WHY does my tank keep getting cloudy????

[coral_reefer_25]

Hey guys...I have been using filter socks on the drain line coming from the tank. I have noticed that this helps catch debris and it also helps to prevent so much turbulance in the sump which causes tons of microbubbles.

I have three socks that I rotate regularly. When one sock becomes really dirty, the water couldn't be any clearer. The problem is that the sock is so dirty, water won't hardly flow through the material anymore...it actually begins to fill up with water and spill over the edge. At that point, I swap the dirty one for a clean one.

Within 12-24 hours of swapping to a clean filter sock, my tank water becomes cloudy and won't be clear as crystal until the sock is so dirty that it needs to be changed again.

I don't get what is going on. I checked the params...Ca is 500ppm which is a tad high, but it isn't really out of balance with the Alk being 11dKH. Granted, I know it could be a little better....maybe Ca at 450 and Alk being 11dKH.

I just don't understand why every time I change out a dirty sock for a clean one, the water gets cloudy.

I am washing the filter socks in the washing machine with NO detergent. I do use bleach, and then I run them through another rinse cycle. Then they are hung up to dry for a week or two before they go back into rotation.

Can somebody help me?

 

[KAiNE]

My guess is that when you pull a filter sock which is that dirty you are removing a ton of bacteria. You then are experiencing a bacteria bloom.
Personally, I don't run any filter socks. I used to in the same manor you are and for the same reasons (microbubbles). I addressed the bubbles in another way by changing my overflows/drains so that i have 0 air flowing through my drains (not a durso). I flow 3000gph through my drains and this was the only solution to my bubble problem.

 

[coral_reefer_25]

What type of drain setup do you have? It seems like if you didn't have any air present that it would constantly be "flushing" like a toilet. At least that's what happens when you put your finger over the air hole on a Durso.

 

[KAiNE]

well..... that is a long conversation. Long story short.... I have a gate valve on my drain at the sump. I restrict it to the point that water in the overflow is higher than the pipe, this totally eliminates any air getting into the drain. Think of it as a "controlled" siphon.
There are a number of accident prevention measures that must be taken using this method but overall I love it. My overflows are completely silent. You are welcome to come by and see it in action.

Here is a thread that discusses it.
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=344892

 

[coral_reefer_25]

I don't have a problem with noise...it's just the microbubbles. If I could find a way to get rid of those, everything would be fine. I've tried putting a sponge on the return pump, but all it does is gets dirty and clogged just like the filter sock.

 

[KAiNE]

That plumbing method not only eliminates noise, but microbubbles as well.
Do you have anything in your sump to help with the microbubbles? Anything that would force the water to the surface helps remove bubbles.

How often do you change your filter sock? When i used one, I swaped mine every 3 days.

 

[coral_reefer_25]

There are baffles inside the sump...it's a 20g Long that I custom made into a sump. I think that might be the problem though. I think the sump needs one more baffle. The water comes into the sump in a small chamber...over a baffle, then under another...into the chamber for the skimmer (which is very large) then over a baffle then under another that is right next to it...that's where the return pump is. That last chamber probably holds about 3 gallons...maybe 4. I think if it had one more baffle for the water to flow over the top of, it might help get the bubbles to the surface.

What do you think?

I change the sock once a week.

 

[crumbletop]

More baffles could help. You could also try a ball valve on the return line and use it to throttle back the return pump some. That often helps reduce the microbubbles through the drain once you tune it to the lower flow. The above mentioned drain method allows tons of water flow with minimal to no bubbles. The other side of the equation is return pump flow -- so reducing that can also help.

 

[KAiNE]

I think that may help (adding a baffle).
What kind of flow rate do you have through your sump? Is your skimmer generating microbubbles too?

Once a week isnt bad but if you want, try doing it more often (twice a week) and see if the cloudyness stops.

 

[coral_reefer_25]

I'm not sure what flow rate I'm running. I am using a Mag 7 on a 29g tank...but there's about 54 inches of headpressure on the pump, so guessing, I'd say it's around 400gph.

Yeah, the skimmer generates bubbles as well, but the output of the skimmer is to the left end of the sump and they immediately surface. I think when I say that I have microbubbles in the tank, I should probably say "bubbles" instead. They are larger than what I see coming from the skimmer, and it gets worse if I don't have a filter sock in the sump.

I think I'll try replacing the sock twice a week for now, and as soon as I get an opportunity, I will add another baffle to see if I can get those bubbles to the surface.