What is happening to my tank

[Bobbitworm13]

So I added my salt to the water in my tank a week ago and when I woke up this morning my water was super cloudy. I don't have anything in the tank except a heater(off) and air pump for some circulation. It was crystal clear last night and now it's super cloudy. Does anyone have a clue what's going on?

 

[Skaters216]

What kind of salt? What's the temp of water? Did you use RODI water?

 

[Sapelo]

Did you add anything to start a cycle?

 

[Bobbitworm13]

Instant ocean salt 80 degrees I didn't use rodi water because I was told it wasn't necessary since I'm not doing a reef but I did use prime and let it sit a couple days first. No I haven't started my cycle but I've already ordered live sand and rock

 

[hann1bal]

I didn't use rodi water because I was told it wasn't necessary since I'm not doing a reef but I did use prime

USE RODI ALWAYS!

Not sure who told you this but they are wrong. Trust me - I been there.

P.S. Im not saying thats your issue though, just a recommendation. I know it can be a hassle but either buy water from LFS or get an RODI uint

 

[CarrieB]

Bacteria maybe?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Bobbitworm13]

Do you know of any cheap RODI units?

 

[Sk8r]

FOr one thing, you need a mixing pump if it's more than 20 gallons of saltwater. You'll be forever waiting for it to mix if you're up to 100 gallons.

My guess is the calcium is trying to dissolve and the water is slowly warming, but you should do your chemistry at 78 degrees and stir it really, really well. If it's not that, it's probably bacteria. That's not necessarily bad news, but ro/di will save you a lot of problems. What's safe for us to drink isn't necessarily safe for fish, and Prime only handles nitrate/ammonia and some heavy metals.

 

[Bobbitworm13]

Maybe bacteria because my water had been crystal clear before. Would bacteria change the water from super clear to slate gray and can't see 3 inches literally overnight

 

[Bobbitworm13]

What about my salt coming out of solution? Does that ever happen

 

[Skaters216]

What's running on ur tank?

 

[DePinchGonze]

Don't worry about it, it happens all the time, it will clear up. As for a RODI unit, I use a spectrapure, however if I was going to do it again I'd probably go with a BRS 4 stage 75GPD. Either way it's highly recommended to use RODI, this hobby isn't about keeping fish and coral as much as it is keeping good water.

 

[Bobbitworm13]

Do I need to replace all my water with RODI water or should I just use RODI water in the future

 

[DePinchGonze]

I would, but I'm kind of OCD like that.

 

[Sk8r]

I'd put it in a Brute Rubbermaid trashcan to keep the incoming live rock alive...but I'd get ro/di (even ro from the supermarket) for the first fill. Mix it with a strong pump for at least 8 hours before using it for anything alive, and then go ahead with your setup. Put rock down first (best rock on top), then sand, then put a mixing bowl down and gently pour the salt water into the bowl so it doesn't kick up all your sandbed. If you have base rock (limestone) lay it down before you add sand so that you're not burying expensive live rock as a base. Always put the best rock topmost.

Ro/di units are expensive to buy, but once you have one, replacing the cylinders as they wear out is surprisingly cheap. It's mostly the frame and rig that costs. And buying ro/di or saltwater from your lfs is more expensive longterm than owning your own filter. In a 50 gallon tank, it'll go a long way toward paying for itself in a year: a 50 gallon evaporates a gallon a day that has to be topped off with ro/di daily to maintain salinity at a safe level. That's 365 gallons a year.

Suggest the red-arrow sticky may help you during your installation and setup.