Cloudy Water Ideas

[kien]

Do you have a picture? Is it cloudy white, green, yellow? Do you have clams? Caulerpa algae? Is the outlet of your biopellet reactor pointing at the inlet of your skimmer? Could be a phytoplankton bloom?

[kien]

Also, your calcium at 530 is a bit in the high side. Is that the value you are aiming for?

[ruslicus]

HI Kien

it is white, not too cloudy, but not clear for sure - kind of like after WC with fine sand. The lights are on aktinic now so cannot take picture. something like this http://www.tropical-fish-friends.com...ium-water.html.

BitoPellets outlet goes directly in front of skimmer inlet. Don't have clams, but have herliquin shrimps and they just started their next star fish have caulepra in refugium, can it give me problems?

[ruslicus]

Originally Posted by kien

Also, your calcium at 530 is a bit in the high side. Is that the value you are aiming for?

This was my first concern, but my ALK is 9 usually at high Calcium Alk is very low. Tomorrow I am taking a sample to Denny, may be my Calcium Tester is out. I use Hanna checkers for Alk and Calcium. Have a bit of Phosphate but shouldn't make a big problem and other corals including Elegance coral is doing well.

[ruslicus]

Do you think PH 8 when lights are on is low? should I dose kalkwasser? but that should affect my Calcium as well, by the way Red Sea Mg test shows 1450.

[kien]

Caulerpa has the potential to go sexual on you and cloud your tank. This is the reason why people will tend to stay away from caulerpa as a macro algae in refugiums.

A pH range of 8-8.4 is fine during the day. Unless there is a specific reason why you want to keep your alk at 9 and calcium at 530, I would personally lower them if you plan to continue with bioPellets. Those numbers should not be catastrophic as there are many people running high alk and calc. However, generally speaking if you are doing probiotics in your tank (bioPellets, zeoVit, vodka/sugar, etc) it is recommended to run your alk in the 7-8 range.

[ruslicus]

Originally Posted by kien

Caulerpa has the potential to go sexual on you and cloud your tank. This is the reason why people will tend to stay away from caulerpa as a macro algae in refugiums.

A pH range of 8-8.4 is fine during the day. Unless there is a specific reason why you want to keep your alk at 9 and calcium at 530, I would personally lower them if you plan to continue with bioPellets. Those numbers should not be catastrophic as there are many people running high alk and calc. However, generally speaking if you are doing probiotics in your tank (bioPellets, zeoVit, vodka/sugar, etc) it is recommended to run your alk in the 7-8 range.

so my plan is to test tomorrow with Denny.
1. remove caulepra from refugium
2. another WC
3. monitor Alk and keep at 7.5-8.0 level
4. Keep Biopellets on

any ideas how i can drop the Calcium?

[kien]

Allow the levels to drop naturally from coral uptake or water changes is fine too. Just don't drop alk too aggressively or you may shock corals. All should go down on its own quite easily and quickly over the course of the week. Extra carbon (if you run carbon at all) can also help clear up the water.

[ruslicus]

Thx guys. I started Bio Pellets to get low nutrient tank mainly for SPS. Don't have many yet. Have couple bue and one creme and one green frags. I removed all caulepra from refugium. Changed water and cleaned my overflow. I found lots of debris - not sure if it was due to feeding?! But that might be a cause of some phosphate. I ran Carbon and GFO as well, might change GFO. Ive notice in my sump lots of small flower type things exactly the same as flowers on my caulepra, so i can think it is the problem. does SPS gets upset due to caulepra sexing?