Cant clear up the water

[Jason B]

I have had the tank set up for about 2 months now (purchased and used all of the previous owners sand, rock, and water). The water clear but has a pretty green tint. I put new carbon in the filter area which i was told would clear it up but it is still green. Since i set the tank up i have swapped out 50% of the water and that has not helped any. Most of my rocks have zero algae on them and any that is there is cleaned up quickly by the turbos.

Am i doing the carbon correctly?

 

[nivram]

Are you adding any chemicals or additives to your tank?

What was the source of the water you used?

Do you have a protein skimmer connected to the tank?

How much carbon are you running?

A picture of the water/tank would be interesting to see.

 

[Dach]

The tint could mean dissolved organics. The skimmer and carbon should remove it. If the carbon is not placed correctly it will not be effective. Are you using a skimmer?

 

[Jason B]

I started adding C-Balance A and B about 2 weeks ago along with coraline simulator. It has all ways had the green tint. I just figured the glass was giving it the color. But when i did my water change today i dropped it down and saw that the glass was crystal clear.

The water came from my LFS which he gets delivered fresh. The water i have been topping off with is tap but i have a well.

Yes i have the protein skimmer up and running. Tuned in pretty good too.

Right now i have a bag of carbon about the size of a softball sitting on top of the filter where the water comes out of the refugium.

Here is a pic of the tank.

 

[Jason B]

This is with the lights off by the way.

 

[Ocean Mang]

I think it may be that large dolphin you have. The can add a lot of waste to a tank that size. Does he jump out of the water for you when you take pictures all the time? j/k, lol.

Seriously though, I wonder if the well water would have anything to do with it?

 

[Ocean Mang]

I like your rock work btw. Looks very realistic from the pic.

 

[Jason B]

Yea i have him trained pretty well. :eek1:

The water was that color when i picked the tank up. I brought down all 175 gallons when i purchased it. But i have still swapped out 50% of the water and it is still green. I didnt know if it had something to do with the sand or rock. I have actually started today to slowly change out the sand as it is probably 5+ years old or so and giving me problems with high nitrates.

 

[Ocean Mang]

Did you leave the sand in the tank for the move or remove and put back in? It could release some pretty nasty stuff after 5 years.

 

[ktg113]

What are the parameters of your water?

Are you running a ro/do filter on the top off water?

Tds of the top off water?

You may have used the same wAter rocks and sand but when you moved them you most likely started a cycle when you disrupted the rock and sand

Let's see what the parameters and go from there. Should be able to clear it up with no problem


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[AquamanE]

Do a white bucket test.

Get a white bucket for your next water change. Dump some water in it. See if the water is green.

BTW- Ide test the TDS on that well water.

 

[Jason B]

Removed it, put it in a Rubbermaid container and put it back in.

When i first got it set up my nitrates were off the charts. I finally got them down to 20ppm but they are slowly creeping up. At around 30 or so now. I changed out another 15 gallons today so i will see what they look like tomorrow.

When i got to the guys house to pick up the tank, before any rocks or sand was moved the water still had the green tint though.

Do you think it is just a lot of dissolved organics?

Is there a better way to add carbon other than putting it in the bag on top of the filter?

 

[mrx66699]

Should have used new sand.....but since your where you are can you clean the sand start with a 2 -4 inch by 2-4 inch every few days no more than that..... siphon it into a bucket draining the water and cleaning the sand off (sand stays in the DT) removing water and dirt

IMO if its been 5 yrs I would def think about changing out that sand....

 

[mrx66699]

What are the parameters of your water?

Are you running a ro/do filter on the top off water?

Whats an ro/do filter is that something new!!!! where can I get one :lolspin::lolspin:

 

[ktg113]

Whats an ro/do filter is that something new!!!! where can I get one :lolspin::lolspin:

Lol damn auto correct iPhone


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[Jason B]

What are the parameters of your water?

Are you running a ro/do filter on the top off water?

Tds of the top off water?

You may have used the same wAter rocks and sand but when you moved them you most likely started a cycle when you disrupted the rock and sand

Let's see what the parameters and go from there. Should be able to clear it up with no problem


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At the moment i do not have a good testing set. Just the test strips. My friend is giving me one but he hasn't been able to make it down here yet. I do not have a TDS meter yet ether. I have an RODI system but i am waiting for a few parts to come in (float switch and check valve)

Here are my parameters from the strips....

Nitrate = 20ppm
Nitrite = 0ppm
Hardness = 425ppm
Alkalinity = 240ppm
PH = 8.0

I'm changing out the sand one bag at a time. I did the first one today using a wet/dry vac to also suck up anything that may have been released into the water. I also changed out 15 gallons of water.

 

[roblack]

I would take all of that old sand out and replace it with new sand. Major water changes are in order. Run carbon and change it weekly or oftener (rinse well with ro/do water - the latest and greatest!). If you feed your fish heavily, consider running a reactor of some sort. If your phosphates are high, might want to look at biopellets or a phosban reactor.

 

[Jason B]

Wow i had no idea that i should replace it that often. Will do.

If i am replacing with bagged live sand do i still need to replace it slowly or can i do all at once?

I see that Ocean Mang has this reactor for sale. http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2062306
Is that what you are talking about?

 

[Ocean Mang]

Yup, that reactor is perfect for running GFO (phosban) and Carbon.

You would not normally have to change your sand that often, it's just in this scenario your not sure how well the previous owner took care of it. Also, the move, disrupted it way too much, making it a much better idea to just put new in. Use some bottled bacteria to help lessen the cycle you are going to experience with the new sand.

 

[nivram]

Removed it, put it in a Rubbermaid container and put it back in.

When i first got it set up my nitrates were off the charts. I finally got them down to 20ppm but they are slowly creeping up. At around 30 or so now. I changed out another 15 gallons today so i will see what they look like tomorrow.

When i got to the guys house to pick up the tank, before any rocks or sand was moved the water still had the green tint though.

Do you think it is just a lot of dissolved organics?

Is there a better way to add carbon other than putting it in the bag on top of the filter?

Yes, I'd run it in a reactor. A lot of people like to use the two little fishies (TLF) reactors and the Bulk Reef Supply(BRS) reactors.

So if I understand, you used the old water which already had the green tint to it? If this is the case, I would do several large water changes or one complete water change if you have no fish or live corals in the system. This should get rid of the green tint assuming your well water is not adding to the issue. You should also see the tint get lighter as you are changing the water.

The water changes will also help with your Nitrate and Phosphate issue.

Test your RODI TDS. If you LFS has a TDS meter, they can test it for you. Well water usually has a very high TDS level.


Does your skimmer seem to be pulling out any of the green tint? I'm wondering if the person who had the tank was using something like Melafix or some other medication. This will tint the water green.

What are you using to filter the water? Are you using any type of filter pads or anything that might be tinting the water?