Dirty Water and Clean Water

[kien]

I don't think that there is a right or wrong or black or white answer to this question. As already suggested, the answers will be based on individual interpretations.

My interpretation is this: Dirty/High nutrient water means there is a lot of dissolved organics in the water. In other words, you know all that gunk that your skimmer pulls out? Well, imagine if your skimmer didn't pull all that gunk out. With all that gunk dissolved in the water comes high phosphates and nitrates as a result.

On the other side of the fence, clean/low nutrient water means there's a lot less of that gunk (dissolved organics) in the water. This as a result will give you less phosphates and nitrates.