# any tricks to maker water even more clear?



## sdraiders619 (Mar 4, 2012)

I think i might by something that produces a current in the tank? what are those things called, and will it help with clearing up water? do u know how much they cost?


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

You are thinking of a powerhead (moves water)? Does not impact clarity. Your water should be perfectly clear without any particular effort. Your filter will remove particles, if any. Maybe you have cloudy water from substrate or a bacteria bloom?


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## GTZ (Apr 21, 2010)

Beauty, or in this case, clarity, is in the eye of the beholder. Mine isn't perfectly clear to me, hasn't been for a long time, not like it was back in the UGF days, but to most other people, it looks clear.
What size tank and filtration?


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Mine is perfectly clear.  Like you can't even tell there is water in the tank. Sometimes you think you see a little something, but then realize it's algae or a smudge on the glass, not the water.


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## GTZ (Apr 21, 2010)

DJRansome said:


> Mine is perfectly clear. Like you can't even tell there is water in the tank. Sometimes you think you see a little something, but then realize it's algae or a smudge on the glass, not the water.


I hate you. :lol: 
All of your tanks? What's your filtration/aeration setup like?


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## vann59 (Jun 20, 2011)

The only thing I can see in mine is air bubbles from the agitation. As a former pool contractor I have an eye for water clarity, and cloudy water really bugs me.


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## jeff12 (Oct 21, 2011)

I want mine to be clear, but its so much work. What do you do to keep it that clean DJRansome?


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## 13razorbackfan (Sep 28, 2011)

Filter floss? Diatom filter?


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## heaya (Oct 18, 2011)

I'll send you a PM of what I use. I had pretty clear water, this just made it pristine.


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## GTZ (Apr 21, 2010)

I kind of expected mine to clear up somewhat, going from an XP2 and AC70 to an FX5. Alas, it's about the same. I'm pretty heavily stocked though, so I'm guessing that has a lot to do with it.


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## sdraiders619 (Mar 4, 2012)

well i have a 40 gallon breeder with a 40 gallon tetra whisperer i think thats what its called? and two 10-15 gallon tetra filters, im saving up for a nicer one that will replace the 2 crappy ones, but its not really the fish poop that make it unclear its the bubble curtain i have along the back the bubbles get blow down from the filters, and i have a crappy sun-glo light which doesnt help


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## 13razorbackfan (Sep 28, 2011)

GTZ said:


> I kind of expected mine to clear up somewhat, going from an XP2 and AC70 to an FX5. Alas, it's about the same. I'm pretty heavily stocked though, so I'm guessing that has a lot to do with it.


Yep....I have 14 total in my 75g with 850gph over filtration and after 4 days it start to cloud just a bit...not a bunch but just enough for me to notice. What is strange though...when I turn off ALL my filtration and power head just before I do a water change....it becomes crystal clear. I have been trying to figure it out but not had much luck.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

I have 7X filtration (2 canisters on every tank, the recommended media). I don't use anything special. Even when overdue for a water change, the water clarity is not impacted.

The only time I get particles is when the fish kick up debris, and my planted tanks have more debris than my other tanks.

Does your water come out of the tap perfectly clear? I have a really good well.

My mbuna tank I have 30 cichlids and 8 catfish.


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## Number6 (Mar 13, 2003)

Clarity of water should be checked by looking.g through the short end of your tank. Organics, micro bubbles and algae can all affect clarity. Filter socks can remove large and small debris before it breaks down into yellow water. Phosphate removal agents can sometimes help as well. I can be a little obsessive about water clarity a.d if I cannot read a newspaper looking through the 4 foot distance through the water then I step up the water changes. :lol:


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## oldcatfish (May 27, 2009)

To make very clear water do the following.

Lightly stock and feed your tank; 2 x per week 1/3 to 1/2 water changes with regular cleaning of gravel, have very efficient mechanical, biological, and chemical filtration; and add a filter with a micron cartridge for "polishing."


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## DanniGirl (Jan 25, 2007)

Number6 said:


> Clarity of water should be checked by looking.g through the short end of your tank. Organics, micro bubbles and algae can all affect clarity. Filter socks can remove large and small debris before it breaks down into yellow water. Phosphate removal agents can sometimes help as well. I can be a little obsessive about water clarity a.d if I cannot read a newspaper looking through the 4 foot distance through the water then I step up the water changes. :lol:


LOL! I know exactly what you mean. I'm bad though- I like to look through the long end of the tanks. :lol:


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## woadito (Feb 2, 2012)

I had an emperor 400 running in my 46G tank and the water was never really crystal clear. I added an AC110 and I had never seen the water so clear. I since took out the emperor 400 to use and cycle my new 55G and water went back to normal


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## Asami (Aug 9, 2011)

on my 60 gallon I have a Fluval 405 and 305 with 20-30% weekly water changes and a ton of fish in my tank (just had babies.... again). It keeps the water very clear.


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## Eric_S (Feb 27, 2007)

heaya said:


> I'll send you a PM of what I use. I had pretty clear water, this just made it pristine.


Why would you keep secrets in a discussion forum?

When I had my mbuna in my 75, the water would not stay clean for long. I now have Tangs in the tank, quite a few actually, and the water is always very clear. The mbuna are now in my 150g and the water will stay nice and clear for a few days. But by the end of the week when it's time for a water change, there's is a definite difference, not filthy but not crystal clear. With two water changes a week I could probably keep it pristine, but it's not that important to me.


