Why do I keep getting cloudy?!?!?

[kyarnkid]

I have had my tank for a year, and I have been filterless for months now, yet I cannot keep my tank clear for the past week. I added some powerful power heads to a system that just had one. I thought that may be it, but my tank will be clear one minute and cloudy as hell the other. I have an emp 400 with a bag of phos zorb in it too, I was thinking if I added some media to the filter maybe it would stop. I just don't understand why it goes form clear to cloudy then back to clear only to go couldy again.
I have a 55, good parameters and showing phoshate. I have 2 rio 1100 and 2 puny pw, I have a prozm protien skimmer.

 

[jjboods]

Need to know more about the tank...substrate, inhabitants...

 

[kyarnkid]

I have a maroon clown, 2 damsels, 1 starfish, 15 astreas, 4 hermit crabs

 

[jjboods]

What is the substrate...CC or LS? Have you added anything new lately? Are you adding and supplements? What type of water are you using? Do you have a protein skimmer?

 

[kyarnkid]

I have a dsb, and read my initial post to see what I added

 

[jjboods]

Do you have the PH's too low or pointing downwards?

 

[kyarnkid]

the strong ph's are pointed at the frnt of the glass of my tank, the weak ones are pointed at the top of the water, It was clear last night, and then this morning cloudy

 

[jjboods]

what kind of starfish and how long have you had it?

 

[kyarnkid]

sand sifting star, 3 weeks when I first got the powerheads they fell and stirred up the sand accidently, but i corrected that problem, do you think media in the filter once in a while would help

 

[jjboods]

BINGO!!!!! Sand-sifting star. BAD, VERY BAD. The starfish is digging through your sand and eating all your good bugs/pods!!! THIS is VERY bad!!!!! Stirring up your sand and killing off your pod population! Get rid of it ASAP! Sand sifting stars are not "clean up crew" stars. Get a nice brittle star instead.

 

[kyarnkid]

so it is causing all the cloudiness

 

[jjboods]

That's my guess. And even if it's not, it is eating all the things that make your Live Sand live.

 

[ophiura]

While I agree that a sand sifter is not the best idea (trade it in to your LFS), I can not imagine that the star would move fast enough to cause large scale cloudiness. What is your pH, alk and Calcium level? Especially chech them when the water is clear, and then in the morning when water is cloudy. Often, when this sort of pattern develops (clear at night, cloudy in the morning) it is related to pH fluctuations from low alkalinity.