help! water clarity problems in empty tank

[Prometheus]

I've been struggling with this for awhile, so please take a read and see if you have experienced this before:

I originally noticed a cloudiness appearing in my water after a few days of running the tank.

The water is RO water that tests 7ppm on my TDS meter. I had originally thought it was the salt (since I had just added it) so I gave it some time, but nothing changed. I shut off the pump and let it sit for a few days and the cloudiness did not dissipate. This made me think it was related to a chemical so I emptied the tank, rinsed, and re-filled with RO water again. I ran the tank with just the RO water for a few days and experienced identical results.

Next, I suspected the sump. I had not used weld-on #16, rather a Plastic & Polycarbonate 100% silicone sealant I got at Home Depot. I thought it might be leeching into the water so I pulled the sump apart, scraped off all the old silicone, and re-built with weld on #16. The tank has been running for two days and I noticed the cloudiness when I got home tonight.

I really doubt it's related to the display tank because it normally takes me several days to fill the tank from my RO unit and I have never noticed the cloudiness until I start running the tank. That leaves the plumbing. It's definitely not the cleanest plumbing job, but would the primer and/or glue leech something into the water if it were on the inside of the pipe? Doesn't seem like it should given that they are designed for potable water. Any other ideas??

I'm emptying the tank again right now and am planning on doing a quick fill with regular tap water so I can run each with isolated pumps / powerheads to circulate the water with no plumbing between.

HELP?!

 

[lvpd186]

Is everything new in your tank? Speaking of your plumbing is it possible that there is a small leak and the cloudiness is actually mico-bubbles? i wouldnt think the silicone would leach anything, but you've already cleared that out. I also dont think the PVC glue would leach anything, its used for drinking water. How long did you let the saltwater sit in the tank? hope you are able to figure it out..

 

[James77]

I did have a cloudiness when I set my tank up and mixed the salt in the tank. It ultimately went away when I added rock. I agree with lvpd and doubt its something leaching. It might be because there is nothing in the tank for stuff to settle on?- although I don't know why it would do it with R/O only. I would try mixing salt again and throwing a few rocks in- see what happens.

Best of luck.
James

 

[Fiddler]

this is completely random, but that picture goes great while listening to the begining of shine on, lol

 

[bertoni]

You might be seeing a bit of a bacterial bloom. Hard to say for sure. I would just ignore the cloudiness for the time being.

 

[Prometheus]

Thanks for the help! Everything in the tank is new and I had let it run for about a week with salt water in it.

I wasn't particularly happy with my plumbing anyways, I've been getting a bit of a flushing caused by the return. I just got back from Home Depot, so I'll re-build the plumbing and then give it a shot with some LR. Hopefully things will settle out and you'll be seeing a new tank thread rather than a plea for help!

 

[Prometheus]

Well, I think I found the problem ---> filter sock. I ran the tanks in isolation while I was re-doing the plumbing and had zero problems. Installed the new plumbing and everything seemed fine too. Added the filter sock to pick up some debris floating in the water and the water got cloudy again. Not sure whether it's bacteria or something else, but it's in the trash now!

Ah well, with the plumbing changes I no longer need a filter sock to stop micro bubbles, and no more flushing either!

I'm off on vacation for the next week, but starting the tank up is #1 on my list when I get back! :rollface:

 

[doox00]

I put my live rock in my 90g and it was crystal clear within 12 hours