Cloudy water

[TheOneBTF]

Ok, so I have a 75 gallon saltwater tank that has been running for just over a year. It has been relatively easy to maintain.
However, about six to eight weeks ago it suddenly (almost overnight) clouded out to a point I could not see an inch into my tank. I've since added a skimmer and it has gotten better but still cloudy. I have notice since the water cleared a bit that the algae I had growing on the rocks has died off.
I cannot figure out what is wrong.

Tank configuration-
75 gallon, Fluval 406 canister filter, Seaclone 100 protein skimmer, Fluval marine & reef 2.0 light, hydor nano 565 circulation pump, 300 watt heater.

Life
Domino Damsel (4x)
Yellow-tail Damsel (5x)
Chromis, Green (2x)
Anemone Crab (1x)
Decorator Spider Crab (1x)

4 head Duncan, 3 head Branching Hammerhead, Button Polyp colony - small, condy anemone (all 1 each)

Finally water parameters
pH 8.2
Ammonia 0 ppm
Nitrite 0 ppm
Nitrate 0 ppm
Phosphate 0 ppm
Calcium 340 (I know it's a touch low)
Carbonate 196.9 ppm or 11 dKH
Temp 80 degree (F)
Specific grav 1.024

Any help will be appreciated, and any more info needed please let me know.

 

[NanaReefer]

Algae Bloom or Bacteria Bloom. Any new additives recently? That rock looks pretty new. How often are you cleaning your canister filter?

 

[TheOneBTF]

Algae Bloom or Bacteria Bloom. Any new additives recently? That rock looks pretty new. How often are you cleaning your canister filter?

The Rock was added when the tank was set up about a year ago, I had life growing on it but when the tank clouded and started to clear it appeared to have all died off. Doing water changes every 14 days and cleaning canister opposing Sundays.

 

[NanaReefer]

Somethings amiss. That rock shouldn't be that white after being in the tank for a year. What kind of rock is it?

What is your water source?

 

[TheOneBTF]

It was base rock that was thoroughly cleaned and added just after the addition of the live sand.
I use tap water, but it is the same water that has been used all throughout the life of the tank.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Tap water can change and may have provided something to the tank, but it might also have happened anyway.

 

[TheOneBTF]

So then my question would be what could be in the water that would cloud it out yet not change the parameters in the tank that are and have been tested for.

If algae or bacteria bloom, would my perameters have changed any?

I'll give different water a try, should I follow the same water change quantity as I normally would, or go more or less?

 

[michaust]

Try some purigen and chemi pure

 

[NanaReefer]

No your parameters would not change with either bloom. What lights are you using?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

A necessary nutrient for bacteria is a possibility in the tap water. A source of N, P, iron, etc. You won't detect any change if the bacteria took it up

 

[TheOneBTF]

No your parameters would not change with either bloom. What lights are you using?

I am using the Fluval Sea Marine & Reef 2.0 (25000k)

 

[TheOneBTF]

The part that is most mind boggling to me is that there has been no loss of life through this whole situation. The Duncan has sprouted about 6 more heads and the Hammerhead has sprouted about another three heads (that I can see). The system is thriving, I just can't see it happen. Lol

I am going to get enough Ro/DI water to do a normal water change, and see if that helps. I looked at the purigen, should I replace two of the four bags of charcoal in the canister filter with that?

Will post updates and photos as this process happens for the next unfortunate soul that has this happen...

 

[orbitee2015]

You could try a UV. My tank stay clear I run it on a timer couple of hours a day.

 

[TheOneBTF]

Well I have added chemipure and purigen, which didn't seem to do much. I noticed weird noises coming from the canister filter and had it replaced after seeing that all the media was just about as clean as when I put it in. All that still didn't seem to do much.
I did a blackout on the tank (for the third time in 8 weeks) this time I could see more clairity over the first 24 hour period. After three days the tank looked good. But when I had the light on for the first day I could it clouding through the course of the day. I swapped the Fluval light for a marineland light I had before and I don't see it getting any worse.
I am going to wait about a week and switch back to see if it was indeed the light or if it was another change that was made that helped out.
Thank you everyone for your responses and will continue to update.

 

[TheOneBTF]

Well as you can see in the last pic, the water level was low. I switched back to the Fluval light and did a water change. And the problem presented itself once more. Figuring it was the light I switched back and after very limited hours with the Marineland light it finally cleared. Realizing I did the light and water at the same time I switched back to the Fluval light. It's been two weeks and no clouding. I now believe it to be the water I was using(tap) even though it is the same water I have used for life of the tank. I have a LFS that will sell RO/DI water so I am going to try my next water change that way. All this goes to show, do not trust tap water! The water company must have had a change in something that was not sitting well in thank outside the tested perimeters. Thank you to everyone for thoughts and input. Looking at some of the advice I should have listened from day one.