# That...clean look.



## Murphy18 (Oct 17, 2008)

Just wondering how the hell do i get my water to look crystal clear, i mean, it is clear, but i am CERTAIN it can be alot clearer. There is lots of tiny tiny particles i the water which just float round, and it is not sand.

I just want the clean look. 
I have a 100g, which is filtered by an xp3 and a 305, both filters are stuffed with steel scrubbers, bio rings and, bio balls.

Any help appreciated.


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## Sheppard (Jul 8, 2004)

Just be very aware of what your putting into your water. Lots of uneccessary food will do it as well as certain types of food. For instance, salmon is very oily and it always causes a layer on the surface of the water.

Another thing to be aware of is other additives (if any) you put in your tank. Theres tons of products out there that claim to do so much and people just buy them and throw it in..with all this other crap in the water you may notice it being unclear or else small particles floating around.

Also, it could be your tap water. My friends place gets such hard water it comes out a faded yellow colour..its gross lol

You should try doing afew small water changes throughout the week and see if it improves. 
If you want a concrete solution..3 words my friend: Vortex Diatom Filter


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## Murphy18 (Oct 17, 2008)

Well unfortunately i dont have the money for a ''vortex diatom filter'', as i am a student with no money







. They do sound real cool though.

I do 50% water changes every 4-5 days. And the only thing i add is conditioner and ferts. I've never fed my fish oily fish. It just makes me jealous when i see peoples tanks, and they are sparkling clean, i know its stupid :laugh:.

Thanks for the help anywayz sheppard







.


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## Blue Flame (Jan 16, 2006)

I do water changes once a week. Cleaning the gravel every other week, but I clean the sponges on the filters once a month, and my water is crystal clear in all 7 of my tanks.


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## Murphy18 (Oct 17, 2008)

Blue Flame said:


> I do water changes once a week. Cleaning the gravel every other week, but I clean the sponges on the filters once a month, and my water is crystal clear in all 7 of my tanks.


Do you have a 100g or similar size, what filtration you running on it? Do you add anything to your water?
I dont think theres anything wrong with my tap water, because it's crystal clear. It could be te small alge problem that i have, but as i said, it's been like this before the algae even appeared.

I'm so frustrated over this. My tank is scatched like hell anyway and i dont really care for te look of the tank or stand, but having crystal clear water would help me out alot, maintainence wise maybe anyway.
I already have poor eyesight, i have 80% vision in my left eye.


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## AKSkirmish (Jun 24, 2005)

Unless I overlooked something man-You are only running filtration for Bio-
You need mechanical to polish the water-----Anthing along the lines of cartridges (remove carbon of course) filter floss,Anything made by marineland would be a great choice----Sponges,etc,etc...All will help polish water...


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## Murphy18 (Oct 17, 2008)

AKSkirmish said:


> Unless I overlooked something man-You are only running filtration for Bio-
> You need mechanical to polish the water-----Anthing along the lines of cartridges (remove carbon of course) filter floss,Anything made by marineland would be a great choice----Sponges,etc,etc...All will help polish water...


I have the required foams in each filter. Sorry for not mentioning, my bad.
Could i put some filter floss in, and where? Also i added carbon to the xp3 last week to see if it would make any difference, but then i figured it isnt neccessary right? Its only used for removing meds n stuff. Oh well.
All my params are spot on.

Nitrate 40 (little high)
Nitrite zilch
Ammonia zilch
ph 7.5

EDIT: I dont wanna make a big deal about this but i am just seeing if there is successful methods that people have had experience with, in the same situation.


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## AKSkirmish (Jun 24, 2005)

Murphy18 said:


> Unless I overlooked something man-You are only running filtration for Bio-
> You need mechanical to polish the water-----Anthing along the lines of cartridges (remove carbon of course) filter floss,Anything made by marineland would be a great choice----Sponges,etc,etc...All will help polish water...


I have the required foams in each filter. Sorry for not mentioning, my bad.
Could i put some filter floss in, and where? Also i added carbon to the xp3 last week to see if it would make any difference, but then i figured it isnt neccessary right? Its only used for removing meds n stuff. Oh well.
All my params are spot on.

Nitrate 40 (little high)
Nitrite zilch
Ammonia zilch
ph 7.5

EDIT: I dont wanna make a big deal about this but i am just seeing if there is successful methods that people have had experience with, in the same situation.
[/quote]

Although you have required foam in filters-Are they being cleaned often enough-
Filter floss isn't going to required if you have the foam in I guess....More the merrier but if no room for it-No biggie-I was only suggesting.
Yeah carbon shouldn't be needed unless removing meds


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## cobrafox46 (Jun 2, 2008)

I think the sparky clean looking tanks kinda look that way because of the substrate, background, and decorations that are in them. I think it kind of adds to the effect.


