Couple newbie questions

[MrHermit85]

Hey guys as the title says I just wanted some opinions on my tank new situations.

A) my tank is slightly cloudy, not major but noticeable from the side. (See pictures)
    I have tried using different filter socks, I have performed two 30% water changes in the last      month and skimmed wet for a while. I started running GFO and carbon a few days prior to the cloudiness so I tried changing the flow through both and then I decided to take them offline for 5 days... Still the same (I did get some hair algae as a result though  :?) I do tinge the media with a few gallons before attaching to my tanks. Oh yeah and I also switched to feeding every other day. Any opinions on what is up? Could it just be because my tank is immature? I have also started to see loads of pods on the glass too.

B) please identify critter in the picture below, it is in a tube at the base of my open brain. It has red tentacle like things that come out every now and then. Sort of looks like a feather duster. It is fixed in place.

Parameters: ph- 8.2, trite trate phos ammonia all 0, temp 78 and salinity is at 1.024 I have two clowns and a watchmen gobie, two turbos and a bunch of nasarious snails.

Thanks all!

 

[Poseidon]

B)  i believe its a little feather duster

A) im not 100% sure, do you dose anything?
you mentioned just starting gfo and carbon, did you rinse them well before you started using them?
has there been any other significant changes prior to the water being cloudy?

 

[dale]

+1 to feather duster
try getting a dense sponge with lots of flow through it for a while and clean it after it gets dirty (the stuff that sticks to attracts more stuff to stick to it,, this has worked for me in the past...

 

[MrHermit85]

B)  i believe its a little feather duster

A) im not 100% sure, do you dose anything?
you mentioned just starting gfo and carbon, did you rinse them well before you started using them?
has there been any other significant changes prior to the water being cloudy?

Great on the feather duster .

Nope I don't dose and yup I do rinse all media thoroughly before connecting to the tank I even run saltwater though it till output runs clear. I have been running the GFO and carbon for about a month and the cloudiness started about two weeks ago. I stopped using both medias to see if that could be the problem but nothing changed. Other than water changes and the fish and corals I added. No changes
.

+1 to feather duster
try getting a dense sponge with lots of flow through it for a while and clean it after it gets dirty (the stuff that sticks to attracts more stuff to stick to it,, this has worked for me in the past...

Maybe I will try this, I will stick it between my baffles. What sort of sponge and where could I find one? LFS?

Thanks for the replies!

 

[unibob]

Carbon in all honestly burns up really quick. What carbon are you using....some media will actually leech back into the water the contaminates its picked up if not swapped out when used up.

 

[MrHermit85]

Carbon in all honestly burns up really quick. What carbon are you using....some media will actually leech back into the water the contaminates its picked up if not swapped out when used up.

I thought GFO didn't leach?  I have swapped out carbon three times and I stopped using the reactors after my first big water change and left them off for 5 days to see whether they were the problem and there was no change. The Carbon was ESV GAC. I will change brands then and see if that helps.