Phosban Reactor Problems

[Gagstr]

I recently added a phosban 550 to my 100 gallon with two bags of Npx beads.... After about two days i noticed that it made my tank really murkey and its making my skimmer create a thick foam at an unmanagble rate.... What am i doing wrong? Any input would be appreciated... i have since turned the reactor off and the water clarity has gotten better somewhat and the foaming has decreased slightly.. Am i going too crazy with this reactor? should i decrease the number of beads because i have the recomended amount for a 200 gallon tank.

The fish dont seem to be in destress or affect but i am alarmed and need assistance.

Thanks guys.

 

[britreefer]

I have a feeling its the bacteria colonizing. I have heard this happening once before. due to the great conditions the fluidized filter creates you can haver a big bacterial bloom especially if your putting this on a mature tank. this would explain the skimmer going bonkers and the murkiness. best bet is do a water change and dilute some bacteria, keep running your skimmer and test your water each day for signs of ammonia from bacteria die off. if you run the skimmer you should be fine and the bacteria will become controlled and stabilize.

 

[britreefer]

oh and keep running the reactor, the reason it got better was because no more bacteria are being put into your tank.. if you turned it off a while ago then you need to clean the media or you could have a huge load of dead bacteria shot into your tank and thats a whole other ball game..make sure your flow is good for oxygen exchange and you will be good. nothing to worry about tho.

 

[Gagstr]

The reactor is now back on, the skimmer is draning to a 5 gallon tub. It was off for one night like 8 hours... ill do a 20 gallon water change tonight and another one tomorrow. Anything else i should do? Will this effect Ph, alk, or any other water chem. that i should be aware of? Ill keep an eye on the Amonia and nitrates and ill add like 50 lbs of liverock to help stabalize the tank?

 

[Gagstr]

Oh and thanks for the info, it really helps!!

 

[britreefer]

how much LR do you currently have? more rock is always beneficial. If the skimmer is skimming really wet then try adjusting it to get a thicker foam. It should not affect your PH or alk or anything. only way that could happen is if ammonia goes through the roof which it should not. just do what you did, leave everything running and do your water change and you should be good. the tests are just precautionary you know just to make sure its all in check. let me know if you see any ammonia or other changes.

 

[bertoni]

I haven't heard of this happening before. I'd watch the tank for signs of aeration problems (fish gasping, low pH). What color is the water turning? I agree that this sounds like a bacterial bloom.

If the skimmer removes enough water from the system, the salinity may drop if the topoff is all fresh water. I'd watch that a bit, but it's unlikely to be an issue over the short term.

 

[Gagstr]

Ok, so the tank cleared up, and skimmer function returned to normal yesterday. Im convinced it was the bacteria blooming. All water param = good and nitrates are on the run!! thanks all!

 

[britreefer]

Great to hear! Told ya! good luck.