How can I get clearer water in my tank

[danny240]

Ok now is the smart question what is KH and DKH and what does it do and why maintian it? Is this something that you read and check just for corals or in alll tanks. I am mixing up water now to do hopefully a water change this weekend I will have to go and buy another 30 or 40 gallon tub to store more water in and mix up some reefcrystal salt.

 

[wrightme43]

Oh sorry man.
KH an Dkh are measurements of Carbonate hardness. The buffer compound and what corals use to make thier skeletons in addition to calcium.
It needs to be balanced with Ca @ 425 ppm it should be 3-4 meq/l Alk instead of being so high.
If your going to buy tubs to make water change water in Lowes has them brute trash cans I use. 44 gallon with wheels. And you can drill a hole in the bottom and fit it with a bulkhead, and valve to drain it.

 

[wrightme43]

Ok after letting my slow acting brain work on this over night. I am enclined to think the test results are pretty close to right.
That would explain the 1/2" thick coating of calcium carbonate on your heater, and the frequent shut down and destruction of your ocean motions flow director.

 

[Curtswearing]

Ok this is crazy. I ran the test three times. It used up a LOT of reagent.
KH is @ 54 in DKH or 19.42 in Meq/L That is insanely high. There is a possibility my test kit is bad but it reading right on my tank, and the customers tank I used it on tuesday. I would stop immediately using Kalkwasser, stop adding any buffer compounds. It would be a very good idea to do several large water changes. I am talking over 80 gallons two or three times. I do not understand how it can be so high. Maybe one of the chemistry gurus can explain it for us.

Wow....I can't figure out how this is even possible. I would think there would be a carbonate snowstorm.

 

[danny240]

I dont know but I am going to do a major water change in the morning I have the water mixing now and heating it to the temp it should be. Probably do an 80 gallon water change.

 

[returnofsid]

Another great option for clearing up your water fast is to invest in a Magnum Cannister filter. They come with a 1 micron filter that can used for water polishing. Or if you have a diatom filter, it'll do the same thing when using the diatom powder. The Magnum can also be used with the carbon container it comes with to run carbon. I wouldn't advise running it all the time as the media in it could become a nitrate problem but it'll do a great job when ran once in awhile. I run mine after messing around in the tank to clear up any detritus or fine sand I've stirred up. I also run it every once in awhile just to polish the water.

 

[wrightme43]

Wow....I can't figure out how this is even possible. I would think there would be a carbonate snowstorm.

Hey Curt.
Thats what has me confused on it as well. It is dropping out as very very thick deposits on the heater, inside the ocean motions, and I think it may be what is messing up his closed loop pump as well.
I was thinking WTF myself. Thats why I ran it three times.
I mean the kit could of screwed up between me using it monday, and tuesday for customers and my tank, and when I did it for his tank.
Its not dropping out as a snowstorm.
I dont have another KH kit just the Salifert one.

 

[danny240]

I just done about a 90 gallon water change so we will see how that does maybe tommorow afternoon i will do another 30 gallon or so water change. I dont want to push it and mess up what corals I do have or my clam either. I will do a water test tonight to see how everything looks. I guess I will have to run into town and get a phospate test kit and a alkalintiy test kit is there any other test that I need to do. I have ph, nitrate, nitrite, calcium, amonia, and a few others i can not think of right now. I stired up the sand and blowed the rocks off before I started siphoning out the tank.

 

[wrightme43]

Thats all you really need. Magnesium is nice but you dont really need it yet.
Phosphate will probley be down, but will come backup again untill you get the reactor and the phosban media. If I understand correctly it is bound up in the sand bed as well. So when the water colum level drops it will just fill it right back up.

 

[danny240]

Pic of my 240 tank

Here is a pic of my 240 gallon reef tank that I just taken it is not finished but here is something to look at. I will get more pics directly. It is a little cloudy I just did a water change. Also you can see my refuge under it.

 

[Krish]

Very nice Danny

 

[danny240]

more pics

Here are more pictures of my 240 gal tank , my fishies, some corals, and clam.

 

[Curtswearing]

Hey Curt.
Thats what has me confused on it as well. It is dropping out as very very thick deposits on the heater, inside the ocean motions, and I think it may be what is messing up his closed loop pump as well.
I was thinking WTF myself. Thats why I ran it three times.
I mean the kit could of screwed up between me using it monday, and tuesday for customers and my tank, and when I did it for his tank.
Its not dropping out as a snowstorm.
I dont have another KH kit just the Salifert one.

Steve,

I think there's some major abiotic precipitation going on here and some equipment needs to be soaked in white vinegar. With that said, there's some weird things going on and I think we need Boomer to chime in because this is confusing.

 

[balogh03]

WOW, love the tank... Is it just me, or when you see somebody else with the same size tank it always looks bigger?

-augustus