cloudy water

[whosinpower]

90 gallon tank with 90 lbs liverock that has been up and running for 2 months. I do 10 gallon water changes every Sunday.

Current livestock includes 3 fish, 25 snails. 1 crab, 7 coral frags.

Tested Ammonia - 0
nitrite - 0
nitrate - between .2 and .5
all used with a salifert test kit

Temperature - 78 degrees
salinity 1.026

One coral - ricordea yuma has been unhappy for about a week, but is still hanging in there. Emerald crab has not shown up yet.

Why has my water turned cloudy? It was clear last night and now it looks cloudy - like when you look upwards towards the lights - the tank looks like white smoke billowing through water.

Fish are all accounted for as well as snails - just one missing emerald crab.....but he could easily be hiding in rockwork. Figured it he had gone to crab heaven, the nassarius snails would be busy - they showed themselves when feeding fish - who were all eager to eat.

Is this a normal thing to happen for water to do that? What should I do?

 

[demonsp]

Could be a algea bloom. At 6 weeks your at the end of a cycle. Ricordias like more mature tanks.
What do you feed and how much?

 

[whosinpower]

Corals are target fed 3 times/week with coral frenzy.

Fish are fed once a day with either mysis or flake. Fed enough to be consumed in less than a minute.

 

[demonsp]

Slow down on stocking. In a 2 month tank you shouild have some CUC and mb 1 fish and 1 coral.
Loading the tank to fast isnt good.

Always check your readings in the morning around the same time to get the most consitant readings.

Do a 25 or 30 % change followed by 20% weekly untill readings level then back to 10% weekly.

Do you use RO/DI water?

 

[whosinpower]

Yes - I use RODI water.

I am making more now to get ready for another water change. It takes me a couple of days to get ready for a water change - one day to make water - one day to let it perculate and mix and then the next day I do the actual change.

Agreed about stocking too much too soon - what's done is done now - I can't take stock back - won't add anything else for at least 2 months - note to self - add nothing else other than topoff water and do water changes - until Jan 22/08.

 

[LPDK91]

I would not worry about the crab I only see mine every coupler weeks during the night too. I would not get to upset about the cloudy water prob because your tank is still new. As long as you keep doing water changes you should be fine. Good luck with it

 

[sruiz]

Try some better water movement closer to the top, I think you might need more circulation. Your emerald crab usually comes out at night. I hardly ever see mine during the day. And you could also try running some carbon that can also help clear up your water a little.