Crystal clear water how do you guys get and keep your water so clear?

[DerekL]

I have a 90 gallon display tank with a 25 gallon sump. I have my water from overflow going into a filter sock 200 microns. In my sump I have chamber for live rock and macro algae my skimmer ( vertex in 180) then bubble trap that I run a piece of filter floss in so the water going to chamber with return pump should be polished pretty good by the time it returns to display tank. I am also running a gfo and carbon reactors. As of now I am not dosing the tank with anything I have tried a few 20 gallon water changes. Yes I have and use RO/DI and the inline and handheld TDS meter both read 0. I also have a pouch of chemi pure elite in the bottom of my filter sock. The chemi pure elite was just added this past week. The only other thing that I think it could be is that my MP40 is creating too much of an undertow and pulling some sand up into the water column. I do have the sugar sized sand. If anyone has any other idea that I can try please let me know. The MP40 is closer to the top as when I was setting it up I watched and got it so there was no noticeable sand being blown around. I did dial it back last night to about 75% on lagoon random I believe it's called. None of my sps seemed bothered by this but I want to look into my tank and see crystal clear water.
Thank you
Derek
Th

 

[theyangman]

Filter socks, filter socks, filter socks. Keep em clean. How often do you replace your floss?

And sugar sized sand is going to be super easy to blow around. Have you considered a larger grain?

 

[DerekL]

I swap out filter socks every 4 days and the filter floss I change every 2 to 4 days. I don't let either of them go until they are completely dirty. As for going with a different size grain no I haven't put much thought into it as of yet. I know that I turkey baster my rock and there has been a little bit of sand but I am not sure if that was there from when I added the sand. I will know soon as I blew off a bunch of rocks until I saw no more sand coming off. I don't want to dial my MP40 back any more as this tank is becoming an sps dominant tank.
Thank you
Derek

 

[theyangman]

Well the mechanical filtration is there with the filter socks and floss. Mind you when changing the floss you disturb it and there is a good chance that when pulling it out, all the crap it has collected can just dislodge and go right back into your tank, not all of it obviously, but I bet a good amount does. That doesn't seem to be the entire issue however. Exactly how "dirty" is your tank? And what kind of water clarity are you after?

 

[DerekL]

The water is not dirty per say just that you can see fine particles in the water column where on ALOT of other people's tanks you don't see anything in there water column. It probably is just the really fine sand getting blown around. Maybe I can play a bit with the position of my MP40. I wish I could explain the way it looks better

 

[Salty Cracker]

I use carbon (swapped out monthly) and 200micron mesh socks inside 200 micron felt socks (4 socks).  I used to have the nastiest, yellow water you could imagine.  I could tell on a water change, the water in the buckets looked like urine (and probably was).  Now the water I take out looks as good as the water I'm putting in (unless I mix up the substrate when cleaning). 

 

[theyangman]

Urine trouble if your water looks like urine.

bahahahha, I kill me.

 

[DerekL]

My water doesn't look yellow you can just see fine particles in there where on other tanks I don't see this. So I will try the mesh and felt filter socks. I will have to get a mesh filter sock as the ones I have now are felt ones from bulk reef supply. It may just be sand getting blown around. My clam and nothing seems to be bothered by this. I guess it just personal preference. When I get home from work I will try and get a pic which may help more.
Thank you
Derek

 

[pembro]

How long has your tank been running? I am having the same problem.

 

[DerekL]

It has only been running for about a month now. I have about 200 pounds of live rock in the dt and about 40 in my sump I moved a very mature 29 gallon over so I had about 100 pounds very mature live rock that I moved into the 90 as well as probaby close to another 100 pounds of cured live rock.

 

[theyangman]

Could the powerhead be blowing on your rocks? Therefore perhaps cleaning them out a little? I find that if I don't blast my rocks from time to time that a lot of junk settles in them and can create a mess in my tank if not cleaned periodically.

 

[pembro]

My tank has been up  for 6 weeks and I have the same problem. I've been told its because the tank is still new stuff is still settling. 

 

[DerekL]

Theyangman yes there is a very good chance that that's what it is. I have blasted ally of the rock with a turkey baster and some sand does come off so it is likely one reason. But if I keep blasting with turkey baster won't this just keep reoccurring as my mp40 will just blow it back onto the rock? I guess I can just keep up switching filter socks and filter floss regularly and eventually this will subside.

 

[theyangman]

It is one of those jobs that drive us all insane but are necessary to keep our tanks looking goooood.

8)

Glad we solved the problem though! Now go clean your rocks!

Also, it isn't always just sand though, it can be uneaten food, fish poo etc... it is just required maintenance.

 

[Poseidon]

its possible that it does that because its new, but i wouldn't have any scientific explanation for that...

what i do know, is that i dont run carbon, or filter socks and my water is crystal clear,

 

[theyangman]

Is it as clear as this???

Well not this bottle, as it is slightly yellowing. But you get the idea.

*Edit*

What about THIS!!!

 

[chief hill]

Shut down your mp40 for a couple days and see. I'd bet it's sediment from the sand.
That and the beneficial bacteria still has some work to do.
But I've seen this before the guy shut down the power head to see and voila.  Crystal clear. Turner it back on and cloudy again.

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