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## vann59 (Jun 20, 2011)

I have found that if you can replace filter floss with a fine pore non toxic sponge, or layer it behind the floss, it really helps clarity. Just make sure your filter doesn't clog up if it doesn't have any bypass. Thicker sponge lasts longer and filters better. Just rinse and reuse. :thumb:


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## AK runner (Mar 3, 2010)

I have nice clear water and don't do anything special. I use HOB filters, more capacity than needed. The media gets rinsed once or twice a week and isn't changed until it's falling apart.

I can't look from the small end to end as I let algae grow on 3 sides and only keep the front clear.

There are tiny air bubbles from the falling water. I keep the tank level where the water falls 1 - 2 inches.


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## 13razorbackfan (Sep 28, 2011)

AK runner said:


> I have nice clear water and don't do anything special. I use HOB filters, more capacity than needed. The media gets rinsed once or twice a week and isn't changed until it's falling apart.
> 
> I can't look from the small end to end as I let algae grow on 3 sides and only keep the front clear.
> 
> There are tiny air bubbles from the falling water. I keep the tank level where the water falls 1 - 2 inches.


You clean your media twice a week? I clean mine once a month alternating every couple weeks.


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## brinkles (Jan 30, 2011)

The filter pads on my emperor 400s clog by the end of the week, and start to bypass.

Want clear water? Don't feed them for a few days!


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## 13razorbackfan (Sep 28, 2011)

brinkles said:


> The filter pads on my emperor 400s clog by the end of the week, and start to bypass.
> 
> Want clear water? *Don't feed them for a few days*!


Yep....also I have found that when the flow is weaker so that food and other waste just float to the bottom instead of being sucked up and shredded by power heads or filters that do not have fine filtration pads. An example would be my 30g versus my 75g. Water is sparkling in my 30g but I have a penguin 350 on there that has pretty decent filters that trap most of the smaller pieces of shredded waste. Whereas on my other tank with power head and AC110 it shreds the waste but does not trap the finer particles with the stock sponge. I am going to add a polishing filter pad on top of the sponge plus a sponge for my power head to hopefully eliminate the problem.


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## AK runner (Mar 3, 2010)

I don't really clean it as much as rinse of the filter pad. Accumulated junk that reduces water flow.
Also I keep plants in the tank and they like to chew them up and the little pieces get filtered out.


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## CichlidsTank (Sep 27, 2009)

I have a H.O.T. magnum filter that came 2 different internal parts
1. Carbon filter pad parts
2. Micron filter part

I use 1 almost all of the time, but if the tank looks cloudy ill run 2 for a day or so
Works very well to clear the water.


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## 13razorbackfan (Sep 28, 2011)

AK runner said:


> I don't really clean it as much as rinse of the filter pad. Accumulated junk that reduces water flow.
> Also I keep plants in the tank and they like to chew them up and the little pieces get filtered out.


Gotcha....makes sense as the bio film created by the nitrifying bacteria need access to ammonia/nitrite plus O2 and when they are all gunked up....hard for them to do as the heterotrophic bacteria starts to take over on the surface of the filters.


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## vann59 (Jun 20, 2011)

13razorbackfan said:


> AK runner said:
> 
> 
> > I have nice clear water and don't do anything special. I use HOB filters, more capacity than needed. The media gets rinsed once or twice a week and isn't changed until it's falling apart.
> ...


Since filters trap more as they get dirtier, this makes for more efficient filtration too, you just have to have enough filter surface area. This is a good argument that bigger is better when it comes to filters.


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## 13razorbackfan (Sep 28, 2011)

vann59 said:


> 13razorbackfan said:
> 
> 
> > AK runner said:
> ...


Makes sense. I am going to try cleaning my filter media once a week and check parameters to see what happens.


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## AulonoKarl (Mar 9, 2012)

Not to badmouth tetra filters or anything, but... I've owned them and those biobag filter media inserts are nothing compared to the giant sponge media in an aquaclear filter. I made the switch and it helped me tremendously with water clarity. I would try an AquaClear 70 ($50-60) and I would be fairly confident that it would clear your problem right up.


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## JAyliffe (Feb 29, 2012)

I did 75% water change and gravel vac @ the weekend when I was catching and removing unwanted males from my tank. Took ages to pull down the rock towers but @ least it only took 10 minutes to bag 5 fish 

Anyways, as I left to go to the LFS I thought.. i better heat and circulate the 25% water remaining.. too low for my filters then so I 'dropped' in a powerhead, made sure it was pointing up, i swear it was, and left. Came back to total murk  the powerhead turned itself and blew sand for about an hour  

Water was still fairly cloudy after the refill and fish clearly stressed but the next morning, crystal clear again, thanks to my FX5!


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## vann59 (Jun 20, 2011)

Sufficient water turnover and sufficient filtration plus run time = clear water.


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## 13razorbackfan (Sep 28, 2011)

13razorbackfan said:


> GTZ said:
> 
> 
> > I kind of expected mine to clear up somewhat, going from an XP2 and AC70 to an FX5. Alas, it's about the same. I'm pretty heavily stocked though, so I'm guessing that has a lot to do with it.
> ...


Well...happy to report my water is sparkling clear for the first time in what seems like forever. I made three changes and not sure which helped because I did them all the same day.

First of all...ordered a prefilter sponge for my maxi-jet 1200 powerhead. Since adding it yesterday it has trapped a lot of poop. So now it is being trapped instead of being shredded into finer particles.

Second thing I did...I cleaned my glass tops so they are perfectly clear

Third...I raised my quad t5HO lights up a couple inches. I am not sure how this would have affected it but it may have reduced the intensity of the light by just a bit.

Anyways...I am glad I ordered that pre-filter for my power head...it is noticeable how much waste that is on it already that would have previously been shredded.


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