Cloudy water help!

Crease123

New member
I have a 28 gallon jbj nanocube. My tank is almost 4 weeks old. I ran the cycle with chaeto at the back. After my water parameters checked out (all readings at 0), I added my first batch of cuc last saturday. At the same time, I also swapped the stock filter sponge for filter floss (which i change every other day), as well as adding purigen in the middle of the filter basket (chaeto is at the bottom) and chemi-pure elite to one of the side chamber.

Around mid this week, I noticed my water started getting cloudier. I thought it was my mp10 stirring up the sand, so I moved it up a little higher as well as lowering the intensity. I also did a 2 gallon WC change today, but the water is just as, if not more cloudy. I checked the water again, and everything is fine. What is happening to my tank!!
 
A few more details: I use Ro/di water. When I mix new salt water, I add the salt to the water (and not vice versa). I also let the solution age overnight before adding it to the tank
 
I think they mean what do you have as a cleanup crew.

lol I'm an idiot.

1st batch: 2 turbo snails, 3 red-legged hermits, 2 scarlet hermits, 1 halloween hermit and 1 emerald crab.

2nd batch: 6 cerith snails, 1 fighting conch.

I just added the 2nd batch of cuc yesterday. The store just received the stock, and was still acclimiating them in the buckets when I arrived. I went ahead and bought the snails and conch anyways. Most of them are alive, but its kinda hard to tell with the ceriths as they are buried in the sand. Looking back, I should have waiting on purchasing.
 
A bacterial bloom is caused by an ammonia spike as something dies or the biofilter is suppressed. Removing the sponge and the ammonia /nitrite reducing bacteria on it could have sparked it. Or a snail or two may have died and overwhelmed the biofilter , particulary if you were not adding food or other matter to decay during cycling.

Alternatively , precipitation from your salt mix could have occured but then you would see white powdery stuff on the rocks and perhaps the galss.
 
ha ha, no I didn't know what cuc stood for! I'm a dope. Not sure on the cloudiness, I would guess a disruption in the newly forming bacteria population.
 
A bacterial bloom is caused by an ammonia spike as something dies or the biofilter is suppressed. Removing the sponge and the ammonia /nitrite reducing bacteria on it could have sparked it. Or a snail or two may have died and overwhelmed the biofilter , particulary if you were not adding food or other matter to decay during cycling.

Alternatively , precipitation from your salt mix could have occured but then you would see white powdery stuff on the rocks and perhaps the galss.

Thing is, the cloudiness sort of started before I added my 2nd batch of cuc. Every critters from the 1st batch was alive and accounted for prior to the cloudiness.

That said, the cloudiness did seem to get worse a little after I added my 2nd batch of cuc. Its hard to tell for sure (as ceriths bury themselves), but I wont be surprised if some did not survive.
 
i wouldn't panic. i yanked the filter basket from my 28 and haven't looked back. i now use filter floss in the main chamber and media bag w carbon and another w gfo. the sump is so small, chaeto in all honesty is worthless. start feeding. did you rinse the chemi pure?
 
Have we ruled out a snail spawning? I've had them cloud up a 285gallon system before.

Waterchange. Carbon. Done.

Not saying that's what you've got, but it should be included in your differential diagnosis.
 
Have we ruled out a snail spawning? I've had them cloud up a 285gallon system before.

Waterchange. Carbon. Done.

Not saying that's what you've got, but it should be included in your differential diagnosis.

I did a 2 gallon water change yesterday, and yet to see too much of an improvement this morning. Come tomorrow, I will do a larger 5 gallon water change.

Is chemi-pure elite = carbon?
 
Its a binder like carbon, I believe. If it didn't help much, then I'd lean more towards something chemical vs biologic (also chemical). I would want to see readings on pH, Ca, and dKH, at least to think about a precipitate.
 
I like Tom's reply :)
I'm leaning towards bacterial bloom causing the cloudiness for several reasons.

Does this aquarium have a skimmer on it?

28 gallons is small...... Do a big water change!
 
I like Tom's reply :)
I'm leaning towards bacterial bloom causing the cloudiness for several reasons.

Does this aquarium have a skimmer on it?

28 gallons is small...... Do a big water change!

No, no skimmer.

What would you say are the reasons you are leaning towards a bacterial bloom. Also, if it truly IS a bacterial bloom, roughly how many days will it take for it to clear up?
 
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