cloudy water...

[fishguy]

Well, first week in cycling the tank with LR and no sand, also the water is clear.
I did a 15% water change and now the tank is cloudy and doesn't go settle.
So I did a 50% and even cloudier, and been the same for this week.
What is the problem?

 

[steve-s]

Could be the salt mix or possibley the "gunk" from the rock itself. It will contain a certain amount of silt plus the die off. Be sure that when using newly mixed SW it is churned with a PH and well mixed before use (24hrs). Carbon should help with the water clarity.

Cheers
Steve

 

[EBR]

Do you have a skimmer runiing? It'll make a world of difference as well.
Good Luck.
Matt

 

[darb2]

I was under the impression that while cycling a tank, you should not use a skimmer :? anyone else's thoughts on that?

 

[nguyen27]

I think you should turn on your skimmer, it is also good for circulation, and help reduce the break-in period of your skimmer when you actually get some Livestock, at least for me.

 

[steve-s]

I was under the impression that while cycling a tank, you should not use a skimmer :? anyone else's thoughts on that?

Depends on how you are cycling the tank. If using uncured LR, then it would be best to use a skimmer from the get go. If with precured LR or just the shrimp method, it's not necessary.

The big thing about skimmers is people worry about it removing the organics needed to fuel the cycle. With valuable hitchikers, you want to keep the DOC and other ammonia causing materials as low as possible. With the precured (not much if any life) or the shrimp method, there's nothing to worry about. Others may also caution that the skimmer will slow down the spread (seeding) of coralline in the tank which is true.

Cheers
Steve

 

[EBR]

Steve --
I had never put that together re: a skimmer slowing down the spread of coralline algea -- interesting. I've got a good head start on the coralline, since I got my LR from liverocks.com, but should I consider turning off the skimmer for a few hours a day to give the coralline a better chance to spread further? The skimmer is doing its job quite well, removing all sorts of gunk.

Thanks.
Matt

 

[nguyen27]

This sound like what I'm doing, but forced to as my little 15gals is in my bedroom, and the Bakpak seems to give lots of noise, even I extended the air muffler from the RIO pump, so I end up get the skimmer on timer as run from 5:00AM to 10:00 PM, hopefully I didn't do anything that I'll regret later

 

[steve-s]

should I consider turning off the skimmer for a few hours a day to give the coralline a better chance to spread further?

Skimmers these days are very efficient and can remove the spores from the water quite well. I wouldn't worry too much about it though. Once the coralline starts to show up in various area's around the tank, it won't take long before it's a nuisance

Unless you are scraping the rock to purposely seed the water, I wouldn't turn off the skimmer. When seeding the water, it's a good idea to stop the skimmer for a few hours though. I find that placing a PH in front of a coralline encusted area will do wonders for spreading coralline without any intervention on my part.

Cheers
Steve

 

[steve-s]

This sound like what I'm doing, but forced to as my little 15gals is in my bedroom, and the Bakpak seems to give lots of noise, even I extended the air muffler from the RIO pump, so I end up get the skimmer on timer as run from 5:00AM to 10:00 PM, hopefully I didn't do anything that I'll regret later

If you have a low bioload and an uncovered tank it won't be a concern really. The skimmer does help aerate the water to a certain degree but if you have enough water flow in the tank the skimmer should not be missed at night. Personally I find the skimmer removes more gunk at night though.

If this is a BakPak IIR with the biobale, you might have the bale packed too tightly in the chamber. It will trap small bubbles making a gurgling sound. Pull the bale upwards so you have a few inches out of the water. That should eliminate or at least reduce the noise.

Cheers
Steve

 

[EBR]

Very cool -- many thanks for the insight.
Matt

 

[nguyen27]

Yah, I have the Bakpak 2 with bale, I'll try your sugguestion pull the bale upwards, beside the skimmer, I have the MicroJet Pump that give about 100gph running inside the tank, little sucker is quite good.
Thanks

 

[fishguy]

I added carbon to hob filter 2 days ago, the water is still cloudy

*typing error, I didn't cycle the tank with LR, I cycled it with a raw shrimp... use to typing LR :/

 

[steve-s]

Try taking a sample of your water to the LFS and have them test the alk/Ca if you don't have them already. Might be be a chemical problem. If the tank was filled with dry sand, this can take time to clear until the bacteria are established. The light weight silty material can easily be suspended in the water until it gains some weight. If that's the case you have nothing to worry about, it just needs more time. The filter pad in the HOB may simpley not be large enough (or clogged) to deal with it.

Is it as cloudy as from the 25th and how much shrimp did you add to the tank? Tank size?

Cheers
Steve