Hazy water

[BananaSlug79]

So, my water has been a bit hazy lately... Not what I would call cloudy, but just hazy. When I'm right by the tank it looks very clear, but not from a distance. It's a fluval chi with an AC70 with chaeto and filter floss. Params are

alk 11

Ca 360

nitrates nitrites phosphates all 0

 

there is a film on the surface of the water, but I only feed every third day. I have a few zoas, mushrooms, green star polyps, a hammer coral and watchman goby and cuc. There is a slight hazy film on the glass that I CAN NOT get rid of lol. I do a 40% water change twice a week (Tuesday and Saturday). Any ideas how to clear this up? Oh, I am dozing with seachem two part daily to get the calcium up but no luck. One head on the hammer is splitting so maybe it's burning through the calcium faster than I can add it? Anyway, would like to get this thing cleared up and any info would be appreciated!!

[OClownsandNanos]

What's your mag at?

[BananaSlug79]

Not sure about the magnesium, I don't have a test kit for it. The lfs said they'd test it for me, so the next time I get water I'll find out. Think it might be Ca precipitate?

[OClownsandNanos]

Possible. Fact that your calcium's relatively low and not moving much even though you're doing daily dosing and you've got a haze going on might lean toward that, esp since you're having a hard time getting it off your glass. Have you tried scraping it off with a metal scraper? If you're pretty low on mag, your salt mix might not be able to replace it enough, even at 40% changes.

 

From this article: "If magnesium is lower than normal, then it may not adequately get onto growing calcium carbonate surfaces, allowing the deposition of calcium carbonate to proceed faster than it otherwise would, potentially leading to increased abiotic precipitation of calcium carbonate from seawater onto objects such as heaters and pumps. Often the inability to maintain adequate calcium and alkalinity despite extensive supplementation, and the precipitation of significant amounts of calcium carbonate on heaters and pumps, are signs that the water has inadequate magnesium."

 

I'd guess given your water change schedule that your filter floss and chaeto are also cleaned pretty regularly too. Is that right?

[BananaSlug79]

Yes, I replace the filter floss once a week and rinse the chaeto as well. I feel like I'm doing all that I can to keep up with it, but it got a jump on me and I just can't seem to catch up. This, I assume, is why the guy at the lfs seemed...hopeful... when I told him I was doing a 5gal for my first tank lol. I have to say he has been very helpful, but so have the people here. It's good to know that this is a well beaten path that I have decided to go down!