Particles in water

[Nne1txc]

I'm a newb. Have an 80 Gal coral reef tank that has been up and running for two months. I have 8 Fish an two small coral so far. My parameters are spot on and I change my filter socks twice a week. Why does my tank have small particles floating in it all the time. Skimmer works fine and I change 15% of the water each month. Can someone enlighten me

 

[Jayman]

Do u feed nori.

 

[prsnlty]

Sand maybe or micro bubbles. How are your powerheads positioned?

 

[Nne1txc]

Only one large power head pointed 3 inches below water level

 

[_sludgefactory]

Do you have any mechanical filtration?

 

[Nne1txc]

No. Only a large sock in the sump

 

[_sludgefactory]

Like one that your drain flows through?

 

[Nne1txc]

Yes

 

[_sludgefactory]

Do you have a lot of particles? I even have a few all the time but it's not enough to make the water look dirty.

 

[Ringo®]

What micron size is the filter sock? If you're still getting floaters, probably wouldn't hurt to go smaller.

 

[Nne1txc]

I have a lot. Looks like the water is snowy

 

[Nne1txc]

I don't a have a clue as yo the size , but there's no way these particles can get thought the sock.

 

[prsnlty]

Are you sure it isn't fine sand blowing?

 

[prsnlty]

Another idea... if you are using a wp40 or any other good powerhead that pulls a nice undertow, it could be pulling up and blowing detritus. Make sure you aren't overfeeding and have a really good cleanup crew.

Also, right before doing a water change, take a small powerhead or turkey baster and blow the rocks out.

 

[AZDesertRat]

Turn the lights off and shine a flashlight through the tank either side to side or front to back. If it looks like thousands of tiny sparkly diamonds it is very small microbubbles, if it just looks cloudy it is particulates. Microbubbles are often mistaken for particles in newer systems.

 

[Nne1txc]

Thanks for all the help. How do I get rid of microbubbles

 

[AZDesertRat]

It could be from your skimmer or the filter socks or even due to poorly designed baffles or bubble traps.
If you identify it as microbubbles try removing the filter sock and/or skimmer or shutting it off one at a time to find the source.

 

[Nne1txc]

Thanks I'll give it a go

 

[fishroomlady]

good advice from AZ to make sure it's microbubbles vs. particulates. Also, how long has your skimmer been running - the whole time? when skimmers get started, you can sometimes get microbubbles for a couple of weeks while it breaks in and then they will go away or at least decrease substantially.

As a side note, would love to see pictures of your tank!

 

[JFrar]

im just gonna throw it out there and say i have a ~7 year old system that has "stuff" floating around for about a year now. almost looks like it is a light snow. my water clarity is very very good. just have floating matters w/e it might be. i've never been concerned because my corals/fish are doing great...