OK...Need Help From the Pros!

[reelheel]

Got a little problem that is new to me and somewhat frustrating. Here's a little background that might answer some of your initial follow-up questions (brace yourselves):

Having had relatively good success with my own aquariums and feeling confident that I would be able to help, I agreed to design a custom 210g for my uncle's new home. He had already literally planned his new home around the tank, and the hole/stand was already built into the wall when I became involved. For this reason, the size of tank was limited to a 72x24x30 210g that would be placed in the wall and viewable from the two long sides.

My uncle had NO experience at all with marine aquariums, so the design was left up to me. Having seen my tanks, he decided he wanted a soft coral/LPS dominated reef tank "with a few colorful fish." Because the tank is see-through, both overflows were put on the short ends of the tank. Each overflow has a 1" hole and a 3/4" hole draining to the sump. There are four individual returns into the tank (2 on each end). We went with 3 x 250w 12k MH's with 2 x 110w VHO actinics, a 40g sump/fuge, an ASM skimmer, and a Dolphin AM 3600 return pump. New saltwater, Southdown Sand, and 160 lbs. of uncured (transhipped) Fiji live rock was added seven weeks ago.
Everything was fine at first, normal diatom outbreak that subsided after a couple weeks, replaced by small patches of hair algae. At about the four week mark, I got married and left for my honeymoon for about a week. When I returned, his tank looked and tested normally so I took him a tiny GSP frag and a stalk of xenia on a snail shell, just to give him (and his wife) something to look at.
The next day, he had new carpet installed upstairs in his house and told me that the carpet installers dropped a large roll of carpet next to the tank causing a couple of pieces of LR to fall over and cloud the tank slightly. The day after that his tank had a HUGE algae bloom that has yet to go away. (I'm not sure if the carpet situation had anything to do with the change, but he is convinced of it.)
Two weeks later now, and the sand and rocks is still completely covered in algae - mostly brown film (and possibly dinos) with patches of Green hair algae on the rocks. The water is so cloudy that you can't see through the tank. I've taken him a few snails twice in the past week and they have died both times within hours (if not minutes) from being placed in the tank.
I've thought of every cause I can, and now I'm depending upon you guys to help me out with suggestions. I've started/kept many aquariums and have never seen anything quite like this. I've seen algae blooms (bad ones) but never seen the water cloud like this. Anyone have any ideas? Questions?

TIA

[invincible569]

Do a big water change.. a minimum of 20%. Usually a cloud like you are seeing could indicate a bacteria outbreak which is usually caused by a change in the aquarium. This is normal and you will just have to wait it out. After it dies down, introduce him to a tang to clean up the algae problem. Make sure he is also using RO/DI water.

[reelheel]

I feel as though the algae could be deemed normal (even at 7 weeks) during a cycle, but has anyone else had a problem with cloudy water during an algae outbreak, or should I look into other causes of the cloudiness? I'm also concerned about the dying snails...this indicates to me that something in the tank is horribly wrong.
The GSPs also (according to my uncle) never opened since putting them in so I removed them last night.
Amazingly, the xenia, which usually is the first to show signs of compromised water quality, wasn't exactly flourishing but he says that it has been pulsating during the day. It was closed but not dead last night.
I'm truly at a loss on this one.

[reelheel]

Thanks, invincible, you posted while I was typing...(I used to think I was invincible, too, before this happened )

The sandbed does look a lot like dinoflagellates, and I hope the bacteria could be causing the cloudiness and will subside over time. He does not currently have the capacity for a really big water change, but I'm going to loan him (some more) equipment in order to get enough SW ready.
I would love to add some fish, etc. to help with the algae but that of course, will have to wait.
BTW, he has used exclusively RO water the entire time. Good question, though...forgot to mention it.

[Zephrant]

I'm not a big believer in UV systems, but I have seen where it really cleared up the water when it was pretty white...

Any chance you could borrow one for a while?

Zeph

[MAS]

Thats not what you look like is it reelheel?

As for UV's minimal benefits wont warrent its purchase, put the money towards better quality lighting,pumps etc.

[reelheel]

I thought it was OK to put pictures of yourself up here?
Dang, my fault...

[steve68]

what are the nitrates,amonia,calcium,alkalinity.PH & nitrites at?
i would do at least a 20% water change & check levels.