How to keep a clear tank

[tlo25]

I always liked filter socks.

 

[barney1215]

what's being run in the canister filters?

For a crystal clear aquarium run a great skimmer, carbon inside a reactor and a 100 micron (or smaller) mechanical filter (commonly called a "filter sock")

x2. I change my filter socks every 3 days also.

 

[MLconstruction]

I used to have the same problem. turned out to just be micro bubbles. The older my tank gets, the cleaner it seems to look. Finally after a year and a half my sand bed stays algae free with no work! RO water is also a MUST

 

[bobbychullo]

for those that use carbon:

http://www.coralmagazine-us.com/content/activated-carbon-hlle-smoking-gun-found

 

[sanchoy]

yes after that article, i have cut back on my carbon.. however my fish has never had hlle. I think if you provide your fish with proper nutrients they should be fine. Carbon also does good, not just bad.

Its a fine line of balancing what you want.

 

[Bilk]

No tank is clear when it is four months old. It will clean up with time. The canister filter can be a nitrate trap. The number one "trick" to clear tank is maintenance.

This is certainly wrong information. Mine is running a little over a month with perfect clarity. It also hosts some zoa colonies and a few sps which are growing. Tank age can play for or against you. Husbandry is what matters most when determining the relative health of a system.

 

[bobbychullo]

i think the article stated that there were certain types of carbon that were worse than others.

i really just glanced at it since i don't run carbon. i have no need for it, waters clear and nutrients are in balance for my system.