Water Clarity Problem

[karak40]

Hello Everyone.
I would first like to say this is one of the best aquarium forums out there, and you can get a whole lot of valuable information in here.

Secondly, I need some info. My tank is a 250 Room Divider and The water clarity is pretty bad. It has a refugium sump under the stand to filter the water but there is a whole lot of floating mater indise the tank that look pretty bad. I would like to know what I can do to improve the clarity of the water. All my reading are perfect. Since it is a Room Divider I have no wires or hoses showing. Are there any Micron filters out there that I should get, and do they possibly attach under the tank in the cabnets?? I see tanks out there that are perfectly clear and Thats how I want mine. I spent alot of blood, sweat and tears into this project and I am not totally satisfied with the outcome( not to mention a SH** LOAD OF CASH lol).

Any info on this would greatly be appreciated.

THANKS ALOT FOR ALL YOUR HELP.............

 

[29GallonReefer]

is it "milky" cloudy? And how much flow do oyou have in the tank?

 

[karak40]

Hello;

Its not cloudy water. The water is clear and I can see though the other side, But its the floating white particles that just never go away. There are thousands of tiny white particles that just never go away.
I have 2 overflows in my tank and All I have are the 2 returns that pump back in the tank from the overflow boxes.

Thanks

 

[karak40]

Also, Inside my refugium sump where the water enters I have these blue filter pads ontop of bio balls, and I clean them and change them constantly

THANKS AGAIN

 

[Coral Polyp]

Are they micro-bubbles or is it definatly particulate? I have had really good success with micron filter socks on my drain lines.

 

[Large Polyp Dave]

is your sandbed getting blown around too hard?

maybe you need to redirect your powerheads and stuff...

 

[Warnberg]

My suggestion, get rid of the filter pad and the bio balls slowly. Then figure out some way to run your returns into 25 or 50 micron filter socks. You will want to get enough filter sock so that you can change them out about 2 to 3 times a week for a while, then you can slow down to about 1 or 2 times a week.

Something like these.
http://www.filterbag.com/size.html

I get my from my LFS..

 

[karak40]

Thanks for all your help everyone,

They are not bubbles, they are definetly Particulate. I will purchase a micron filter, but do you have any recomendations on a particular model?? I was looking at the diatom ones. Are they any good??

Thanks for all the info

 

[bjmartin]

any chance it could be calcium precipiate?

 

[masterswimmer]

any chance it could be calcium precipiate?

My thoughts exactly.

Check your calcium and alkalinity levels. If they are out of balance you can cause calcium to precipitate out, like snow.

I'd also run carbon actively, not passively.

Russ

 

[karak40]

Checked the Calcium And Alk Levels and they are Perfect. How do you run Carbon Actively?? Do you put it under the Intake??

Thanks

 

[spoon671]

Also, Inside my refugium sump where the water enters I have these blue filter pads ontop of bio balls, and I clean them and change them constantly

THANKS AGAIN

Your setup is just fine. Get rid of the "blue pads" above the bio-balls and replace them with these --> Micron Filter Pads (cut to size) I run these pads 24/7. My LFS runs this method of filtration on all 10000 gallons of their SPS tanks. One note though, you will have to replace the pad at least 2-3 times per week. The trade-off would be crystal clear water, which is definately worth it. These pads trap so much crap, it's rediculous. Here's a few pics of what I am talking about...

It gets that bad within 2-3 days! Makes me think "Boy am I glad that crap is out of my tank!" Just buy the pads (50 micron), cut them to fit where the "blue pads" went and that's it. Hope this helps you out. Here's a bonus pic of the end result...

 

[Chaotic Reefer4u]

shweeet, i might add!

 

[spoon671]

So, give us an update please! We are a little concerned

 

[karak40]

Ok,

Here's the update.

I purchased those 50 Micron pads from that website and cut them in size to fit over the Bioballs. After 1 day of filtering through The pads were covered in matter!!!!!!!!! Its unbelievable what is in there. The water looks a little better. I need a couple more days to see a difference.

Also I wanted to know something. Where the water spills over into the chamber with the 2 Submersible pumps in, I see alot of particular matter inside there. Looks like the mud from the system is floating over the chamber and into the pumps. And the pumps are pumping the mud back into the tank. Its not alot but enough to make the water clarity go down.

Should I shut the pumps off and whip the chamber down of that mudd??

Thanks

 

[spoon671]

If you really want to keep the mud you should come up with a clever way to keep the stuff down. I took a peek at one of the sumps over at the LFS and I saw something wierd. They were probably having the same problem. I saw what looked like live rock surrounded by pillows of filter floss, all on top of the mud. Water of course still flows through there but I guess the rocks and floss keep the turbulence down.

Way to go on those micron pads. Snap a picture when you get the chance. Laters!

 

[spoon671]

Are you still alive?

 

[818]

If you want to keep the mud down in the fuge, add around 4 inches of LS on top of it.

Sam