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## Blue Flame (Jan 16, 2006)

Murphy18 said:


> I do water changes once a week. Cleaning the gravel every other week, but I clean the sponges on the filters once a month, and my water is crystal clear in all 7 of my tanks.


Do you have a 100g or similar size, what filtration you running on it? Do you add anything to your water?
I dont think theres anything wrong with my tap water, because it's crystal clear. It could be te small alge problem that i have, but as i said, it's been like this before the algae even appeared.

I'm so frustrated over this. My tank is scatched like hell anyway and i dont really care for te look of the tank or stand, but having crystal clear water would help me out alot, maintainence wise maybe anyway.
I already have poor eyesight, i have 80% vision in my left eye.
[/quote]
I have a 180, 135, 125, 90, 70, and two 29's. All the tanks have 2 aquaclear 110's but the two 29's. They have aquaclear 70's on them. I have softened well water, and I don't add anything to the water except for maybe a touch of aquarium salt.

Describe the type of algae you have.


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## Malawi- (Oct 21, 2008)

I would add 1-2 emperor 400s. They polish the water very well and make it crtstal clear.


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## Ægir (Jan 21, 2006)

From the sound of it, you should definitely NOT use steel scrubbers like stated in the first topic... unless steel is the brand, you dont want metal scrubbers in your filter. You want the plastic version, that has NO soap or chemicals in them... In my XP3 i ran (from bottom basket to top) Bio media (ceramic cylinders), llava rock, and in the top i ran a carbon pouch, with a "phos loc" pouch, filter floss on top of that... worked great for me! I think 2 trays stuffed with scrubbies, and the top basket with a carbon pouch, and filter floss pad would take care of it.

The most likely source of problems is your tap water... your high nitrates, 0 nitrites are caused because there is likely not enough export for "garbage" and the algae is most likely thriving because of it... i would check your tap water before adding it to the tank


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## Piranha Dan (Nov 11, 2007)

Use the micro-filtration pads from Rena. They work great and they're cheap.


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## Murphy18 (Oct 17, 2008)

AKSkirmish said:


> Use the micro-filtration pads from Rena. They work great and they're cheap.


I might just do that, ive heard good things about these also. Do you have 1 in each basket or...?


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## Piranha Dan (Nov 11, 2007)

Murphy18 said:


> Use the micro-filtration pads from Rena. They work great and they're cheap.


I might just do that, ive heard good things about these also. Do you have 1 in each basket or...?
[/quote]
Actually I fill the entire top basket with them. I buy two boxes at a time which gives me 6 pads total. Change them once a month it'll cost you around $10.


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## Murphy18 (Oct 17, 2008)

Piranha Dan said:


> Use the micro-filtration pads from Rena. They work great and they're cheap.


I might just do that, ive heard good things about these also. Do you have 1 in each basket or...?
[/quote]
Actually I fill the entire top basket with them. I buy two boxes at a time which gives me 6 pads total. Change them once a month it'll cost you around $10.
[/quote]

Ok thanks for the advice.
Can they not be cleaned regularly, instead of replacing them?


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## Rough996 (Oct 3, 2006)

Hey Murphy,

Your XP3 can get the job done... use the micro filtration pads as your mechanical filter - in very top of the top basket. They work great for me... Also, if you have enough bio media, you can add a UV sterilizer. You can get a low wattage one (9 - 12) and it'll make your water crystal clear as well as help control/eliminate any algae breakouts.

I started out with an XP3, Emperor 400 and Marineland 330 on my 125g and they worked well, but when I added an eheim 2217 (another canister filter, but not as good as the XP3) and the UV sterilzer, it looks like my fish are floating in AIR, because the water is so clear.

I picked up my UV sterilizer at Petsmart... it's called the Green Killing Machine - they make a 24 and 9 watt version - both with a powerhead, which has just enough flow to be effective at moving the water through, but not so much as to create a current. Some people will try to sway you against using a UV, but for those that have used them, they'll swear to you how effective they are at making the water crystal clear - self included.


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## Murphy18 (Oct 17, 2008)

Thanks alot for the advice, i shall lok somewhere online for a uv steriliser







.
Thanks again.


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## Ægir (Jan 21, 2006)

Murphy18 said:


> Thanks alot for the advice, i shall lok somewhere online for a uv steriliser :nod: .
> Thanks again.


And i would get those metal scrubbers out ASAP... replace them with ceramic media, or the cheap plastic scrubbies... wouldnt surprise me one bit if your water is being tainted by something in the metal (could even be rust in your water)... i would leave what you can in the filter that is already seeded, replace the scrubbies, and in a few weeks change your top tray (after the bottom 2 are seeded with bacteria) You could even add a few polishing pads to the top also!


