feet long and if you view it from side to side you can really notice the haze. I'm running an mp40 and I have Fiji pink sand, could this be the cause? Maybe dust from the sand? I know I don't need to be running the mp40 now since I don't have livestock but I thought it would be better to have the circulation. I read that running carbon could help but I also read it could be bad for sps in the future... I'm open to any suggestions, thanks in advanced

 

[Jamroz37]

I had an alge problem and that milky cloudy you see I had also bought a 40 uv sterlizer for my tank and omg a week later is crystal clear though you may need to look into it it's more then likely a high nutrient or something get a test kit but my uv did wonders

 

[bjj_junkie]

I had an alge problem and that milky cloudy you see I had also bought a 40 uv sterlizer for my tank and omg a week later is crystal clear though you may need to look into it it's more then likely a high nutrient or something get a test kit but my uv did wonders

Thank you, which uv did you go with?... I haven't got one because I read mixed thoughts on running one with a refugium. Do you run it 24/7?

 

[Gti_Leo]

what type of mechanical filtration do you have. better question is what type of filtration do you currently have

 

[Jamroz37]

Yea I run mine all the time it fits in my overflow and I also got a protein skimmer also ill find a picture of the one in a min

 

[Jamroz37]

Here it is

 

[bjj_junkie]

what type of mechanical filtration do you have. better question is what type of filtration do you currently have

Well it's a 60g display and a 20g sump and I'm running an aquac ev120 powered by a mag 5 and it's all running through a refugium with some rock and chaeto.

 

[z_dano]

what type of mechanical filtration do you have. better question is what type of filtration do you currently have

Yes, I would start here also. I would also ask what everything is testing at?
Ph
Nitrate
Nitrite
Amonia
These would be good starters, after that I would ask what you have for lighting and how long your running it.

 

[Gti_Leo]

try using some filter floss or a filter sock to filter out the water of any sort of cloudy water, on new tanks the sand usually does have a resedue on it and you will require some mechanical filtration to get it out.

also another cause of cloudy ness is if the tank is not fully cycles the ammonia will cause a haze in the water, if all perameters are in check then look into a bit of mechanical filtration and maybe a bit of chemipure to clean it up.

i would also refrain from gettign a UV sterilizer, it tends to burn whatever goes through it which means it can harm beneficial bacteria, or any critters that pass though it. you already have a refugium so leave it to the refugium skimmer and rock to do the biological filtration. natural filtration will keep things happy and less stressful

 

[bjj_junkie]

try using some filter floss or a filter sock to filter out the water of any sort of cloudy water, on new tanks the sand usually does have a resedue on it and you will require some mechanical filtration to get it out.

also another cause of cloudy ness is if the tank is not fully cycles the ammonia will cause a haze in the water, if all perameters are in check then look into a bit of mechanical filtration and maybe a bit of chemipure to clean it up

I have a sock on the drain but mostly for the bubbles, it's a mesh sock cause the felt one couldn't keep up with the flow, I also have a sump sponge in the last stage for the same reason, they do tend to get very dirty which makes me think it could be some type of dust from the sand. Ill try cleaning them out more often and see if that helps. Does anyone recommend running carbon? I hear it polishes the water very nicely

 

[Jamroz37]

I also throw a bag of carbon in my sump with the uv my water is like it's not even there haha

 

[Gti_Leo]

I have a sock on the drain but mostly for the bubbles, it's a mesh sock cause the felt one couldn't keep up with the flow, I also have a sump sponge in the last stage for the same reason, they do tend to get very dirty which makes me think it could be some type of dust from the sand. Ill try cleaning them out more often and see if that helps. Does anyone recommend running carbon? I hear it polishes the water very nicely

yes keep them clean as they will likly get dirtier. keep a few filter socks so you can just replace them and wash the other one, carbon does indead help keep things polished which is why i suggested chemipure it is a brand of carbon and the elite one has a bit of GFO in it to help remove some phosphate and nitrate. you can put it in your filter sock so the water can flow through it or simple make a cheapo carbon reactor out of a water bottle with a slow rate pump that will do about 50GHP

 

[z_dano]

I have a sock on the drain but mostly for the bubbles, it's a mesh sock cause the felt one couldn't keep up with the flow, I also have a sump sponge in the last stage for the same reason, they do tend to get very dirty which makes me think it could be some type of dust from the sand. Ill try cleaning them out more often and see if that helps. Does anyone recommend running carbon? I hear it polishes the water very nicely

I would put a ball valve on your pump, throttle it back a bit, and use the felt sock for a bit and see if that helps. I had a similar issue with my sump, I would pump out more than I could take in. It's never a bad idea to have ball valves on the input and output of your sump, it allows you to tweak things.

You didn't answer my question about water parameters.
Are you testing your water?

 

[bjj_junkie]

yes keep them clean as they will likly get dirtier. keep a few filter socks so you can just replace them and wash the other one, carbon does indead help keep things polished which is why i suggested chemipure it is a brand of carbon and the elite one has a bit of GFO in it to help remove some phosphate and nitrate. you can put it in your filter sock so the water can flow through it or simple make a cheapo carbon reactor out of a water bottle with a slow rate pump that will do about 50GHP

Thanks ill look into that, but doesn't carbon have a negative effect on corals?

 

[bjj_junkie]

I would put a ball valve on your pump, throttle it back a bit, and use the felt sock for a bit and see if that helps. I had a similar issue with my sump, I would pump out more than I could take in. It's never a bad idea to have ball valves on the input and output of your sump, it allows you to tweak things.

You didn't answer my question about water parameters.
Are you testing your water?

Thanks I have gate valves going both ways and on the initial build I had a mag 9 as return pump but it was too strong and the drain could keep up with it even dialing it back so I had to buy a mag 5. Both valves are completely open now.

Parameters haven't been checked in a week but they were all fine last time. I have a ph probe so I can monitor my ph at all times and it seems kinda low at times from 7.80 - 8.20 but never higher, it's usually around 7.90 for the most part. Salinity is at 1.025 and I don't have a calcium test kit yet

 

[Gti_Leo]

i haven't seen anyone say carbon has a negative impact on corals, it helps soak up any impurities in the water. as for the calcium test kit, if you're goign reef its best to get one, calcium and alkilinity have an effect on your PH level. also the brand of salt does too, i was having lower PH levels when i was using instant ocean reef crystals then i switched to redsea max and the PH is stable and i got have a brown oily film that builds up in the mixing bucket on both the surface and the actual bucket

 

[Beengirl]

+1 on the Chemipure. I run chemipure and my corals have been doing fine. After I added the chemipure, my water became so much clearer that even my hubby noticed the difference, and I didn't even tell him I had added it.

 

[Gregcoyote]

Run some carbon, it will clarify the water and doesn't harm corals. Use the low phosphorous type and rinse it before use. UV is a bad idea IMO.

 

[bjj_junkie]

+1 on the Chemipure. I run chemipure and my corals have been doing fine. After I added the chemipure, my water became so much clearer that even my hubby noticed the difference, and I didn't even tell him I had added it.

Thanks I'm gonna order some when I get a chance. Should I just put some in a mesh bag and throw it in the sump?.. How much should I use?

 

[Beengirl]

Thanks I'm gonna order some when I get a chance. Should I just put some in a mesh bag and throw it in the sump?.. How much should I use?

It comes in a mesh bag. Just put in the sump in an area of high flow.