Chances are the day you purchased your new aquarium, you also walked out with some accessories and a bottle each of dechlorinator and water clarifier. You may have asked yourself how such a small amount can almost magically transform a cloudy aquarium into a crystal clear tank. The secret ingredient is something called polydiallyldimethylammonium chloride, AKA polyDADMAC, AKA polyDDA, AKA polyquaternium-6. The name sounds scary but the chemical itself is harmless. It is what is called a homopolymer and is used extensively in wastewater treatment.
PolyDADMAC works as a "flocculation agent", which is a process in which colloids (fish waste) come out of suspension in the form of flakes or floc. PolyDADMAC is so effective that a mere 200 grams can treat about 1 ton of wastewater. This is why just a few drops cleans up cloudy aquariums so well. As many hobbyists already know, there are many similarities between aquarium filtration techniques and municipal wastewater treatment. I would argue keeping an aquarium environment healthy and stable is more challenging in many ways than treating Super Bowl half-time flushes.
PolyDADMAC works as a "flocculation agent", which is a process in which colloids (fish waste) come out of suspension in the form of flakes or floc. PolyDADMAC is so effective that a mere 200 grams can treat about 1 ton of wastewater. This is why just a few drops cleans up cloudy aquariums so well. As many hobbyists already know, there are many similarities between aquarium filtration techniques and municipal wastewater treatment. I would argue keeping an aquarium environment healthy and stable is more challenging in many ways than treating Super Bowl half-time flushes.