Clear water?

[marinegeek101]

Hi I was wondering if anybody uses anything to clear there water up? Mine seems not that clear. Thanks

 

[returnofsid]

There's a few things you can do. Run carbon, use a canister filter with a micron cartridge like a Magnum or HOT Magnum canister filter, or you can use a diatom filter. Running Carbon is the cheapest method and also have the added benefits of removing impurities from the water. Magnum canister filters also do a great job of "polishing" the water and will do so more quickly than running carbon. If you do go with a canister filter, don't run it all the time. I run mine every couple of weeks over night, when needed.

 

[Default]

You could also run ozone

 

[marinegeek101]

Ya I have a HOT Magnum and I use it when im cleaning my tank. Ill try keeping it on over night. Thanks

 

[Brenden]

UV also works. Carbon is prob my favorite.

 

[Snowboarda42]

Carbon is cheap and easy. I run it 24/7, and change it about once a month or earlier as needed. Only downfall is after alot of Nitrate and Phosphate buildup, it has a tendency to release it back into the water.

There is another method of using vodka or sugar as a carbon source to feed bacteria, but thats only if you feel like dumping that sort of thing into your tank...

 

[Krish]

I vote for carbon as well as the micron cartridge in the H.O.T magnum. Is the tank just cloudy white or is it yellowish, greenish etc in color? Some "cloudy" looking tanks can be a result of bacterial blooms and not necessarily poor water quality in terms of particles floating in the water etc. Let us know on the color or maybe post a pic if you can because if it is a bacterial bloom, you'll have to treat the things differently

 

[returnofsid]

Cloudiness can also be an indication of an ammonia build up. Whenever I've had cloudy appearing water, I check ammonia. So far I've never had a problem in the saltwater tanks. Freshwater is a different story...lol.

 

[theJ]

microbubbles can add to the situation too. a sump with baffles helps, along with keeping your pipe threads taped and submerging your loc-line.

 

[marinegeek101]

I dont have a sump. I have no traces of amonia in my tank or nitrates. The reason im asking about having clear water is because I know by looking in my tank theres probably a way to make my tank look crystal clear. That was my question, if someone has tricks or tips in keeping a tank crystal clear.

 

[returnofsid]

Getting it crystal clear is easy with a HOT Magnum filter IF you use the Micron Cartridge, or by using a UV Steralizer. Keeping it crystal clear at all times is a different story and I also don't know that it would be as healthy for the fish.

 

[Sherman]

Couple of thoughts here.... First, carbon is your best bet. I also run carbon 24/7 in a filter media bag. It's extremely safe, and there's no real way to mess it up. Put it in a place where water is forced through it. I also don't have a sump, so I put mine inside my HOB filter (AquaClear 70, in my case).

A micron cartridge/polyfilter mechanical filtration has its place, but has the tendency to become a nitrate factory, unless you stay on top of frequent replacement of the media. The media will collect detritus, and all sorts of other "junk" but at this stuff sits in the media, it starts to convert to media. Mechanical media filtration is only an option if you stay on top of replacement (which means about every 2-4 days, IMO).

Ozone has the ability to clean the water, most assuredly. It WILL make your water more clear. However, ozone is more of an advanced method, and you need to make sure you know what you're getting into if you take this route. It will also be expensive, because to use ozone responsibly, you need to run an ORP controller, which will turn off the ozone generator if levels are too high. Ozone has been the culprit in many tank crashes, and you seriously need to consider what you're getting into should you choose this path.

Vodka and sugar is an even more advanced method that should only be used by those who have a real command over their tank maintenance, and are very familiar with the chemistry as well as what and how things are being affected. Said more plainly, I'd steer well clear of this method, as there are so many other options that are more foolproof and less dangerous.

UV is a nice thing to have, but you need to have a way to pump water into a UV filter and back into the tank. Without a sump, I wouldn't really consider UV an option. Maybe some day, though. I'm in the same boat as you here.

As a first step, I highly recommend activated carbon in a media bag. Fill the bag with carbon, rinse it extremely well (until the black dust stops coming out) and throw it into a HOB filter. Check it in a couple weeks to see if the bag is covered in detritus. If so, rinse well again. Replace it after a month. You may be very surprised how the clarity of your water changes.

 

[marinegeek101]

Yes, thanks for the advice but I have been running carbon. I just replaced mine today and it seems alot clearer.

 

[Krish]

How often do you change the carbon???