Keeping your aquarium water Crystal Clear?

[SeahawkMom]

Voted Yes. I have a 34 gallon AIO system, no sump. I use fine and coarse poly filtration. Chemipure Blue carbon along with my protein skimmer. 20% Water changes every other week. (I also have Rowaphos in media bag and lots of bio media - but that’s more to manage phosphates and nitrates not clarity).

 

[jk1824]

1. Would you consider your aquarium water to be "Crystal Clear?"

Yes

2. What are the best ways to keep your water consistently clear?

I have seen a few mention glass quality, yes it plays a big part. Apart from that its necessary to keep it clean because I have a bow front tank and stuff settles on it and also a film will develop on the water side of it regularly if I go too long without cleaning it. I use quality carbon, changed once per month and clean my filters once per week, change every two weeks. I also use Purigen but not sure how much this plays into it.

Other than that I don’t have any major sand stirrers, like a diamond goby. Had one of those before and it made a huge mess all the time... but my sand was clean! I do not use a skimmer either as others have stated it factors in to their clear water... but I only have a 32g nano.

 

[Reefin-ain’t-ezy]

Yes, UV, DSR powerfilter method, works wonders

 

[Dreamkiller]

Dont have any puffers or triggers?

I'll never have crystal water then. Lol

 

[See Gee Sea]

I run activated carbon 24x7 and it’s clear so long as the &@#*! film algae I’ve been plagued with doesn’t build up. Still haven’t figured how to beat that!

 

[Ramsey750]

I don't have crystal clear water, but it's improving. I run a newly added aquatic life nano skimmer (pulling out some nasty stuff!) In my first rear chamber. Marine pure hexagons (I think that's the name) and ceramic media in mesh bags in 2nd rear chamber. Chaeto floating above a bag of carbon and one of Phos Guard sitting on a sandwich of sponge block/ filter floss/sponge block in the bottom of the 3rd. Still have a ways to go but water quality and clarity are definitely improving.

 

[LRT]

I'll never have crystal water then. Lol

Id imagine super good water movement with little to no dead spots.

I do have a porcupine puffer and he owns his own frag table at this point. Have to clean it up almost daily if he's not chewing up his food into million pieces he's chewing up the live rock to get at baby clams or whatever is in rock haha.
Super messy fish but wife "loves him". He is an awesome fish though.

 

[Young@Heart]

I will agree that Glass (Acrylic) Quality, Being Diligent about Cleaning Algae on the Glass/Acrylic. Filter Socks. Have not tried anything else - I am having some type of plumbing problem and because I bought the tank used, I am restricted on what I put under it - besides the sump. Pretty clear though.

 

[Arthur_Dent]

My water is pretty dang clear. Run a mesh filter sock, Octo 130 skimmer, small UV, and carbon, on a ~80 gallon total system. Also carbon dosing. No complaints with this approach.

 

[JKBrown]

Dont have any puffers or triggers?

Or tangs...

 

[attilak]

There is not a silver bullet and one solution. I have a good skimmer, UV, Algae Turf Scrubber, Ozone, Carbon and change filter socks daily. I feel that the clarity of my tank is good but seeing some pictures on the web of some reef tanks still blows my mind. LOL.

Honestly if I was to get my next tank it would be acrylic as I hear they are the best - however the only drawback is it gets scratched a lot easier.

Someone commented on triggers / puffers; I do have a lot of triggers and they seem to be ok and not as messy as puffers IMO

 

[JKBrown]

When I switched from T5 to LED my water looked cloudy. So perhaps dialing back the lighting would help.

 

[somethingfishyny]

Ozone

Do you just run ozone or carbon as well I've been toying with the idea of ozone for awhile now

 

[ReeferMadness01]

Mine will look great for a day or two then the glass will look like the aquarium from “Finding Nemo”

 

[malacoda]

Yep. Passive GAC (mesh bags in higher flow area of sump). Filter floss in sump baffle. And UV. Was pretty crystal clear prior to UV ... but UV did add a final polish.

 

[sledge760]

1. Would you consider your aquarium water to be "Crystal Clear?"
Absolutely not! I don't know how people do it! It feels like a magic trick that I'll never quite understand or obtain the skills for!
2. What are the best ways to keep your water consistently clear?
I guess if I had a larger tank, food might not put as much an affect. I suppose just constantly cleaning my filtration and even more water changes could provide results. I also don't own a protein skimmer, so getting one may help. I just never found them incredibly necessary for such a tiny tank though. (Fluval 13.5)

I do notice some good clarity a few hours after a water change. Then once my clowns start making a mess, it all starts over again.

Boy do I agree with you 100%. I can never get my water crystal clear. 50 years experience.

 

[Hyde2406]

Nope not clear at all to many filter feeders and sponges but not too bad considering... It's still really pretty

 

[Totlxtc]

Yes, filter sock and skimmer.

 

[weamdog]

Not sure I'd even want crystal clear but maybe I'm thinking about this wrong. Just as long as what's in the water is beneficial, then I'm OK. I have had people comment on my clearness so I must be doing something right. Zeovit w/carbon, skimmer, chaeto, and my own concoction of coral snow plus.

I remember cycling my 220 and adding some phytoplankton to give it a natural kick start. That was wild, had to run a UV to undo that experiment. The culture exploded with nothing to consume it so I couldn't see through the tank.

Now keeping the glass clear of coralline so I can see the water is a whole nother topic.

 

[mindme]

I did until I added a diamond goby.

My front glass is 3/4" low iron.
100 micron filter socks.
UV Filter
Carbon

i think filter socks is the biggest thing that does it. Carbon for any yellowing. UV to kill floating things and prevent blooms.

Sometimes when the fish are up close to the front and I'm looking at the right angle, it's almost like there is no glass or anything and like they are actually out of the tank.

But since I added a diamond goby....well there are always particles of sand floating around.