Microbubble Question

I have searched many threads and was wondering if I could get some suggestions specific to me. I have a huge microbubble problem in a new 90gal tank. My water looks like soup and is not clear at all. I assume it's my setup on the sump?

Drain hose goes into the sump on top of a drip tray with some filter media, rains down onto a tray with Matrix in a media bag. Tray is egg crate with screen on it. flows down to the bottom of the sump then through a large sponge to the other side and picked up by the pump for return. Funny thing is I cant really see any bubbles in the return side of the sump and you can't really see them coming out of the return into the tank but they are everywhere. Any suggestions would be great. Thanks!
Also not currently running a skimmer yet.

 

are you 100% sure it is micro bubbles? cause if you dont see any coming out of the return then i wouldnt think it would be micro bubbles. have you added a new fish recently like a sand sifting goby or something similar that would potentially cloud up the tank with junk from the sand?

 

Can you post an image?

If you turn off the pump in the sump and wait a couple minutes does the water clear?

 

No don't have a sand sifter yet. Tank just recently cycled.

 

Ok, I did as you suggested and turned off the pump and let the tank sit for about 5mins. All the stuff is still there. It's some sort of suspended debris. There are thousands of tiny white copepods on the glass and in the tank but then there is also all this debris. Like I said it looks like soup. Any suggestions on getting rid of it? Add another filter pad at the top of the drip tray maybe?

 

Yes if it is suspended particles.

If this tank is new with new sand it's to be expected.

Do you have any power heads in the display?

 

Not yet it is just a FOWLR and did not think I really needed one. The tank has been up and running for a month. Just added a few fish, cheap ones. Is this still normal for that length of time for the live sand to be causing the water to be cloudy? How long does it take to disappear? Never used live sand as substrate before.

 

Should be clear by now.

Could be a bacterial bloom but need an image.

Are you adding any supplements or products at all?

How did you cycle, with live uncured rock, shrimp....?

 

Here are a couple of photos. Had to create a picasa account real quick. No additives accept some alkalinity buffer and the tank looked like that before the addition of that.

cycled with live sand and rock.

 

if it hasnt gone away by now try a product called clarity by seachem ive used it several times and it will clear up the tank very quickly usually within a few hours if you have a good filter (it works by making small particals stick together so they act like a big partical which is easier for your filter to pick up)