Since a canister doesn't have as much bio filtration and water move through it much faster, can a tank be crystal clear running canister filters only. Or is there something else that gives your tank that swimming in air look.I've only used HOB filters and once i got my aquaclear after a couple of days my water was crystal clear, i want to go canisters on my next tank so i just want to know if they give that same clarity.
Wet/dry vs canister water clarity
- Thread starter lilc64
- Start date
Short answer, yes.
A given setup only needs as much biological filtration as it needs. Anything in excess of that level of biological filtration is just that - excess. An appropriately sized canister filter will provide a setup with all the biological and mechanical filtration it needs.
A given setup only needs as much biological filtration as it needs. Anything in excess of that level of biological filtration is just that - excess. An appropriately sized canister filter will provide a setup with all the biological and mechanical filtration it needs.
I have 2 fluval 405s on my 125g with a turbo twist uv. Both canisters have 3 boxes of biomax, seachem hypersorb, and seachem purigen and even when looking from the sides, its crystal clear. The only reason I can see the water is due to the way the light is distorted from surface agitation.
Biological filtration has nothing to do with water being "Crystal Clear". Ammonia itself is just as "Crystal Clear" as pristine water.
Water is "Crystal Clear" when it has all of the physical particles filtered out and is not affected by things such as tannins (tannic acid).
Your AquaClear HOB filter probably acheived this by pushing the water through the sponge many more times per hour than you were previously familiar with. Adding a 'fine media' such as filter floss, quilt batting or even a finer sponge will slow the flow rate a bit but will make the water appear even cleaner.
A canister can remove particles from the water even more efficiently than the HOB. This is because canisters can easily be set up with an absolute mimimum amount of bypass (than an HOB).
A Wet/Dry filter can be set up with fine media which removes particles very well, or can only use very coarse media allowing smaller particles to pass through and cloud the water. They can also be set up to have little to no bypass what so ever, or to have tons of bypass allowing tons of particles of all sizes to remain in the water column.
As mentioned, UV lights can take "Crystal Clear" water and turn it into... Wet air... meaning it can make the water literally invisible. UV lights do nothing to 'remove particles' but they react with additives in the water (such as tannins) that otherwise tint the water. Since UV lights are most efficient when the water pumped through them is particle free, most tanks with adequate UV lights also have impressive fine particle filtration.
Using a layer of chemicaql filtration such as activated charcoal or any number of manufactured chemical medias will also help remove additives that can tint the water.
Water is "Crystal Clear" when it has all of the physical particles filtered out and is not affected by things such as tannins (tannic acid).
Your AquaClear HOB filter probably acheived this by pushing the water through the sponge many more times per hour than you were previously familiar with. Adding a 'fine media' such as filter floss, quilt batting or even a finer sponge will slow the flow rate a bit but will make the water appear even cleaner.
A canister can remove particles from the water even more efficiently than the HOB. This is because canisters can easily be set up with an absolute mimimum amount of bypass (than an HOB).
A Wet/Dry filter can be set up with fine media which removes particles very well, or can only use very coarse media allowing smaller particles to pass through and cloud the water. They can also be set up to have little to no bypass what so ever, or to have tons of bypass allowing tons of particles of all sizes to remain in the water column.
As mentioned, UV lights can take "Crystal Clear" water and turn it into... Wet air... meaning it can make the water literally invisible. UV lights do nothing to 'remove particles' but they react with additives in the water (such as tannins) that otherwise tint the water. Since UV lights are most efficient when the water pumped through them is particle free, most tanks with adequate UV lights also have impressive fine particle filtration.
Using a layer of chemicaql filtration such as activated charcoal or any number of manufactured chemical medias will also help remove additives that can tint the water.
Thanks alot for clearing that up, I checked out The UV sanitizers and they sound great but if i read correct you have to change the bulbs every 6 months? If so i'll hold off on that one until i set my other tank up. I now under stand why my AC cleared my water up so much better, the sponge media was much finer than the other blue media filters i had. Thanks i have a really good idea of how i should set up my new tank.