water clarity

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spadoc79

spadoc79

Fire Eel
MFK Member
Sep 24, 2010
1,193
2
68
tallahassee, florida
I have had my 220g setup for about 1.5 months...I used my sump and all my filter media and sand from my 170g setup....my water seems to have a haze to it....any good tips on getting the water crystal clear? I have a 30 gallon dual sump with filter floss, scrubbies, and sponge in one side and the other side has filter floss and bioballs..i running 2 500gph pumps but are probably putting out only 600gph betweeen the 2 after lose of power from the 3-4 feet of piping. I do weekly water changes of 25-50% and I use conditioner everytime..... i have 5 large african cichlids and about 20-30 small(2-2.5") african cichlids. I haven't tested my water in a couple of weeks..the last time I did the ammonia was between .25 and .5 ppm.....i dont remember my other readings.

it just doesnt have that cyrstal clear water i want.
DSC03678 - Copy.JPG

DSC03678 - Copy.JPG
 
you should test your water again... if you moved a seeded filter the ammonia should've stayed at zero. I would get that taken care of first. There's options for clarifying your water once that's done. Your sump is probably cramped, but you could help by adding either filter socks or a finer pad/floss type of setup. I try to get a minimum of 100 micron filtration, but I have options to go down to 25 if I need to. You could also add UV which will help with clarity.
 
Had.same problem bro... Get a UV and put some 100 micron pads in sump one day perfect guarantee

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Sweet! Thanks! I got a UV sterilizer in the shed at home...ill get it plumbed in ASAP and get some better filter padding.

THANKS AGAIN..Ill let ya know how it goes
 
Unless your clarity problem has a green tint to it uv won't help. I suggest just trying the polishing filter media.
 
I have filter padding as prefilter in the drip tray...i have enough to last a life time...a friend had ordered 3 24"x50' rolls and only used half of 1 and so he gave me some and said when i need more to hit him up.
 
If you're only getting 600gph out of the pumps that seems a little low for a 220g tank IMO, even though it doesn't look heavily stocked. I think you probably want a bit more turn over, and something more effective at mechanical filtration than the floss, like 100 microm [or smaller] filter socks.

Pics of the sump would probably help too.
 
As the average size of most bacteria, is in the 0.45 micron range, you may need to have a little patience if what you have is a bacterial bloom, common in newly set up aquariums, seasoned media or not.
And because your picture shows a white substrate, I must ask.
Is that substrate aragonite? This sometimes can also make the water appear milky in newly set aquariums.
 
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