PDA

View Full Version : Vodka dosing=cloudy tank


rayn
06/22/2011, 12:26 PM
I have two tanks, one a 55 and one a 120.

The 55 went cloudy about a month ago. I did a 20 gallon water change, turned up the skimmer, and added a powerhead. I have the water churning fairly well at the surface and am pulling out a large amount of gunk daily but the cloudiness is not improving.

The 120 just started to cloud up last night, it is very faint but I can see it. Skimmer is pulling gunk out and I aimed the powerheads at the surface more.

I have quit dosing the 55 completely for two weeks now, and now I will stop the 120 as well.

What can I do to help clear this up?

Randy Holmes-Farley
06/22/2011, 01:37 PM
How long and how much have you been dosing?

I will clear on its own with skimmng and no organic additions, assuming it is a bacterial bloom and not something else.

Are you dosing anything else?

rayn
06/22/2011, 01:51 PM
I started dosinggboth at the same time. 55 made it to 11ml per day in half doses, the 120 was up to 24ml in half doses. I would do half in morning and half at night.
55 is/was dosed with nothing else, it is a predator tank with no corals just live rock. This tank became covered in HA up to two inches long. Along with vodka I cleaned and harvested as much as I could and added a pencil urchin. Currently there is no HA in the tank or sump. I also ran gfo till this bloom and switched to carbon(forgot that before). I have had phosphate down to .1 but nitrates never below 40. I know in a fowlr nitrates aren't as big a deal, but I believe they were contributing to the growth.

The 120 was dosed with baking soda and calcium till about two weeks ago when I switced to kent two part. I was worried about overdosing one or the other. Phosphate in this tank has never been below .2 and nitrates are a battle to get below 50. I run gfo and carbon both in seperate reactors.

Water changes are biweekly of 20%. I could bump these up, but I didn't think these really helped clear it up from what I have read.

JT3069
06/22/2011, 01:56 PM
It is a bacteria increase
when you dose vodka i perfer a heaviler skimmate because all your really doing in locking your n and p in bacteria and if not properly removed you get what u got or a release of the n and p
but some experts will correct me if im wrong

rayn
06/22/2011, 03:13 PM
The 55 uses a psk-100 with a mod on the water output to make adjustment easier. Here is my skimate after a day
http://i496.photobucket.com/albums/rr321/dougcobb/2011-05-29_21-42-22_514.jpg
http://i496.photobucket.com/albums/rr321/dougcobb/2011-05-29_21-42-49_61.jpg

The skimmer on the 120 is a warner marine k2 and doesnt get the dark skim near as much.

rayn
06/27/2011, 05:05 PM
Any help would be appreciated. The 120 has basically cleared up with skimming and the stopping of the dosing. The 55 hasn't changed a bit. There is np dosing of anything in this tank, only food. Skimmer pulls a cup a day of dark gunk out with no change in the tank. What else can I do?

HighlandReefer
06/27/2011, 05:13 PM
Perhaps increasing water circulation in the still clouded tank will help. Also you can add a filter bag to your system which will collect bacteria as well. ;)

rayn
06/27/2011, 05:29 PM
There are two powerheads in there now and there are two tube nems. I think they are at the limit on circulation. Would a hob filter be worth it or about the same as the bag?

HighlandReefer
06/27/2011, 05:31 PM
There are two powerheads in there now and there are two tube nems. I think they are at the limit on circulation. Would a hob filter be worth it or about the same as the bag?

A hob filter will help just like a filter bag.

rayn
06/27/2011, 06:05 PM
Thanks. I have a brand new one sitting there I will use.

HighlandReefer
06/27/2011, 06:14 PM
You're welcome. ;)

rayn
06/30/2011, 04:46 PM
Well it has been three days now with a hob filter and I honestly can't see any difference yet. Is there anything else I could try? If I get a chance tonight I'll do a water change and test all my levels. If not over the weekend for sure.

curlykid
06/30/2011, 05:22 PM
you're supposed to up your dosing i think.

bertoni
06/30/2011, 08:52 PM
What kind of media is in the HOB?

rayn
06/30/2011, 08:57 PM
It is a penguin hob. Their media filter, floss and carbon.

bertoni
06/30/2011, 09:02 PM
The floss might help some with the cloudiness, but I don't know how much. If you have a diatom filter, that might help, but I wouldn't buy one yet. I might stop all feeding for a few days, to see what happens. I assume the water color is grayish?

rayn
06/30/2011, 09:12 PM
I can stop the feedings. It is mostly silversides, some krill, and occasional salmon. Here are a few pics
fts
http://i496.photobucket.com/albums/rr321/dougcobb/2011-06-30_22-05-07_128.jpg
looking from the end
http://i496.photobucket.com/albums/rr321/dougcobb/2011-06-30_22-05-19_886.jpg

celamb89
06/30/2011, 09:20 PM
seems to be a bacterial bloom... how were u dosing? what was ur max dose?
if u already stopped the vodka i would get the skimmer going like u did and run some carbon and just wait, as long as everything is looking good, i wouldnt worry too much...
Maybe u overdosed the vodka?

rayn
06/30/2011, 09:27 PM
My max dose was 10 ml with 5 in the morning and 5 at night. I have stopped vodka, added a powerhead, did water changes, and now the hob. It has looked like this for over a month. Fish all seem healthy and all eat readily till their bellies are full and bulging a bit. I just don't like the look of it.
Skimmer is going like that continuously, I clean about a 3/4 cup of that a da:bounce1:y right now. I was running gfo, but also changed that over to carbon and change it weekly. I can be patient with it, I'm just at a loss with what to do.

bertoni
07/01/2011, 12:18 AM
If you could borrow a UV unit for a few days, that might do the trick.

rayn
07/01/2011, 05:28 AM
I'll see if I can get one this weekend. Thanks

HighlandReefer
07/01/2011, 05:37 AM
Keep in mind that bacteria are typically 1-10 microns in size. To filter them out, you need at minimum 60 micron size filter material (100 micron filters will work, but take a little time to clog), which will clog with other suspended particles and organisms til it gets down to the small pore size that will collect bacteria. ;)

If you add a small pump and run it through a 60 micron filter bag, that will help the most. :)

FWIW, 60 micron size particles are about the smallest you can see. Coffee filters are around 60 micron pore size filters.

rayn
07/01/2011, 06:17 AM
I'll look for a filter that will work. May add it and the uv and attack it from two angles.

tmz
07/01/2011, 09:51 AM
The dosing was relatively high at 11ml vodka for a 55 gallon. FWIW, I dose only about .06 ml per gallon equivalent to about 3 ml for a 55 gallon.
The PO4 is also high in both tanks and gfo may be needed for the coral tank.
Running some granulated activated carbon and/oir purigen may help as well. Keep skimming aggressively and be sure to get enough oxygen in the water during the blooms via extra surface agitation. A series of 15% water changes might hep as well.

rayn
07/01/2011, 12:08 PM
I thought it was high too, but I started out at 3.5 and upped a half each week. Nitrates never below 40 and phosphate never below .7.

rayn
07/08/2011, 08:17 PM
Well after a week with a HOB filter the tank is gradually clearing up! I can see almost clearly from the front and can see through the cloud past half way now from the end. I looked at the filter tonight and is it DIRTY! But I shall leave it for now in hopes of it clearing up the rest of the way.
Thanks for the help again.

bertoni
07/08/2011, 10:47 PM
You're welcome! Good luck!