How clear is your water??? or How to keep it clear??

[rockdiver]

In my 150 gallon the water is clear BUT its not as clear as my 30 reef or any other of my tanks.
From looking in from the side you can see the other end but barely.
Never had such a big tank before. Is there a trick?
Levels are Ammonia 0, Nitrates just over 0 and Nitrites the same just barely reading on the color chart.
I have a wet/dry Americal filter with 2 skimmers in it and thats it.
The tank is about 2 months old with
1-Naso Tang
1-Rectangular Trigger
1-Dog face puffer
1-Panther Grouper
Thats it no LS or LR.
Would hooking up my Fluval 404 to the tank do anything??
Any help would be GREAT!!!!
DIVER

 

[danmhippo]

A couple possible reasons come to mind.
1. Have you checked your glass & see if there are algaes to scrub away? Check all sides.

2. Do you have a mechanical trap to trap detritus? The 404 would be a great idea.

3. The 30G reef wasn't very deep/long. When vied from the side, the distance light have to travel is relatively shorter and thus less detritus will block your view.

4. The 150G, have you used charcoal? It will help.

5. How about changing the 150G into Reef tank, and the 30G into a FO tank?

 

[rockdiver]

Good reply.
Yes I did scrub the alge away
I am going to hook up my Fluval with carbon in it.
Good point about light and length.
How do you put charcol in a wet dry? Stupid question I guess. And my overflows have a sponge to trap crap in, other than that NO how would I hook one up if this is not good enough.
THANKS
DIVER

 

[rockdiver]

And on changing the 150 to a reef would be GREAT but the wife said to much $$$$$$
right now things are really tight but I keep looking for rock. Will find a good deal sooner or later in the Chicago area so Yes I want to but the wallet says no

diver

 

[davelin315]

One problem could be how you scrubbed the algae away. Whether it's glass or acrylic, it can be scratched, and once scratched, it will give a cloudy appearance to your views. Carbon will also help. Your water really shouldn't be cloudy with your small biological load and the skimming you've got going, maybe you just need the particulate filter. If you have enough pumps (sounds like you might) you may want to skip the fluval and install a water filter (multiple stages like they sell at most hardware stores, and at Targets and Walmarts as well) that gradually filters out smaller and smaller water particles. You don't need a whole lot of flow through this, although if you can manage, plumb your return through it. It'll clog fairly quickly, but once you remove the first set of filters, as long as your water is fairly clean, they should last for a while. They are also fairly cheap, around $15 per module with filters being fairly cheap as well.

 

[rockdiver]

OK Stupid question time
what is a particulate filter is it my fluval or something else??
It is a glass tank with scratches but its not much and none on the sides where I am judging the clearness from.
diver

 

[cubera]

Hi, diver. The only stupid questions are the ones never asked. A particulate filter is another term for mechanical filter. These use some kind of screen to trap out particulate matter. I know nothing about Fluval filters but if they have floss, sponge, a filter pad, or whatever then it is at least in part a mechanical/particulate filter. Carbon might "polish" your water and is always a good idea, IMHO, whenever we have water clarity concerns. HTH

 

[Emperator]

I've noticed that the more LR I have in a tank, the clearer the water becomes. I guess its all the filter feeders (feather dusters, sponges, clams, mussels, etc) that come on the LR and the fact that the LR has awesome filtration properties.

[ August 26, 2001: Message edited by: Emperator ]

 

[some'n'smellsfishy]

Another thing could be lights...i noticed after having my lights for like six months that the water looked browner than it did 2 months earlier, so i put some 50/50 bulbs in there and now it looks crystal clear...

 

[SPC]

Diver, what color is your water? If you place some in a clean white container (white 5 gallon bucket) can you tell the color? Is your water cloudy rather than discolored? How much particulate matter is in the water column?
Steve

 

[rockdiver]

SPC
Did that and the water looks great.
no discoloration or anything.
diver

 

[Anonymous]

Well if your water appears yellowish or greenish, using activated carbon will improve its appearance dramatically within 24 hrs...

 

[T4Stock]

If I were to use some carbon to clear up my water, what are the dangers/restrictions. I have a live sand/rock tank (90 gallon) with only fish.

What is the procedure for clarifying?

 

[novocon]

Are you dosing kalkwasser? I've noticed if you supersaturate the water column with kalk, it tends to precipitate out and turn the water a milky white color. If this is so, try and dilute your kalk additions and/or stop additions for a day or two and see if it clears.

Hope this helps

 

[Anonymous]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by T4Stock:
<STRONG>If I were to use some carbon to clear up my water, what are the dangers/restrictions. I have a live sand/rock tank (90 gallon) with only fish.

What is the procedure for clarifying?</STRONG><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>


No dangers - just take about a half- to a full - cup of carbon, put it in some sort of filter-bag or strainer, and place it in the water flow (like in your sump, directly in the path of the incoming or outgoing water).

The only caveat is if you leave it in too long, after it's absorbed as many polutants as it can it will lose its effectiveness (after about a week or two, I believe). It works very well at clearing up yellowish or greenish water.