Water clarity

[Shotter]

Hi All,

Need some advice as im struggling to get the water clarity I am looking for.

I have a 450 litre system. Its 3'x2'x18'' (DP).

Water flow is 5 times an hour through a 100 micro filter sock

Sized skimmer (granted not oversized)

UV Steriliser - 15W low flow rate

Feed one cube of food a day over two sittings and some pellet (tiny pinch) to three mid swimming fish and then gobies and mandarins and cleaner shrimps so feeding is in check.

Water quality is bang on. 2.5ppm nitrate, 0.003 Phosphates, Alk, cal, mag are all present and correct too.

Water change 15% weekly which also includes a gravel clean for the whole water change every week.

Carbon always in filter sock

Two Powerful, powerheads to circ water through DP


My Clarity is not there. Not matter what I do. I have lots of tiny particles floating in my water and i wondered:
A) Am i looking for something which i cant get
B) is the tank too deep to circulate all the water effectively
C) IS there a better method for mechanical filtration - im considering the Theiling Rollermat but would like some reviews on you guys before I do as it is so expensive.

The tank isnt rammed full of rock, i have a phot but cannot add it?!

 

[MiddletoM]

I cut square sections of filter floss and roll them up then put them in the filter socks. This does a pretty good job of clearing the water. There are still always small particles floating about but not enough to annoy me but in the sump after the floss the water is perfectly clear.

It really it a bit of a PITA to do this, im going to rejig my baffles to get rid off the socks and have a sort of overflow baffle so the water has to pass through a horizontal section of floss.

 

[Shotter]

Thanks for this, ill try that.

I have tried the more rigid flter floss that you cut under the first 'under' baffle but that had indifferent results - Perhaps directly in the sock will make the difference.

Great shout!

 

[luvreefs23]

How old is the tank? Are you sure you just aren't dealing with small bacteria blooms?

My tank is 5 months old, started with dead rock...minimal water changes for first 3 months and half the amount needed of chemi pure. Tank was never real cloudy but I started dosing these 2 items:

http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/pro-bio-s-probiotic-bacteria-aquaforest.html

http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/np-pro-liquid-bacterial-growth-polymer-aquaforest.html

And it's so clear now that you'd swear there's no glass and it's a regular 120 aqueon (no fancy starphire or low iron glass)

For $20 bux to try I've found it very beneficial

 

[Shotter]

Thanks for that - interesting question.

The tank has been with me for 12 months but I bought it as a set up from someone. I did remove all the rock and performed a new aquascape as the original was to just settle the tank in so to speak. The 'rejig' was about 3 months ago. I sold s chunk of the liverock to make space and replaced with an No3 Brick from Brightwell to not lose biological space.

Im sure its not bacteria blooming, the particles are visible as small clumps and not a haze as i would imagine from a bacteria blooom.

I do have a bacteria product I was using as I was told that would help - after 2 weeks of the max dose of that it didnt do too well. This was CONTINUUM AQUATICS Bacter gen-M.

Generally speaking I'm reluctant with the bacterial boosting products, I cant see how any bacteria is still alive after months on a shelf?! happy to be proven wrong. This seems more of a mechanical issue rather than biological but if bacteria will help eradicate the detritus then im happy.

 

[luvreefs23]

Yeah if it's particles then I'd agree with mechanical. Gobies and sand sifters seem to stir stuff up (maybe an unknown hitchhiker if you added anything lately), or maybe use some polyfilter in your last sump baffle to help clear some of that debris out.

 

[luvreefs23]

Or if you are dosing its it precipitation somehow?

 

[Shotter]

Without an answerr for everything; it might be precipitation as i do dose Kalk and over the last week have increased my Alk and Mag. But I noticed this a while ago when my regular daily dosing was significantly lacking.
Ive just never seemed to have crystal clear tank. as discussed above, looking like the fish are floating in air.

(ive also tried polyfilter too ) - like i said, sorry to have an answer for every great opinion so far - hence why im so stumped!

What i need to know is, what do the guys do who have the large, pristine looking reefs/ I dont commonly hear of those tanks needing weekly bacteria dosing?! It has to be my mechanical lacking in someway.
Im toying with buy a finer grade of micron sock.

 

[luvreefs23]

Not sure that would matter either. I'm running 3 200 micron socks and after a few washings aren't as tight as they once were & have no issues with water clarity.

 

[Dale_M]

Why are you dosing bacteria weekly???
This is something that is done once during the cycle startup and thats it.
In fact, you did not mention if you have corals or not and if you don't then there really isn't any need to be dosing anything at this point. 25% water changes bi-weekly with a properly balanced saltwater mix is all that is needed.

 

[luvreefs23]

I dose daily! It's aquaforest regimen. I do the bio fil rocks in a reactor with component 1,2,3 ballot method along with their amino, build, vitality and energy dosing. Also do a 20 gallon water change weekly on a 120 total volume. 8 dkh, 420 ca, 1440mg 1.025 salinity 1-2 nitrate and undecteable phosphate. Mainly sps with a few lps & mushrooms. 8 fish so far and a dwarf eel. Shrimp spawn every 2-3 days and have 100s of baby trochus. Tank is 5 months old.

 

[Shotter]

Cheers Dale,

'Luvreefs23', your tank sounds in good shape. I orders a 50 micron sock today, hoping the extra down size in that will extract some more and I'm going to ensure my gravel and system is super clean for the next few weeks.

I took a look over those products you use, cheers pal. Seems I have also used Aquafirest in the past so I'll research some more.
My LFS is regarded as a bit of an expert in the area and he said a number of his clients have had success with biological products aiding in clarity. Just didn't work for me.