Explosion of white cloudiness/milkiness! Help!

[Royed]

I am exactly at the end of my 3 week cycle. This is the first time I've panic'd about something, and the LFS I go to is closed. Before I hit my problem, here is my set up
I started my first tank exactly three weeks ago now. Here are the specs:
65 Gallon saltwater
About 60 lbs of live rock
Bubble Magus NAC skimmer
Syncra 120V 60hz pump
Hydor wave maker 115 v
Heater set at 78
2 T5s and 2 LEDs
So here is what happened tonight. I simply wanted to change my filter bag, as it seemed to be getting too old and clogged up. I turned off all my equipment, let the old filter bag drain into sump, removed it, placed in new filter bag, turned everything back on, then BAM. The main tank starts getting filled with this white cloudy/milkyness. It has been nearly two hours and the return pumps are still pushing in this cloudiness. I only have 2 chromis and a small zoa frag, and thats it. Here is an imgur album of my levels that I tested today, photos of the white cloudiness coming out of pumps, and a photo of the type of filter bag I am using..
http://imgur.com/a/ZyOq3 [1]
What did I do wrong? How screwed am I?

[Crusinjimbo]

In the last photo the "cloudiness" looks more like micro-bubbles. Cloudiness, such as minor bacterial blooms, reaches a certain level and is the same throughout the tank. My guess anyway. Sock new? Feeding? Dosing anything? Media use? More information from you will is needed. Good luck

[Denbf58]

was it a band new sock ? did you rise it before use ? some times a new sock will make your skimmer go crazy and push a lot of micro bubbles

[bundybear1981]

+1 to microbubbles. It looks like the return pump is pulling air from somewhere or the returns are sucking air. Is there a bubble trap before the return? Any chance you can post a pic of your sump?

[dkeller_nc]

was it a band new sock ? did you rise it before use ? some times a new sock will make your skimmer go crazy and push a lot of micro bubbles

This is your correct answer. Many brand-new filter socks contain some sort of water-soluble coating that is highly surface active. Take your sock out of your sump, and make a tub of hot tap water and 4 or 5 drops of hand dishwashing detergent, like Dawn (Joy or Ajax will work just as well). Agitate the sock just like you would hand-wash any garment, then take it out, and squeeze it to remove the liquid. Then rinse it by doing the exact same procedure except with hot tap water and no detergent. You must do the rinse procedure 6 times to absolutely ensure that no detergent remains. The last rinse should be in DI water.

The addition of detergent to the wash liquid is important. Many of the sizing agents used in fabric/garment production will not come out if washed in just water.

[Royed]

Thank you guys! And yes, that all makes perfect sense, as the filter sock was the only change I made before this happened, AND because my skimmer was going completely nuts the entire time too!
I'm slightly embarrassed I got so startled over...bubbles...but hey, I've done so much prep work and so much work over these three weeks, and just about everything has gone so very well, to see the huge change the tank went through last night seriously did startle me :)

[dkeller_nc]

The good news is that the compound(s) in the socks that cause this don't seem to have any deleterious effects on tank inhabitants, and the procedure I noted will completely remove the extractables that cause the excessive foaming/tank water milkiness.

[acabgd]

BTW, you should definitely get some serious test kits and dump these strips.

[Royed]

BTW, you should definitely get some serious test kits and dump these strips.

I'll happily do so. Any recommendations? I'll need some serious hand holding/direction as to which testing kit I should invest in. Thanks

[dkeller_nc]

Most on RC favor either Salifert or Red Sea Pro. I personally prefer Salifert.

For water chemistry ions:

Alkalinity
Calcium
Magnesium
(Some folks also test for Potassium and possibly Iodine)

For Nutrients:

Nitrate
Phosphate (Note: most of us use the Hanna Checker instrument b/c in a properly functioning reef tank the desired range of phosphate is very low, and is difficult to test for with a liquid chemistry test kit and a printed comparator)

For establishing a new tank, or good to have around in case of emergency:

Ammonia
Nitrite

If funds are short, start with the alkalinity and calcium test kits - these are must-haves. Then buy a nitrate kit, followed by a phosphate tester. Then buy a magnesium test kit. Finally, buy an ammonia and/or a nitrite test kit.

The logic behind this order of purchasing is that a tank with calcifying organisms will likely require dosing of calcium and alkalinity (carbonate/bicarbonate) in between water changes. Nutrient testing (nitrate and phosphate) will help you decide when to do water changes, and when to change out your chemical phosphate-absorbing media. The magnesium test kit becomes important as your tank matures and the corals really take off, until then, 10% weekly water changes and an occasional teaspoon of magnesium sulfate (Epsom salts) will keep the magnesium concentrations reasonable.

You shouldn't need the ammonia and nitrite test kits for an established tank unless you suffer misfortune, such as having a big animal die or some sort of toxin introduced into the tank (you'd be surprised how little Lysol sprayed around a tank is required to wipe it out).

[acabgd]

if funds are short, start with the alkalinity and calcium test kits - these are must-haves. Then buy a nitrate kit, followed by a phosphate tester. Then buy a magnesium test kit. Finally, buy an ammonia and/or a nitrite test kit.
+1

[markalot]

So here is what happened tonight. I simply wanted to change my filter bag, as it seemed to be getting too old and clogged up.

I just want to make sure here. You clean the bag on a regular basis but this one was getting too old, or you leave it in place for a while, say longer than a few days?

Reason I ask is that the sock is in a nice oxygenated high flow area and is a great home for nitrifying bacteria. If you leave it in place too long not only will you be creating a source for nitrates but removing the sock will remove some of your biofilter. Probably not the issue here but something to keep in mind.