Water clarity

[SneakyPete]

So I've noticed I don't have the clearest water. I see other tanks and pictures and they have crystal clear water. I think part of it might be that I have micro bubbles (not from a leak, but due to the fact I made my bubble trap baffles too close together), but I'm not sure if it could be something else. I heard running carbon could clear it up, but as I have a 29G sump under a 40B, I don't have any room for a reactor.

Will carbon clear up my water? If so, can I put it in some kind of bag and put it in my HOB overflow?

Thanks,

Peter

[Ron Reefman]

Peter,

I don't know about the carbon. I think that just removes chemicals and some of them may color the water. To remove 'stuff' you can see suspended in the water, I'd try a filter sock. I run 4 lines to my sump and 2 of them have socks. My water always looks pretty clean.

[sporto0]

HOB mechanical filters work wonders for removing floating particles & also offer an ideal place to utilize GAC in a mesh bag, they get a bad rap because people don't like to clean them so they become detritus traps, but you will find they provide crystal clear water clarity if maintained properly. I prefer the Hagen Aqua-Clears, in fact I have several that are over 20 years old with the same motor & impeller.

[ZR1001]

+1 filter sock for bubbles

[SneakyPete]

I thought that a HOB filter was a good idea at one time, but i had received discouraging advice (IE they become nitrate factories). I might give that a whirl, but I think I am going to try the filter sock first. If the filter sock doesn't seem to be fixing the issue, I'll look into picking up a hob filter. Unfortunately, it would probably have to go in my DT as I am running out of room in my sump :-(

[L_Spec]

+1 on Aqua Clear HOB filters. My tank is crystal clear now. I rinse out my filters every time I do a water change (which is pretty often on my 30 gallon) and then \I replace the media whenever I see fit.

If you can change your water, you can clean your filter.

[mbg75]

Filter sock easiest way to go if you have a sump.. just be sure to get extras and change them every few days...wash them out and reuse..some people even drop a mesh bag of carbon right into the filter sock..

BTW, post a pic .of your sump set-up..



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[PCFisher66]

Another vote for the filter sock. I just use a rubber band to hold in on the line from the tank. The difference is pretty quick too.

[SneakyPete]

I'll take a picture of my sump when I get home today mbg.

Can I put a filter sock over the inlet of my return pump? I have a prefilter "cage" that connects the the inlet of my mag 7 that I think one of those 7" filter socks with a drawstring would go right over. I don't think I'd want to put one in my DT in the outlet of the return. The reasoning is that my outlet goes almost to the bottom of the tank to be used as a flow generator though my large overhang/cave. I could change it, but as it sits now, the whole filter sock would be submerged, which I think means it wouldn't do much good as water could just flow around it. Also I'd lose the flow it produces....

[Ba19Ma88]

Could run carbon and a fluidzied reactor shoudl help as well.

[Ron Reefman]

Could run carbon and a fluidzied reactor shoudl help as well.

It won't help with small particulate matter in the water. Carbon is for removing chemicals.

[sunil6784]

I've noticed that when I have too much surface agitation I get an increase in microbubbles as well.