How do you keep your tank looking so clean?

Chrisz · Dec 13, 2011

I have been looking around at all the awesome pictures of everyone's tanks, how in the world do you keep them looking so clean. Some of the pictures in the gallery almost look fake, not a bit of algae and the substrate is bright white. How are you guys doing it? My tank looks clean for about one day after cleaning it!!! What kind of equipment are you running?

FishLipz · Dec 13, 2011

While I'm sure there are some on here that are meticulous as can be about their tanks, I know many people (including myself) do a big cleanup before shooting pics (or in my case trying to get a decent pic). After all, Beyonce isn't going on stage without a shower and makeup. :tongue:

brahm · Dec 13, 2011

Ha, Fishlipz says it all.

Typically I'll feel like taking photos.. Start taking photos, when I'm reviewing them on my computer freak out about how messy my tank is then spend the rest of the nite scraping algae, combing sand and moving stuff around. Then go to take photos but everything is mad now so I'll re-shoot the following day... or sometimes I just say meh and keep the photos for my archives and never post them..

Normal tank LOL

After cleaning tank.

Chrisz · Dec 13, 2011

Wow! If my tank looked like that for just one hour... Are you all running phosphate reactors? And what kind of lighting are you using?

Chrisz · Dec 13, 2011

I don't know why but I just cant get my water crystal clear like yours. I have lots of particles that just seem to float around in there, I have carbon in my socks but it does not seem to make any difference. Is it possible to have too much water flow stirring everything up? Any sugestion on how to get it crystal clear? Should I add another reactor with carbon?

Laborator · Dec 13, 2011

Get TLF reactor with media and chemipure elite.

FishLipz · Dec 13, 2011

I know for the FTS, all the pumps and powerheads are turned off so the water is completely still and clear

Chrisz · Dec 13, 2011

Is chemipure elite like Rowa? Or is it a carbon product?

tnyr5 · Dec 13, 2011

Chrisz said:
How are you guys doing it?

Hours & hours & hours & hours......

brahm · Dec 13, 2011

Chrisz said:
Wow! If my tank looked like that for just one hour... Are you all running phosphate reactors? And what kind of lighting are you using?

Thanks for the compliment. I'm running a BRS 2 Chamber reactor with GFO (high capacity from BRS), and Carbon (rox .8? or whatever it's called). Lighting in the first photo is my current setup 2x250w Radiums SE in Luminarc Minis, lighting in the second photo, is a my old setup which was 1 250w DE Ushio 20k bulb in the middle of the tank, with 6 t5s from back to front, Blue+, Super Actnic, fiji purple, (halide), Blue+, fiji purple, Blue+ Also the first photo is a quick snap shot with my g11, the second I used my DSLR and a tripod.. etc so the lighting isn't as harsh in RL as the first photo.

Aquaph8 · Dec 13, 2011

brahm said:
Ha, Fishlipz says it all.

Typically I'll feel like taking photos.. Start taking photos, when I'm reviewing them on my computer freak out about how messy my tank is then spend the rest of the nite scraping algae, combing sand and moving stuff around. Then go to take photos but everything is mad now so I'll re-shoot the following day... or sometimes I just say meh and keep the photos for my archives and never post them..

Normal tank LOL

After cleaning tank.

All your corals grew while cleaning too.

brahm · Dec 13, 2011

LOL. The bottom one is an older photo where I actually cleaned. Most of my LPS are now moved to a different tank after a fish started picking on them, I also lost a a few of the bigger pieces of SPS that were in that photo, due to some stability issues and an over reaction on my part to AEFW. I sold the anemone as it kept wandering to.

The one up top I took the other week then I cleaned the tank and never took another set of photos. When I look at the FTS I like the older one better, but in person I prefer my tank now, a lot of stuff that had issues is now recovering seeing a lot of new growth, frags are growing out etc.. I'm looking forward to things growing back in while before I had a few big pieces from the get go, but not as many small interesting things.

Aquaph8 · Dec 13, 2011

Very pretty tank Brahm

Electrobes · Dec 14, 2011

I wish I had better pictures of my tank, but I don't

- Anyway, I mag-float and scrape the tank when it's needed. The only other thing I do aside from that is siphon out the gunk while doing my weekly water change (This includes getting bare spot on the rock to blindly find settled gunk). I tell ya, this goes a long way in getting that sparkly clean look in a tank.

mainereefer · Dec 14, 2011

Chrisz said:
I don't know why but I just cant get my water crystal clear like yours. I have lots of particles that just seem to float around in there, I have carbon in my socks but it does not seem to make any difference. Is it possible to have too much water flow stirring everything up? Any sugestion on how to get it crystal clear? Should I add another reactor with carbon?

is it particles or micro bubbles?
my water always looked "dirty" then I added a filter pad before the return from sump, all the particles went away they were micro bubbles

Chrisz · Dec 14, 2011

It is a mixture of both. I have a eheim return pump, it has a sponge that came with it. I had thought about putting a finer sponge in there but am afraid of it clogging. It is hard to see in a picture but the tank is kind of cloudy, the black background kind of makes a mirrored effect I was wondering if this was causing my cloudy water look.