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## Murphy18 (Oct 17, 2008)

Skunkbudfour20 said:


> Thanks alot for the advice, i shall lok somewhere online for a uv steriliser :nod: .
> Thanks again.


And i would get those metal scrubbers out ASAP... replace them with ceramic media, or the cheap plastic scrubbies... wouldnt surprise me one bit if your water is being tainted by something in the metal (could even be rust in your water)... i would leave what you can in the filter that is already seeded, replace the scrubbies, and in a few weeks change your top tray (after the bottom 2 are seeded with bacteria) You could even add a few polishing pads to the top also!
[/quote]

Stainless steel doesn't rust, and as far as i know it can not be affected it anyway by water.


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## Rough996 (Oct 3, 2006)

Hey Murphy... I dunno. Stainless steel is stain-less, not stain-proof. I did some reading after the discussion began about that and from what I read, there is a CHANCE that it's affecting your water quality. Check out some of the reading:

British site question and answers about stainless steel

Wiki site explaining variances of stainless steel

You're the only one that I've heard of using it, so I honestly can't atest to other people's experiences with it... it just sounds like it's worth looking into further. or just removing it to be safe.


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## Ægir (Jan 21, 2006)

Murphy18 said:


> Thanks alot for the advice, i shall lok somewhere online for a uv steriliser :nod: .
> Thanks again.


And i would get those metal scrubbers out ASAP... replace them with ceramic media, or the cheap plastic scrubbies... wouldnt surprise me one bit if your water is being tainted by something in the metal (could even be rust in your water)... i would leave what you can in the filter that is already seeded, replace the scrubbies, and in a few weeks change your top tray (after the bottom 2 are seeded with bacteria) You could even add a few polishing pads to the top also!
[/quote]

Stainless steel doesn't rust, and as far as i know it can not be affected it anyway by water.
[/quote]

False, it implies nothing can attach to it not that it cant leech metals or something out into your water... it cant be affected by water, but it can affect your water...

Just for fun i will look into it...


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## wizardslovak (Feb 17, 2007)

get this http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod...cfm?pcatid=4177
i used to have it , good stuff tho
although i use only bio filter


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## Murphy18 (Oct 17, 2008)

It doesn't seem like there is any damage or corrosion on the scrubbies, they actually look like new.
I guess ill be on the safe side though anyway, and remove them. I suppose a suitable replacement for them would be the plastic ones. After all they are a very cheap alternative to other media, and they have just as much surface area. No corrosion or rusting.

About uv sterilizers, I cant seem to find the specific ''green killing machine'' for sale in the uk. Would any decent uv sterilizer do the job?

Thanks again.


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## Rough996 (Oct 3, 2006)

Murphy18 said:


> It doesn't seem like there is any damage or corrosion on the scrubbies, they actually look like new.
> I guess ill be on the safe side though anyway, and remove them. I suppose a suitable replacement for them would be the plastic ones. After all they are a very cheap alternative to other media, and they have just as much surface area. No corrosion or rusting.
> 
> About uv sterilizers, I cant seem to find the specific ''green killing machine'' for sale in the uk. Would any decent uv sterilizer do the job?
> ...


The key to UV Sterilizers is flow rate. You have to have enough good bacteria and filtration to overcome the fact that the UV bulb is killing EVERYTHING in the water - this is what stops/prevents algae breakouts by killing the reproductive elements floating in the water. The UV will also kill any bacteria (most importantly is the harmful ones) that is in the water, so again you want to ensure your culture of beneficial bacteria has a good "home" in your filtration. Most of the UV's sold don't have a powerhead and are used in-line with existing filtration. I shopped long and hard for the right one (based on tank size and flow rate), so unfortunately, because you're in the UK, you may have to do the same.


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## Murphy18 (Oct 17, 2008)

I suppose i could get one on e-bay or amazon no problem.
Thanks again for the help, appreciated


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## Murphy18 (Oct 17, 2008)

Has anybody had experience with this stuff Seachem Purigen

But it says, to renew it just treat with bleach.


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## Piranha Dan (Nov 11, 2007)

Murphy18 said:


> Use the micro-filtration pads from Rena. They work great and they're cheap.


I might just do that, ive heard good things about these also. Do you have 1 in each basket or...?
[/quote]
Actually I fill the entire top basket with them. I buy two boxes at a time which gives me 6 pads total. Change them once a month it'll cost you around $10.
[/quote]

Ok thanks for the advice.
Can they not be cleaned regularly, instead of replacing them?
[/quote]
Not really. I tried wringing the crud out of them once but they ended up coming apart in my hands. The media is so fine it's pretty much impossible to clean. They work great though.


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