How to get crystal clear water

[Ruben Sacramento]

This is my tank running only on activated carbon and a skimmer.
I can't complain on water clarity

 

[TanksJB]

Can you afford $24?

www.amazon.com/TAISHAN-Aquarium-Sanitizer-Submersible-Waterproof/dp/B08RWGS2KC/ref=mp_s_a_1_5?dchild=1&keywords=submersible+uv&qid=1634079217&sr=8-5

It goes in the sump away from fish and coral

I may try that. My problem is little stringy things and white flakes in display tank. I have tried:
Loads of BRS carbon and even carbon reactor;
200 and 100 micron filters in sump return and attached to power heads in tank;
I bought nice sicce canister Whale model with carbon and 100 micron filter; and...
Nothing worked!
I am sure it helped but water is never clear. I am just running 100 and 200 micron filters now and carbon in a filter sock and see no difference.
The items mentioned in the ad for the UV says it removes algae, viruses, bacteria, and mites. I don't think what I am seeing is any of these.
Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[-XENOMORPH-]

Ghost.... I run an Evo (no skimmer ) and a waterbox 90. The only thing I do on my Evo (macro tank) is .... Change the filter floss every 3 days, (cheaper to buy by the roll) (14$) amazon. Lasts 3 to 4 months on the evo.... I do 5 gallon water change once a week, and run carbon .sparingly. that's it. Change carbon 3 to 4 weeks. My water is not perfect crystal clear but it's fine. The reason I'm saying this.. is.... if you have financial constraints.... some of the best advice I ever got was don't chase numbers and dont buy all sorts of gadgets. Let the tank mature. Do ur water changes , change ur floss... you can get there on the cheap. Enjoy!

 

[LPS Bum]

I agree that a UV sterilizer will help. But if you can't afford it, the cheapest way to get clearer water is to run good quality activated carbon (in a media bag, since I'm guessing a reactor isn't in the cards) and change it out weekly.

It will remove a lot of the yellow pigments in your water. Just make sure it's in a high flow area, and change it out at least weekly since it gets clogged up pretty quickly.

 

[Reef.]

Can I see your evo? Heres mine. I dont run Anything but i just started a carbon reactor so ill see if it works file:///C:/Users/User/Desktop/external-content.duckduckgo.jpg

your picture didn’t show up, try leaving a gap after the link.

Try carbon first, you can get carbon a lot cheaper than Seachem, even if it’s on offer I would think some others are still cheaper, worth sourcing a good cheap one though, not just cheap.

All carbon needs a very good rinse before adding to the tank, I found the Seachem carbon extremely dusty.

Rox 0.8 carbon is what I would look for, shop around and you’ll,get,it at a good price, use a little and change around every 2-4 weeks depending how soon you want that clear look back.

 

[David S]

I actually can afford the bottom one! I’ll look into it as I only have 30. I am however selling my bowser colony so I could get some money off that

It's true that Ozone will do the job.
It is equally true that it can be OD'd and nuke your tank.
You would want to get an ORP probe with a monitor or controller to make sure the ORP does not rise too high. But that costs extra bucks.
Fryman suggested using Calcium Carbonate (similar to an expensive commercial product) . It is cheap and can be dosed when needed. I believe it adsorbs organics and is hard to OD, as it is inert. Eventually, it is removed via the skimmer.
Here is a link, but it may not be up to date.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00K43MRKO/ref=cm_cr_arp_mb_bdcrb_top?ie=UTF8

 

[GHOSTLY]

I couldn't get your picture to load. Here's mine, about a month ago.

 

[GHOSTLY]

hope this works

 

[GHOSTLY]

This is my tank running only on activated carbon and a skimmer.
I can't complain on water clarity

Someones getting a follow. Thats an amazing monti and sps variety

 

[nmqtrhrse]

How can i get crystal clear water? I want my tank to look invisible. I don’t have nutrient issues but my water has always been naturally cloudy

I have a RedSea Peninsula 650. I keep my Calcium and Alkalinity in the perfect ranges and my tank stay crystal clear. Good flow with MP40s as well.

 

[GHOSTLY]

I have a RedSea Peninsula 650. I keep my Calcium and Alkalinity in the perfect ranges and my tank stay crystal clear. Good flow with MP40s as well.

nothing else?

 

[lilopop11]

- Active Carbon
- Purigen ( i use Vivaria Purity )
- UV