What just happened?

So, everything was fine with the tank this morning. Did some running around we came home and found this:



Water a deep discolored brown yellow.
Doing a 50% change right now, may do more later once everything settles and I see how it looks. Fresh carbon and heavy prime usage as well. Any other suggestions?
I know I have a cleaner shrimp alive still, it was cleaning the vacuum during the change. Can't tell on anything else as you can only see about 3" into the tank. Sucks, we had just started to go reef a few days ago.

 

do you have a sand bed?
...
next question...

Are all your powerheads accounted for and in their proper positions?

 

Oh OUCH!

Something must have triggered a bacterial bloom perhaps.

Hope it gets better and it's not a total loss.

Looks a lot like some tanks that I have seen that dosed too much carbon like vodka.

 

Holy Cow, what animals did you have if there?

 

Powerheads are fine and all accounted for. Heater is also fine and temp is normal (78-79). It's not the sand, I have black sand and vacuum it regularly.
I'm starting to see things.
Inhabitants are a flame angel, ignitus anthias, yellow goby, maroon clown, pair of scarlet shrimp, pulsating xenia, and an rbta. And a CUC.
So far I can see the anthias, clown, and a cleaner shrimp are alive. Can't really tell how they look, just kinda see their fuzzy blurs moving around.

 

DON'T Vacume your Sand! Check your ammonia and other levels right away... make sure you don't have stuff spiking like crazy in your water... Getting wife agro so i'll let the others go into the details...

 

Should have took a pic of the water change bucket, seriously looked like an energy drink mixed with coffee.

 

I had something similar happen to my tank, couldnt see anything at all. but mine was more of a milky white look when the lights were one. I figured it was a bacterial bloom of sorts, i just did my water changes and let it sort its self out.

cant say for sure thats what this is, but it would be my guess.

 

Also looks like a tank where the container of fish food fell in or a small child wandered by and decided the fish were hungry.

 

Well I keep nothing near my tank to spill in to it, and no kids, so I don't think it was anything external. I also don't dose anything.
It's clearing up now and so far everything looks fine, like nothing happened. I still have yet to see one of the cleaner shrimp, but one also just molted, so I will have to see if it comes out next feeding.