I think I may be precipitating out.

[Tom39]

There are a few interesting things going on in my tank that I am not sure what to do about or if I need to do anything about. I did a bit of searching and from what I have found; I think I may be precipitating out.

The 1st is I have these white particles, almost like a dust floating around in the water all the time. There is not a lot of it and if you are not looking for it you more than likely would not see it. At first, I thought that they might be micro bubbles, so I took some water (about a gallon) and let it sit. If it sits for 5 min it clears up, if you stir it they reappear.

The 2nd thing is, and I think it is a product of the 1st thing. Once a week, before I change my filter sock, I blow off my rock with a turkey baster. The majority of what comes off the rocks is a white dust, most of it settles to the sand bed and what doesn't gets collected in the sock. If I had to try and describe it, I would say that it is similar to the consistency of baking soda.

The 3rd thing is my sand is clumping and getting a hard crust. Last weekend when I was doing my monthly cleanup, water change and maintenance, I noticed that my sand bed has a hardened crust on it. Most of the crusting is taking place on the sides and back of the tank. The front of the tank is not that way but I think that this is due to snails burrowing in and out of the sand bed.

So what do you think? Am I precipitating out? What would cause this and what can, should or could I do?

Lastly, here are my conditions and setup - I tried to include everything and I realize some things may not be relevant to the issue but I leaned to the side of caution and went with more info is better than not enough. Also, considering I don't know what is going on; what seems relevant to me may not be to others.

Setup is 6 months old and consists of 50gal total water volume, LR, LS and I don't know if it matters but I use Red Sea coral pro salt, I have a PS (NWB150), sump with a volume return of about 600gph, 2 - 1200gph power heads running alternating one on the other off schedule set to be on at dawn off at dusk, refugium with cheato/LR/Sand/CFL, LED lighting on DT running a dawn to dusk 7am to 9pm schedule with the maximum set intensity only between 11am and 4pm,

Mg - 1330 / CA - 410 / Alk - 8.4 / PH - 8.3 to 8.4 / N03, N04, P04, NH3/NH4 are always at 0ppm. All of these numbers stay fairly consistent except the Alk, I try and keep it at 9.2 but it seems like it is always falling at a rate of about 0.8ppm/wk. The lowest I have let it drop to before I adjusted it was 8.3.

I dose kalkwasser at a mix rate of 1tsp kalkwasser per gallon of RODI through my ATO. Add rate is of kalk/RODI is about 1gal/day. For larger adjustments I use BRS 2-part as needed.

I run GFO and Carbon 24/7 through 2 single BRS reactors

I am seeing good growth of coralline algae, have small amounts of both SPS and LPS (mostly frags nothing large) my zoanthids seem to be shriveling up but my trumpet coral is growing and splitting like crazy, my cleaner shrimp and emerald crabs are shedding their shells about 1x a month, I have a small brown hair algae issue that comes and goes and lastly, all of my Florida ceriths and limpets died but my nerites, turbos and chiltons are going strong.

I also have fish - 2 clowns, 1 wrasse, 1 mandarin and 3 cardinals

Thanks for looking

Tom G

 

[thegrun]

Your problem does sound like calcium precipitation but it could also be the undissolved kalk (which is close to being the same thing). When you do need to raise your alkalinity are you adding it slowly (drip)? Is there any kalk precipitate at the bottom of your top off reservoir? Do you have your top off pump raised 3" off the bottom of your reservoir? Since your pH is high (it doesn't need to be lowered but it is near the upper limit), I would think about adding a tablespoon of vinegar per gallon to your top off mix.

 

[Clamagore]

I can't get Red Sea Coral Pro salt to completely dissolve in RO/DI water in the first place. It's still cloudy even four days after mixing. Until I figure out what I'm doing wrong, I switched to standard Red Sea and don't have the same problem.

 

[Tom39]

thegrun, I do drip the alkalinity solution over the period of a few hours. When I mix my kalk, I let it settle and do have the intake lifted off the bottom. Curious though, what is the vinegar for?

Clamagore, I have not had any issues with cloudy water or undissolved salt using RSCP. However, per Red Sea's directions they suggest mixing for no longer than 4 hrs. So extended mixing may be an issue with the cloudiness you had gotten. I also found that if you mix for extended periods the mix gives off an odor, kind of like cat urine.

Thanks for the help,
Tom G

 

[Clamagore]

Clamagore, I have not had any issues with cloudy water or undissolved salt using RSCP. However, per Red Sea's directions they suggest mixing for no longer than 4 hrs. So extended mixing may be an issue with the cloudiness you had gotten. I also found that if you mix for extended periods the mix gives off an odor, kind of like cat urine.

I read that as well, so I only mixed for four hours and then let it sit for a few days. Still cloudy. So I mixed it some more. Still cloudy! Apparently some people have the issue while others don't. I even added the salt very slowly but no dice.

 

[Tom39]

That really stinks, maybe some of my issues are delayed reactions similar to yours just later in the timeline.

 

[FishBo]

I have been using RSCP for a couple years now. I stir the water with a wooden spoon & then sprinkle a cup of salt in. Stir & repeat for each cup. I then throw in a mj1200 & point it down so it does not aggitate the surface. 30 minutes later it is totally clear & I add the heater untill it hits 80 deg & use it. Everytime I have let the water sit for longer than 6hrs it starts to precipate & cloud up. Hope this helps!

 

[bertoni]

I'm not sure what's happening in your system. Do you seen any signs of buildup on heaters or inside pumps, or other surface areas? Those are more common signs of precipitation.

 

[Tom39]

I'm not sure what's happening in your system. Do you seen any signs of buildup on heaters or inside pumps, or other surface areas? Those are more common signs of precipitation.

I see a little bit of buildup on my heater but that's it. Nothing on my pumps or overflow. Even that is not more than I could wipe off with a cotton rag.

 

[Tom39]

I will try and get a picture of it tonight when I blow off the rock.

 

[Tom39]

Ok, well life took over and got in the way of me getting a pic and posting.

Anyway, here is what I have going on. The particles continually float in the tank. At night when the circulation pumps kick off and only the return is on it is much better but is still there. I know that the pick is bad as there is a blur because of the movement but that was the best of all of them.

I am grasping at straws and considering trying anything. Could it be a bacteria bloom? I have a UV filter (Coralife 36w - old style) do you think that that could be it? I was thinking about hanging it off the back and running a small pump on it. Do you think it would help if it was bacterial?

Thanks for looking,
TOM G

 

[bertoni]

The UV probably would solve a bacterial problem. I'd give it a shot, personally.

 

[cjcolvin]

This is a long shot and may not be possible but may help and eliminate things. Try to "stir" things up and get a sample with lots of the "floaties" in it. Treat it with vinegar and see if the particles dissolve. If so then you can be pretty sure its with your calcium ppting out in the form of CaCO3.