Is crystal clear water possible?

[rgslady]

Hi all...

So my tanks been up for a month now. Cycled well, clean the skimmer at least 3 times a week, along the the mechanical filtration. Do a 10-15% water change weekly. All parameters are great. Amm 0, Nitrite 0, Nitrate near 0, temp 78, ph 8.2, alk 11, sg 1.025. All inhabitants are doing great. The only thing I can't fix is the water clarity. Should it be crystal clear? Mine always seems to have a slight milky appearance. Hard to see in a photo.

Is this something I should strive for?

 

[Shamus]

Some days will be clearer than others...are you running a filter floss to help remove floating particles?

The only other thing that sometimes affects my water clarity is calcium levels (although I'm not sure you have enough in your tank for this to be a concern yet). Calcium, alkalinity and magnesium are all connected. Here's an interesting read about that...

Reef Aquarium Water Parameters by Randy Holmes-Farley - Reefkeeping.com

My guess would just be floating particles and that filter floss would solve the problem, but I'm sure others will chime in too.

 

[nanoskim]

Hi all...

So my tanks been up for a month now. Cycled well, clean the skimmer at least 3 times a week, along the the mechanical filtration. Do a 10-15% water change weekly. All parameters are great. Amm 0, Nitrite 0, Nitrate near 0, temp 78, ph 8.2, alk 11, sg 1.025. All inhabitants are doing great. The only thing I can't fix is the water clarity. Should it be crystal clear? Mine always seems to have a slight milky appearance. Hard to see in a photo.

Is this something I should strive for?

How much skim mate is your skimmer pulling out and what color is it?
I assume you are running carbon in the filter location.
From my experience, your water should be able to be so clear that if you look from side to side, it would look like there is no water.

Robbert

 

[rgslady]

Hmmm...how does one measure the amount of skimmate??? It's slimy brown stuff that sticks to the walls...when the walls of the cup are covered, I clean it, like I said, several times a week. Yep, got the two bags of carbon in. Will occasionally run the fine filter, but gotta watch that close. Can't run it for long or it clogs quickly, so that only stays in for 3-4 hours at a time.

I have read that many upgrade a lot of segments to this system, skimmer, heater, add this, change that...this will all take time. I just didn't know if there was anything I could do with what I have now..what came with the system.

Thank you all for your help.

 

[dmyers557]

Your skimmer should fill the cup with a tea color look to the water. If it's all getting stuck on the tube, try adding more air

 

[reefer888]

hi get some chemi-pure elite..:bluenod: ...it works well

 

[Dweezil]

Christine ~ Dustin is correct in that it sounds like you are skimming very dry. To adjust the amount of skimmate you turn the air valve until the bubbles break higher in the cup. So the higher the bubble column is the wetter the skimmate. The lower the drier. You want it somewhere in the middle.

 

[rgslady]

Thanks...I will try. Never have done any of this before so the skimmer part can be a mystery as to what is correct.

 

[nanoreefing4fun]

+1 to try some chemi-pure elite.. ...it works well

and +1 to run a square of the white/blue finer filter on top of the black.

Christine - you will get there... I run a stock RSM 130D & my water is crystal clear - you can't tell there is any water in my tank.

When your tank is pretty new... takes a bit for the silicates in the sand to be used up & for the fine dust particles in the sand to clear - any way... that my guess - best of luck !

 

[imaccat]

the skimmer part can be a mystery as to what is correct.

I definitely agree, I've never had a skimmer before so its quite a mystery to me too. First I was running it too wet and then too dry, hopefully I'm in the middle now.

One thing I have found is that I was probably fiddling with it too much and not letting it settle down before adjusting it again.

 

[nanoreefing4fun]

Check out this skimmer tip too...

http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/727173-post576.html

 

[rgslady]

Thanks all...it does look more like fine particles, don't think it's microbubbles. I have been very good about the maintenance, and for a newbie, I think I am doing ok with the skimmer, as I really do have to clean it every 3-4 days, so it must be working!

Going to order the chemipure elite this week...now does this replace the carbon bags? And do I leave in the ceramics?

 

[nanoreefing4fun]

Going to order the chemipure elite this week...now does this replace the carbon bags? And do I leave in the ceramics?

Yes ... it does replace the carbon. You can read more about CPE here...

http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/red-sea-max-owners-club/50391-running-chemi-pure-elite-rsm.html

imo - you don't want your media just sitting at the bottom of the back/left chamber, as it restricts water flow & the water will bypass the media, for over a year (before I build a rack) I ran my ceramics, as a way to lift the media so the flow would be through it & not around it - the key though, is to rinse the ceramics at the sink monthly, because they trap trash, this it a bit of work, takes a few minutes, because you have to pull the pumps to get to the ceramics, but a needed step, I always cleaned my pumps while I was at it.

Hope this helps !

 

[imaccat]

the key though, is to rinse the ceramics at the sink monthly, because they trap trash, this it a bit of work, takes a few minutes, because you have to pull the pumps to get to the ceramics, but a needed step, I always cleaned my pumps while I was at it.

Is is even easier to clean the ceramics on the 250 as you don't need to take the pumps out to do so.

Glenn - I've always wondered about rinsing stuff in tap water, never quite sure whether to do it or not, I assume you think it is ok to do it.

 

[nanoreefing4fun]

Glenn - I've always wondered about rinsing stuff in tap water, never quite sure whether to do it or not, I assume you think it is ok to do it.

I do, I wanted it to kill everything on the ceramic bio-media (my Live Rock takes care of my bio-needs), I even use very warm tap water.

I do rinse my chemical media in my change water, but the ceramic bio-media & my skimmer, I just take to the sink to rinse and shake out, the few drops tap water still in the media, does not hurt a thing, imo.

 

[imaccat]

I do, I wanted it to kill everything on the ceramic bio-media (my Live Rock takes care of my bio-needs), I even use very warm tap water.

Glenn,

Maybe a stupid question, but if you want to kill everything on the bio-media, is there any need for them? Do they serve any other purpose?


Christine - sorry for taking over your thread

 

[nanoreefing4fun]

if you want to kill everything on the bio-media, is there any need for them? Do they serve any other purpose?

I only used my bio-media as a "spacer"

imo - you don't want your media just sitting at the bottom of the back/left chamber, as it restricts water flow & the water will bypass the media, for over a year (before I build a rack) I ran my ceramics, as a way to lift the media so the flow would be through it & not around it

On a RSM 250 - this might not even be a concern...

 

[rgslady]

Iain, do not apologize...all is useful information here...
Got me to thinking though, where I've got 90 lbs rock and 60 lbs live sand, I might not even need the ceramics, and there is a shelf on the 250 that sits just above the ceramics, where I could put the the chemipure. Wil try that when I get the chemipure, don't think it will really hurt.

 

[imaccat]

and there is a shelf on the 250 that sits just above the ceramics, where I could put the the chemipure. Wil try that when I get the chemipure, don't think it will really hurt.

I have some egg crate to try and build my own media rack so that I can ditch the ceramics and just have the purigen, carbon and rowaphos and lift them off the bottom as Glenn suggests is required

 

[rgslady]

I just wish I could run my fine filter longer. That thing clogs up quickly and if I don't watch it, it will restrict water flow down to nothing into the return chamber. Most I can run it is maybe 4 hours. So it really makes me wonder why so much stuff is reaching it at that point, after the skimmer, ceramics and 2 bags of carbon???