Need advice on water Cleaning/Polishing.

[Glennrf38]

Hello all I have a 27X24X24 cubish tank and everything seems to be doing well but if I look closly, I can see fine particulates in the water so I know my water clarity is not what I would like it to be. I have a felt bag over the outlet to my sump which seems to trap a lot of the detrius. I can't afford a RO/DI unit yet. How does everyone get such beautifully clear water?


TIA

Glenn

[DanG]

Running carbon somwhere along the line should help polish the water.

You could get a hang on reactor or HOB filter (like an aquaclear) and throw some carbon in there.

[Myka]

What kind of protein skimmer are you using? What return pump are you using? What kind of livestock (and how many)?

Carbon won't take particulates out of the water. Carbon absorbs organic impurities out of the water; which means it will take the yellow "out".

[Glennrf38]

I have a Phosban reator running contraphos which has carbon in it. Plus I also have a bag of carbon running passively. Need more?????

[Glennrf38]

Sump before I put the filter sock on

http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s100/Glennrf38/DSCF02731.jpg

Protein skimmer is a ???????? (cheap one) but it seem to give me good result now.

Livestock

2 clowns
3 small Tangs
1 Foxface
1 Coral Banded Shimp.

Brand new Mag 5 pump (1 week old)
Circulation:
1 Seio 620
1 Seio 1100???

Cheato and Red Macro algae in the sump

PS I have also plumbed the phosban reactor into the outlet of the Mag 5 pump, so the little pump running the reator is not there anymore.

Any more questions just please ask..... :)

Thanks

Glenn

[Pan]

Hello all I have a 27X24X24 cubish tank and everything seems to be doing well but if I look closly, I can see fine particulates in the water so I know my water clarity is not what I would like it to be. I have a felt bag over the outlet to my sump which seems to trap a lot of the detrius. I can't afford a RO/DI unit yet. How does everyone get such beautifully clear water?


TIA

Glenn
Super clear water is a lot of hard work sometimes. My diatom filter( when i don't let it get plugged up and overflow like this morning) works wonders, i went from milky white (new sand, went SSB) to mostly clear in about 6 hours. My problem is a bad design on the refugium on my part and the sand gets out into the water column. I will drain it and shop vac the sand out later. Do you see any crud floating in the sump? if so it gets shot out of the return. I know a few people that put filter socks on their return outlets for a bit. Purigen if you foolow the instructions and are not using anything that causes it to go toxic works very well.

[Myka]

I hope you plan to remove all those Tangs. There is no tang in the world that will be happy in a 50g tank when it's any bigger than 2-3". I don't know how big they are right now, but they are pooping machines, so they could be contributing a lot to your water clarity issue. What are your nitrates at?

You have significantly lowered the effectiveness of your PhosBan Reactor by plumbing it into the Mag 5. The flow through the PBR should only be about 150 gph. It takes time for the media to suck the phosphate out. I don't think carbon is your issue.

The "felt bag" that you are using...is it a "100 micron filter sock"?

Your sump looks really young...how old is your setup? You only have 4.5x turnover through your sump. Sorry to say you should have bought a bigger pump. You should be looking at anywhere from 6-10x turnover. I personally prefer 6-7x turnover, and think anything more than that is a waste of electricity...unless it's a FO or FOWLR tank. This means you need something more in the range of 425-525 gph at 4' head. Yours is only producing 310 gph at 4' head. I'm thinking this may be a significant factor in your problem since the water isn't going through the sump fast enough for the filter bag and skimmer to clean it well.

Another thought is your skimmer. I have no idea what kind that is...looks like a Euro-Reef knockoff of some sort. Skimmers are worth their weight in gold, and you should NEVER skimp on the cost of a skimmer. This may also be a contributing factor to your unclear water.

[bv_reefer]

running quality carbon and various resins in a decent hangon filter like DanG mentioned should definitely contribute, i've been using fluval carbon and honestly when my clownfish isn't dusting all the sand around the bta:twised: the water is pretty clear, one thing I'm starting to consider is that boyd chemi-clear fliter media, wondering if it actually polishes water like it says..worth considering

[Marlin65]

Your light is too far away from your Cheato.
Have a picture of your tank?

[Myka]

For you guys suggesting carbon...please explain how carbon, which absorbs dissolved impurities, is going to help with suspended particulates?

But ya, post up a pic of your tank. We can probably tell much more from a photo.

[bv_reefer]

carbon absorbs alot myka, pollutants, odors, chemical stains, but I can see why you'd be skeptical about it removing suspended particles as even the best carbons get clogged fairly quickly..

[Glennrf38]

Thanks for all the advice.
I don't plan on keeping all the tangs, just until they get too big.
I have the line from the pump to the phosban reactor throttled right down to a trickle.
The felt bag is just that, a felt bag. I was told by a LFS that these work as well as the 100 micron filter socks........

As far as the pump goes, I guess that is what I get for listening to the same LFS......... I guess I will have to get another new pump. Mag 9 maybe???

The sump is very young, I just bought it last weekend. The old one is really yucky and wasn't big enought for the equipment. The tank is about 1 year old. I had it built at Gold's in town last year.

