poll for those who have crystal clear water
- Thread starter johnptc
- Start date
I generally never use carbon and have super clear water when any type of filter I use gets seasoned in. I do use carbon sometimes to either speed up the 'clear water process' and then remove it. On the other hand I'm using carbon as a permanent addition for some of my picky water quality inhabitants like killifish. That said, I cannot participate in the poll lol.
I have a couple layers of filter pads followed by a 100 micron filter pad followed by a 50 micron. It clogs up once a week, but my water is clear.
I don't have enough room in the top of the tower of the sump for my 80g for anything but one sheet of filter wool. I made sure the new sump for my 160g has more room as I'm not happy with the clarity of the water and I'd like to run more mechanical filtration.
OT, but whats the fish in the first pic Rally? Looks great!
OT, but whats the fish in the first pic Rally? Looks great!
Carbon should not affect clarity at all. The one thing you can get from carbon is the colorless water. If you have problems with a slight tint to your water then carbon is the thing. If it is water that appears cloudy or has suspended particles, then what you want is mechanical filtration (sponges, floss, pads, etc.). Mechanical filtration will work better after it has been used for a while but unfortunately leaving it in place is also a source of nitrates and organic waste in the water. That is where carbon can help, the organics. Carbon works by using micro-pores to literally trap molecules. Some molecules are teh wrong "shape" or size. A good carbon for an aquarium needs to be made from bituminous coal. The cheapo carbon that comes in paper boxes is absolutely useless for your aquariums. To test your carbon drop some fresh carbon in a cup of water, if it makes a fizzing sound then you have good carbon. THe paper box stuff is charcoal made from wood or coconut shells. The pores on this carbon are the wrong size for organic molecules that you want to remove from your tank. It is more suited to remove odors from the air. A good coal based carbon has the proper size pores to grab organic molecules, but it is important to remember that the pores eventually are all clogged and at that point it is possible for waste molecules to "leach out" of the carbon and thus re-pollute the water.
I have some carbon in my filters, but I don't think it does anything. It probably works okay as mechanical media though. My water is clear, I think, although there are little bubbles in it from the sump. Once I add driftwood, I will probably use some carbon to get rid of the tannins.
Other than tannins, I don't have any other particulate matter in my water. Never use AC anymore though. Expensive and a PITA.
Diatom/micron filters do a wonder at removing the smallest of particles from the water column… quilt padding or the like also works very well…
UV lights can take the absolute cleanest water and turn it into truly crystal clear water… regardless of filtration I’ve never seen water as crystal clear as in my heavily UV’d tanks… UV lights can also reduce the tea water effects of driftwood…
UV lights can take the absolute cleanest water and turn it into truly crystal clear water… regardless of filtration I’ve never seen water as crystal clear as in my heavily UV’d tanks… UV lights can also reduce the tea water effects of driftwood…
