Cant belive how GREEN and CLOUDY my H2o is.

Discussion in 'ASAP' started by DarkEarth, Jun 3, 2011.

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  1. Corailline

    Corailline Super Moderator

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    It is a dry heat, yeah right !
    I would feed the fish.

    Cleaning the filter, probably make no difference, but I would not so you have one less variable in the puzzle to consider.

    At this point I would probably do the Prime and keep testing.

    I am really curious as well.
     
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  3. DarkEarth

    DarkEarth Spanish Shawl Nudibranch

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    Welp!

    Thanks Corailline! Okay so I broke down and decided to unveil the two blankets off my tank with only the TV light on from across the living room.

    The action was to throw a thawed cube of small Mysis in there, to add 5ml of Prime, added 8ml of Microbacter, and most importantly lol, to check on my fish.

    I never thought of it this way, but not being able to see them at all for 48hrs straight really did me in. I worried the worst.

    GOOD NEWS! This Blackout as instructed by you guys here at 3reef is TOTALLY WORKING!

    Two days ago you couldnt see 1.5 inches into my tank. Tonight not only did I see the back wall through the tank but it is way clearer! In the faint light of the TV I could make out details on my live rock! I could see my anemone and he was in the back corner!

    The sand looked whiter and cleaner than it did before the blackout too. Possibly the Microbacter doing its work.

    Heck even my Turbo snail shells are algae free enough to notice!! Not that I wanted that but geez this technique REALLY WORKS!

    I had the covers off for about 15mins then right back on they went again. The water was not crystal clear I could tell. But its not green anymore. Id say about 85%-90% clear compared to when I started the Blackout.

    So im thinking (and please comment if this needs to be adjusted).

    One more day Blackout till I get off work tomorrow. Then Water change and Filter clean? Im also thinking about reducing my light cycle. And regular dosing per directions with the Microbacter.

    Im so happy this is going so well. Thanks so much gyals and guys.
     
  4. Corailline

    Corailline Super Moderator

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    It is a dry heat, yeah right !
    Excellent, sounds like a good plan.
     
  5. Jake

    Jake Sea Dragon

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    I don't have much else to add, lots of good advice in this thread, but on the bright side, some of your inverts may have liked the micro algae snack :)... as long as the algae bloom is brief.
     
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  6. DarkEarth

    DarkEarth Spanish Shawl Nudibranch

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    Ok.

    Well its about two days after post-blackout with lights on and my tank is totally Green Free except some green coralline algae on my intake and back glass.

    Im still dealing with a cloudy water problem though.

    Did a 5 gal water change (out of 41gal), cleaned filter sponges (about half of them), and rinsed my bag of Chemi Pure. Also added two bags of rinsed GFO.

    It actually looks kind of like it did just before the Green water set in.

    Any ideas? I was thinking of picking up a phosban reactor, and new filters for my RO unit which is now putting out 35ppm at best.

    I dont have a protien skimmer (due to being sidetracked by wanting a sump, so i can just ditch this darn canister). My cloudy problem could just be blow-by, anybody know if blow-by is typical for a Fluval 205 canister?
     
  7. m2434

    m2434 Giant Squid

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    Congrats. I'm not sure what blowby is? The cloudyness is likely bacteria, it means they are now probably feeding on they dying phyto. It is not a huge issue, but needs to be removed. Protein skimmer is the best bet though... Sometimes a filter sock or such can work. I think for the fluval you can buy "polishing pads" these may help, but you may need to replace them often.
     
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  9. DarkEarth

    DarkEarth Spanish Shawl Nudibranch

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    Thanks m2434 for the input.

    From what I understand, blow-by in a canister filter is when the tank water (while seeking the path of least resistance) finds its way around the filter pads as opposed to through it.

    Some canister designs are known for it, some arent. I just dont know about the Fluval series canisters.

    I am currently running a fresh Fluval polishing pad as of last night with no improvement.
     
  10. exactlyobp

    exactlyobp Giant Squid

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    Any updates on this? Clearer? Same? Worse???
     
  11. m2434

    m2434 Giant Squid

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    In that case, I'd say that there isn't blow-by on the 205. I ran one for years and filter pads in it are quite effective IME. If the polishing pad isn't removing it, there is probably a lot of bacteria, which suggests that there is still a food source. So, I'd continue focusing on the things mentioned by yourself and others for improving the water quality. This is tougher without a skimmer. Also, if your RO/DI is reading 35 tds, that is likely supplying some food as well, so may be one reason why water changes aren't as effective.
     
  12. Corailline

    Corailline Super Moderator

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    It is a dry heat, yeah right !
    Bump,

    I would sure like to know how this turned out.