How clear reef tank water can be?

[BurgerFish]

When I put the water in the white or clear glass, I can't see the color difference with RO water. Maybe the glass is not deep enough to see it and I need to fill the bucket?

When I look trough the tank glass without water at the wall it doesn't change the color.
But if I look at the wall through the tank glass with the tank water, the wall is greenish.

It is possible to obtain absolutely clear saltwater, like RO/DI or cause of minerals it always will be a little green/yellow?

Thanks

 

[pdxmonkeyboy]

you can absolutely have crystal clear water. The tint in the water is from dissolved organics, not minerals. I run ozone and my water is absolutely clear. Carbon can have the same effect.

 

[Hugh Mann]

+1.
It's all about controlling organics in the water. I mix up a fresh batch of saltwater and it's perfectly clear. Tank water has a slight green tint to it, my nitrates hover about 30-40, and I'm trying to get it lower.

You'll see plenty of reef tanks that are so clear the fish look like they're floating in air.

 

[BurgerFish]

But my water is seems to be very clear. Do you guys check it in the white bucket?

 

[stephj03]

+1 on ozone. Can also run carbon if you're scared of ozone.

 

[ApoIsland]

When I put the water in the white or clear glass, I can't see the color difference with RO water. Maybe the glass is not deep enough to see it and I need to fill the bucket?

When I look trough the tank glass without water at the wall it doesn't change the color.
But if I look at the wall through the tank glass with the tank water, the wall is greenish.

It is possible to obtain absolutely clear saltwater, like RO/DI or cause of minerals it always will be a little green/yellow?

Thanks

If I understand the question correctly I would think you could look at the color of the water from your tank vs the color of the water you have just mixed up. If they are the same color then the answer is no, you will never have perfectly clear water.

On the other hand, if the color of the tank water has more color than the freshly mixed salt water then you have organics in the tank tinting your water. In that case you can combat the organics and you will have crystal clear water just like your newly made salt mix.

 

[SliceGolfer]

I’ve had great luck with Purigen in clearing up water clarity.

 

[HB AL]

The 4 Simple things you can do are a protein skimmer, filter socks, gac and a uv. The skimmer for particulates and algae/bacteria not trapped by Filter socks, filter socks for larger suspended particles, Carbon for the yellowing etc... and uv for suspended algae and potential blooms. There are others but they are more extreme, and costly. I use the ones I mentioned not just for clarity but for other benefits they are meant for.

 

[Pistondog]

Ozone for an hour a day to breakup coloring organics, gac and skimmer.
No sox.

 

[Nick Steele]

Heck I can see completely across my 2’ tank with zero color change (lights off) or a slight blue tint (lights on). I run nothing but filter floss and a ton of rubble rock in the AIO chambers.

Crystal clear totally doable.

 

[terraincognita]

If you don’t overfeed or have a bunch of lose/decomposing organics in the water column is should be crystal clear.

I just had a dose of AB+ go in, but I’ll scoop some my my tank water into a glass tomorrow and take a photo.

I’m curious myself, on how clear it’ll be next to a glass of RODI.

My waters been pretty crystal clear recently but I wonder how clear in reality it is.

Guess we’ll see tomorrow OP unless anyone else here with some good water wants to try it first.

 

[Fish_Sticks]

When I put the water in the white or clear glass, I can't see the color difference with RO water. Maybe the glass is not deep enough to see it and I need to fill the bucket?

When I look trough the tank glass without water at the wall it doesn't change the color.
But if I look at the wall through the tank glass with the tank water, the wall is greenish.

It is possible to obtain absolutely clear saltwater, like RO/DI or cause of minerals it always will be a little green/yellow?

Thanks

That green tint is cause by the iron in regular aquarium glass. You can get low iron, or starfire glass on your next tank and it will look unfazed.

Genuinely surprised this hadn't been posted yet...

 

[Pistondog]

If you don’t overfeed or have a bunch of lose/decomposing organics in the water column is should be crystal clear.

I just had a dose of AB+ go in, but I’ll scoop some my my tank water into a glass tomorrow and take a photo.

I’m curious myself, on how clear it’ll be next to a glass of RODI.

My waters been pretty crystal clear recently but I wonder how clear in reality it is.

Guess we’ll see tomorrow OP unless anyone else here with some good water wants to try it first.

I try it every time I do a water change into a white bucket, which is the test. Is it clear or yellow?

 

[terraincognita]

I try it every time I do a water change into a white bucket, which is the test. Is it clear or yellow?

That won’t work for me, I always get my sand bed when I WC so it’s BROWN

 

[terraincognita]

Oops totally forgot I said I’d do this.

Slight yellow tint but I’d say crystal clear.

I’d easily mistake the two glasses without close inspection.

 

[terraincognita]

That green tint is cause by the iron in regular aquarium glass. You can get low iron, or starfire glass on your next tank and it will look unfazed.

Genuinely surprised this hadn't been posted yet...

Also yeah most likely you don’t have low iron glass. Green is normally that

Yellow or cloudy is all the other answers

 

[Reef Tripp]

+1,ozone

 

[BurgerFish]

Glass test:

In tank:

 

[F i s h y]

Glass test:

In tank:

Appears to be the glass.... your water is clear in those cups...

 

[terraincognita]

Appears to be the glass.... your water is clear in those cups...

Yeah 100% your glass man, that's definitely iron in glass for sure +1 on that.

you can SEE the green tint completely just by looking directly into the front panel from the side lol.