Keeping your aquarium water Crystal Clear?

[biocubeboy]

Chemipure Blue and UV changed everything for me. Also copepods help keep algae on the rocks at bay.

 

[Moab_Reefer]

Low flow refugium allows for solids to drop out. Filter socks after the fuge change every 3 dyas. A good quality carbon reactor.

 

[Rogueaquariums]

Hands down... filter socks will make your water column clearer

But.... the quality of your front glass has a lot to do with that as well. Betting the pic above is low-iron starfire glass


.

Agreed, i currently have filter pads on my main display but will be converting over to 7x17” filter socks..

 

[DJF]

Uv all day long

 

[HB AL]

Dont have any puffers or triggers?

Have 5 triggers, do they cause the water to not be clear in some way for you? I've never experienced triggers to cause the water not to be clear in 35+ years. My water is clear and I have 14 fish total. I believe the combination of good aeration and flow, filter socks, carbon, skimmer and uv sterilizer keep my water crystal clear.

Dont have any puffers or triggers?

 

[Popkorn0407]

Yes crystal, i have low iron glass, filter sock, carbon, UV, hight oxygenation.

 

[NYBumkin]

Have a slightly undersized uv, and slow flow through refugium gives debris a place to settle. Don’t run socks or carbon and water is clear

The low flow allowing debris to settle in the sump is interesting.

 

[Robb1821i]

Have a slightly undersized uv, and slow flow through refugium gives debris a place to settle. Don’t run socks or carbon and water is clear

No socks or carbon? Do you run floss?

 

[davidwillis]

1. Would you consider your aquarium water to be "Crystal Clear?"
Yes

2. What are the best ways to keep your water consistently clear?
Filter socks (cleaned every other day), protein skimmer, UV (24/7), carbon and purigen (changed/recharged every other week). I think the filter socks, carbon, and purigen would do it if changed every other week.

 

[theMeat]

The low flow allowing debris to settle in the sump is interesting.

Thanx. The thick caulerpra and cheato def help with debris settling, and pods seem to love it

 

[JCM]

Have 5 triggers, do they cause the water to not be clear in some way for you? I've never experienced triggers to cause the water not to be clear in 35+ years. My water is clear and I have 14 fish total. I believe the combination of good aeration and flow, filter socks, carbon, skimmer and uv sterilizer keep my water crystal clear.

Daaaaaannnnnggggg... That's nice

 

[theMeat]

No socks or carbon? Do you run floss?

Nope. Have a couple of very coarse sponges. One from skimmer section for bubbles, and one on fuge to keep macro from return section

 

[Robb1821i]

Nope. Have a couple of very coarse sponges. One from skimmer section for bubbles, and one on fuge to keep macro from return section

Wow! I really like the idea of not cleaning/changing filter floss anymore. Do the nutrients stay in control? I have a skimmer and fuge already.

 

[Dal-Reef]

Running Clairsea and carbon I would I am pretty clear water .

 

[Robb1821i]

I run filter floss and dose phyto. I’ve never had an issue with clear water but after dosing phyto it looked even better!

What phyto? I've used reef nutrition and ocean magik and I feel like both of them just increase the algae on the glass.

 

[MONTANTK]

What phyto? I've used reef nutrition and ocean magik and I feel like both of them just increase the algae on the glass.

I use ocean magik. I mean I get algae on the glass but my water is still super clear. I feel like it’s basically impossible to avoid algae on the glass

 

[LRT]

Have 5 triggers, do they cause the water to not be clear in some way for you? I've never experienced triggers to cause the water not to be clear in 35+ years. My water is clear and I have 14 fish total. I believe the combination of good aeration and flow, filter socks, carbon, skimmer and uv sterilizer keep my water crystal clear.

Incredible reef. Curious if you have dedicated fish room and what you do for air exchange if anything? Humidity and C02 levels if known?
Very nice sir!

 

[Wayofthereef]

My water wasn't that crystal clear and I was at a loss as to why for a while.. everything tested perfect, had filter socks and changed them every 3 days like clockwork, and an overflow filter in the sump as well.. macro algae, protein skimmer, gfo and carbon... but still dirty looking water.. now the tank was only like 2 months old and only had a few fish and rock in there, so I bought a 145$ hang on the back as a temporary lets see how it does UV sterilizer.. let it run over night left for work( didnt even look at the tank as I left) abd came home to "what the heck" all my water is gone!... it was so stupid clear it didnt even look like there was water in there.. I even to a picture to show a friend.. so now every week from about 8pm to 8am i run it and its been perfect ever since

 

[Nhjmc]

Hands down... filter socks will make your water column clearer

But.... the quality of your front glass has a lot to do with that as well. Betting the pic above is low-iron starfire glass


.

Good point on the front glass condition thinking that is some of my issue. Wish I could use those but I don't believe I can (I have an older Red Sea AOI tank) with an Inktank media basket and I've tried EVERYTHING/every kind of filter floss and other media out there.

 

[Robb1821i]

My water is crystal clear. Never realized it's such an issue for people, because I'm not doing anything special

I guess the only thing I can think of is sufficient flow. Detritus won't settle and get disturbed in the tank, but rather settles in the sump.

E: I don't have a skimmer, am not running filter socks/floss, no UV or any of that stuff.

So what are you running?