Skimmer is a Corallife 125 model. It was the best that I could afford when I started.

Thanks again. More advice is always welcome.

This is the tank before I cleaned it yesterday rearranged the rock work.

http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s100/Glennrf38/tank1.jpg

[Myka]

Thanks for all the advice.
I don't plan on keeping all the tangs, just until they get too big.
I have the line from the pump to the phosban reactor throttled right down to a trickle.
The felt bag is just that, a felt bag. I was told by a LFS that these work as well as the 100 micron filter socks........

As far as the pump goes, I guess that is what I get for listening to the same LFS......... I guess I will have to get another new pump. Mag 9 maybe???

The sump is very young, I just bought it last weekend. The old one is really yucky and wasn't big enought for the equipment. The tank is about 1 year old. I had it built at Gold's in town last year.

Skimmer is a Corallife 125 model. It was the best that I could afford when I started.

Thanks again. More advice is always welcome.

This is the tank before I cleaned it yesterday rearranged the rock work.

Mag 9 would be a bit much. The Mag 7 would be good. :) Maybe they'll let you exchange it since they recommended it, and it wasn't a good recommendation. I really think this is the route of your problem. The filter sock sounds ok. I just use sheets of bulk filter floss put as a lining into a small collander. The water drains into the collander and through the floss. It does the trick, but I change it often...prob once a week.

Try the new pump, if that doesn't work, try a new skimmer (Euro-Reefs are great and not too too pricey).

I think it's time to start finding homes for the tangs. They look like they are all around the 3" mark? There are lots of gorgeous fish that are much more suitable for smaller tanks. Take a peek at the different Wrasses...Flashers and Fairies. They are nice, and many stay quite small.

[Glennrf38]

Thanks for the good advice Myka. Can I keep my yellow tang for a while longer????? Please...... :) He is so nice to watch. I don't think I will be able to trade in the pump..... Maybe keep it for a new skimmer??? Put it on the shelf next to my Quiet One pump that it replaced???

[Myka]

:lol: The Yellow Tang is the least demanding of your tangs, so you could probably keep him longer if you find homes for the other two. I understand your liking for them. I also love tangs, but I don't want a tank big enough to keep them! Try out the Flasher Wrasses...they'll grow on you. If you had some sand you could get a jawfish, and they are really fun to watch. They are constantly renovating their burrows. Very cute. :D

You could probably sell your pumps, or keep one for a spare in case your pump ever breaks down (it will happen). Which reminds me...I need a spare too. ;)

[Glennrf38]

I have a quiet 1 1200 that is probably going up for sale :)

[Myka]

:lol: It would be too small for my tank. I'd need a Quiet One 3000 or 4000.

[Glennrf38]

Fine! Just pee on my parade then LOL

[Myka]

:lol:

[Glennrf38]

Thanks for the advice I really appreciate it.

[Renegade]

well, too play devils advocate i believe in low turn over in the sump giving the skimmer time to clean the Water, i only have about 4 X turn over in my Tank 120g. you could consider ozone. and keep in mind there's many different ways of doing things. Make Sure to do some reasch to come to a conclusion.

And just remember at the end of the day its your Tank no one can tell you what fish to keep. You have to decide for yourself. Don't let peer pressure decide for you.

just my 2 cents

Kyle

[Glennrf38]

I know. The old opinion are like a#$holes thing right? I do agree with Myka, I have to many tangs for the tank. I too have always thought that slow water in the sump gives the particals a chance to settle down in the sump. I thought high circulation in the display low flow in the sump would give the best results. I guess its back to the old research board................. I don't think I have ever seen a post that hasn't had the opposite opinion stated. Very confusing.

Thanks

Glenn

[Myka]

There was quite the article written by one of the forerunners in reefing whose name eludes me right now, and I can't find the article either. But it talked about 6.1x turnover being the "ultimate" turnover in a sump. I wish I could find that article...

It's something along the lines that when you have 6.1x turnover through the sump then 98 or 99% of the entire water volume will pass through the sump every 24 hours, which apparently is quite sufficient, and that anything more than that is a waste of electricity, and anything less is not adequate for filtration.

[chevyjaxon]

carbon is good if you have an algae problem yes it will help to polish your water but be careful not to over do it carbon will also remove trace elements contained within your water column that enables corals to survive. high turnover is also a good thing to help clarify your water the faster it moves the more particles are carried away enabling your skimmer to pick up more. not to mention it also adds a benificial gas exchange adding oxygen to your water. my return pump is a rio 32hf i have a 90 gallon tank dont make the same mistake i did my pump at full flow will drain my tank in 3 minutes that is a little too much flow so i have a valve restricting water flow get a pump that will push 600 gallons at however many feet of head you got and you should be fine good luck:wink:

[Pan]

Again...a diatom filter :)

[Glennrf38]

I just read this article on WetWeb that recommends 10-20 turnover...........
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/circmarart.htm

'Ol Nobodaddy: I will look into it.

Thanks everyone for their great input. Keep up the posts.