Water Clarity

[fishguyxd]

How big of a media bag does one require and how much charcoal or is there a rule of thumb ie: So much per gal of water to get clearer looking water and how long is it good for? 1 month 2?

[Ruth]

I am not sure if there is a rule of thumb about how much carbon but I usually throw about 1 litre into a media bag in my 230g and the same for my 190g. I remove it after a month although I have heard that the actual value of the carbon is lost after only a few days (or it could even be hours - I can't remember right now).

[Glennrf38]

Originally Posted by Snappy

Big difference between a micro bag or sock as they are often called and a media bag. For example the micro prefilter socks are usually 100-200 microns. 1 micron is 1/1,000,000 of an inch. I use them in my tank and they work wonders for removing all floaties including excess bubbles.

Hmmm what I got was Aquaclear filter insert bags........ Correct ones or not? If not where do I find the right ones?

Thanks

[ClubReef]

If you want instant clarity, try running ozone in your system. There is some slight risk to this method so you will want to do your research before you make your decision.

Something to think about.

[Ruth]

Originally Posted by Glennrf38

Hmmm what I got was Aquaclear filter insert bags........ Correct ones or not? If not where do I find the right ones?

Thanks

Those bags will be fine to hold your carbon in to place in your sump. They will not work as a "sock" on the end of your water return.

[Glennrf38]

What would I use at the end of my water return? This was all they had at Gold's.

Thanks

Originally Posted by Ruth

Those bags will be fine to hold your carbon in to place in your sump. They will not work as a "sock" on the end of your water return.

[littlesilvermax]

Ozone, ozone ozone.



One you use it you won't go back.

[Ruth]

Originally Posted by littlesilvermax

Ozone, ozone ozone.



One you use it you won't go back.

IIRC Glenn is just starting out in salt water. For ozone to work it is a fairly big investment plus you either have to have a skimmer that you can run it through (more $$ as not every skimmer will accept ozone) or some other piece of equipment (again $$$) plus ozone still scares the crap out of me and I've been doing this a year or two

I don't know if Gold's or some other place carries the "socks" but there was someone on this board that had a whole whack of them for sale a while ago. Don't know if he still has any left but you might try a search on here or on one of our sponsors sites.

[littlesilvermax]

I am selling (I guess it is sold already) a used ozonizer for $60.

You can buy new ones (cheapy, but will work for a year or two) for around $100.

I have helped a couple of real newbies set up simple 55 gallon systems, and I got them a $159 CAD ozonizer right off the bat, it works great (they just use it on a very low setting, until they ever get an ORP monitor). They never run carbon (I didn't for 3+ years) and just let the little bit of ozone do its thing.


Just MO, but I think it is cheaper then buying carbon and other stuff long term.

[Beverly]

Except for afternoon microbubbles from the O2 the macroalgae makes in our tank, our water is always clear. Mixed soft, lps, sps, bta BB 120g, low bioload, don't overfeed. No skimmer, no sump, no ozone, no carbon. 2 x 175w MH with PC actinics. Weekly maintenance, 15% water change, lots of crud siphoned from the bottom, too. I don't understand why folks' water isn't clear?