Keeping your aquarium water Crystal Clear?

[Silverfish]

My tank is pretty clear but could be better. I have a lot of fish and they one always seems to be stirring up something!

 

[claudio wagner]

Well. Depends on the definition of crystal clear ... the water it self or the vision of the tank you have through the glass. The difference is how much and how long your glass remains clean after cleaning... Mine, I have to clean every single day... so the answer would be, depend on the hour of the day you you see it...

 

[Reefvision]

I run an oxydator on each of my tanks and the water is always crystal clear.

Oxydator for the win!!

 

[MnFish1]

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

Yes

2. What are the best ways to keep your water consistently clear?

Carbon/Oxydator/Water changes

 

[Swede's Reef]

Ever see those reef aquariums where it looks like there isn't any water in the tank? How in the world do people get their aquariums so CRYSTAL CLEAR? Like there's no water at all in there! Let's talk about that today.

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

2. What are the best ways to keep your water consistently clear?

image via @Marco A. Martins

1. Maintain proper water parameters and biweekly WC and daily topoffs.
2. Good quality filter floss and 100 micron filter media to polish the water. And lots of copepods and feed them. Lastly strong flow from return pump that circulate it about 18x an hour.
I avoid chemicals unless absolutely necessary.

 

[Double monti 61]

Do not use a skimmer no filter socks no carbon nothing I use purified natural sea water my tank is only 15 gallons and I change about 2.2 gallons per week my water movement is 2 fluval 30 filters loaded with eheim mech small ceramic tubes that have been in the filter compartments for over two years and a small power head with adjustable flow the only reason I have viewing issues is due to the small amount of algae that grows on my glass that has lately been removed by some limpets that showed up in my tank and my little astrinia star brothers and sisters that I love. Little life rules! I also have a healthy Hollywood chalice that destroys the starfish that land on it if I knock them off the glass while I am maintaining the tank

 

[Swede's Reef]

1. Maintain proper water parameters and biweekly WC and daily topoffs.
2. Good quality filter floss and 100 micron filter media to polish the water. And lots of copepods and feed them. Lastly strong flow from return pump that circulate it about 18x an hour.
I avoid chemicals unless absolutely necessary.

Yes it is crystal clear except for some copepods stuck to the glass

 

[vetteguy53081]

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

First we must define crystal clear as the Ocean in reality is not crystal clear (at least every time ive ever dived or snorkeled). Mine is very clear though to the point see can see down the 10 ft run of tank very clearly

2. What are the best ways to keep your water consistently clear?

Skimming, reducing algae, weekly cleaning of filter socks and elimination of micro bubbles.

 

[Emerson]

1. Would you consider your aquarium water to be "Crystal Clear?"
It's all relative, but yes close to crystal clear. Of all my issues, water clarity is not one. I do not have Low Iron glass. Low Iron glass is fine, but I don't think it makes that much differnce in clarity as it does in color. Regular glass may have a little green tint, but unless you have a tank with Low Iron glass right next to it, I'm not sure you'd notice. I've also heard Low Iron glass scratches easier, but cannot attest to that.

2. What are the best ways to keep your water consistently clear?
I can't say it's best, we all do what we do, when we can. I use/do:

-Filter Sock
-UV
-Carbon
-Skimming (not sure if that has any affect on clarity)
-Double baffle sump for water level and micro bubbles
-20% Water Change/month

I have been running 4" filter socks for the last 18 months, and change them out every 2 or 3 days when they clog. I started doing it while I was fighting cyano and dinos, as it seemed to help overnight and as the pests started to die and fall off. At the same time I started using UV (Pentair 25w). I run the flow for the algae/cyano/dino flow rate. I run Carbon in a reactor, changed out ~ 2 week intervals. Finally, I do a 20% water change once per month with a quality salt.

 

[mehaffydr]

Consistent water parameters.
Change filter socks often
Oversized skimmer
Oversized sump to give area for stuff to settle out
Plenty of Live Rock

 

[HB AL]

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!

The tank is in my bedroom and I have no fish room. Don't really think about air exchange or aeration as I have a skimmer with a co2 scrubber, the wave makers agitating and breaking the surface really well all combine to keep the tank aerated plenty. Its all a very simple setup as you can see in this pic. Just want to add that I haven't done a water change in 4.5 years.

 

[Swordsman82]

It might one day but my tiger shrimp is constantly digging tunnels in my sand bed, throwing stuff into the water column. It’s like he is a WWI soldier.

 

[Rommelboy]

50 micron roller fleece + chaeto + skimmer + UV. And don't forget to keep your glass clean, front and back!

 

[Screwgunner]

I run carbon not much about tablespoon for evert 15 , 20 gallons then I put in a bag of purogen and wow. Cyristal.

 

[Reef and Dive]

I consider mine pretty clear.
No filter socks.
No UV.
No Ozone.
Activated carbon once a month for 7 days.
Very few WC.

 

[Gemdora]

Using hang on back filters only, with floss, and 2 wavemakers. Macro algae in tank also helps. I rely heavily on proper biological filtration. There are bubbles but the corals and fish thrive. I'll deal with them

 

[Gemdora]

I did until I added a diamond goby.

My front glass is 3/4" low iron.
100 micron filter socks.
UV Filter
Carbon

i think filter socks is the biggest thing that does it. Carbon for any yellowing. UV to kill floating things and prevent blooms.

Sometimes when the fish are up close to the front and I'm looking at the right angle, it's almost like there is no glass or anything and like they are actually out of the tank.

But since I added a diamond goby....well there are always particles of sand floating around.

Once that goby sifts through all the sand and those particles skim out it will be back to clear. Just a bit of waiting.

 

[Robb1821i]

FOR EVERYONE RUNNING NO FILTER FLOSS OR SOCKS...

what is your setup? I badly want to not run floss. Just not sure how to keep things clean without it.

 

[RobMcC]

I voted yes, but that isn’t the whole truth. I run two tanks, both with identical filtration methods. One has crystal clear water, the other is clear, but with some particulates.

 

[Timfish]

In my research these observations by two renown scientists have stuck with me.

"When I see the colors of some of these low nutrient tanks, I can't help but be reminded of bleached coral reefs. It should therefore not come as a surprise that feeding corals in such systems becomes a very important component in these systems. Though reefs are often catagorized as nutrient "deserts" the influx of nutrients in the form of particulates and plankton is quite high when the total volume of water passing over a reef is taken into consideration.

Our crystal-clear aquaria do not come close to the nutrient loads that swirl around natural reefs. And so when we create low-nutrient water conditions, we still have to deal with the rest of a much more complex puzzle. Much like those who run their aquarium water temperature close to the thermal maximums of corals walk a narrow tight rope, I can't help but think that low-nutrient aquariums may be headed down a similar path." Charles Delbeck, Coral Nov/Dec 2010, pg 127

"Imported nutrients are usually transported to reefs from rivers; but if there are no rivers, as with reefs remote from land masses, nutrients can only come from surface ocean circulation. Often this supply is poor, and thus the vast ocean expanses have been refered to as "nutrient deserts". The Indo-Pacific has many huge atolls in these supposed deserts which testify to the resilience of reefs, but the corals themselves may lack the lush appearance of those of more fertile waters. Many reefs have another major supply of inorganic nutrients as, under certain conditions, surface currents moving against a reef face may cause deep ocean water to be drawn to the surface. This "upwelled" water is often rich in phosphorus (.2 mg/l) and other essential chemicals." J. E. N. Veron "Corals of Austrailia and the Indo-Pacific" pg 30