crystal clear water

[MIKEMARTIN]

I have a 180 gal. walmount mixed reef. You can see the tank from the front and on one side. I noticed that when you look from the side glass, the water isn't crystal clear. (looks grenish) i Checked all the parameters over and over and everything is perfect. How can I get crystal clear water, like it looks like the fish are floating in air. Thanks!!!

mike

[strittmatter]

Run ozone.

[MIKEMARTIN]

stupid question but how and what exactly is "running ozone"? I was never this water crazy until this tank. If all the params were ok, then it was o.k., but now i want it to be as perfect and natural as possible.

[xtm]

run carbon

[strittmatter]

Running carbon would work too. Ozone helps break down the "yellowing" agent in the water. if you think you have clear water now run ozone and wait about a day or 2 and you will be amaxed how clear the water will become.

[Der_Iron_Chef]

Ozone can be tricky and expensive. Try carbon first (preferably running actively, like in a phosphate reactor or something). And if that doesn't work, maybe you need a UV Filter. It will kill the algae in the water column. But just be sure you have a good skimmer if you do that, because the algae will need to be skimmed out.

[MIKEMARTIN]

I want to do the ozone thing, how do I "run ozone"? what is the procedure and where do i get it?

[Gdevine]

UV filer and a bag or two or Boyd's Chemi Pure in th sump and within 24 hours that water will be sparkling clear...polished even

[aiv]

when I used purigen it made the water crystal clear. It works really well as a water polisher.

[JetCat USA]

carbon/purigen/chemi pure and all other sorts of chemical medias work well at making the water clear, ozone makes the water disappear and you'll swear your fish are swimming in air.

it doesn't break down the "yellowing" agent in the water exactly, it oxidizes DOCs. it's best pumped into a skimmer at the appropriate mg/hr rate and the use of an ORP controller is highly suggested to the inexperienced.

[BrokeColoReefer]

Mike, ozone works wondes but its tricky to use. You need a ORP controller, possilby a air pump, and a old skimmer or a skimmer that has ozone hookups. If your skimmer is not ozone safe, the plastic can become brittle as it oxidizes. The procedure is.. you buy a ozone generator, you put it on a ORP controller. You set the ORP controller to turn on the ozone if it gets below 375 and turn off the ozone if the ORP gets above 400. That way you dont over oxidize your tank and nuke your fish. You also have to dose the ozone in a skimmer or a reactor. It takes about 30 seconds for the excess ozone to blow off. You dont want any ozone directly entering the tank. Some people put carbon on the outflow of the reactor/skimmer to make sure there is no contamination. Ozone is heavy stuff, its the equlivient of reef chemotherapy IMO. It does produce crystal clear water, its something that you need to be very carefull with.
HTH

[melev]

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-05/rhf/index.php

[BrokeColoReefer]

Originally posted by melev
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-05/rhf/index.php

awesome link.

[xtm]

A cheap, less-risky alternative to ozone that produces near-similar result IME is a combination of Activated Carbon, Filter sock, and Marine clarifier.

[Paul B]

Use a diatom filter. I have been using one for about 40 years.
Of course I am on my fifth one.
Diatom filters removes everything down to 1 micron. I only use it occasionally and would not be able to have such an old tank without one. It will make your water disappear no matter what is in it.
I also use ozone and have for thirty years. I have no controller.
I just run less of it than I need.

[reifen]

or may be the glass is grenish and not the water

[ikaros]

i have seen tanks that are tinted, are you sure its not the glass?

[Steve 926]

Use a diatom filter.


Old, Tried, N True !!!!!!
Worth the set up time, get the re charge valve for easy use

Steve 926

[e_chimp]

For the purposes of increasing protein skimming, ozone really should be used sparingly. If you use too much ozone you'll actually decrease protein skimming performance. Just a little goes a long way, too much defeats the purpose.

[JetCat USA]

Originally posted by e_chimp
For the purposes of increasing protein skimming, ozone really should be used sparingly. If you use too much ozone you'll actually decrease protein skimming performance. Just a little goes a long way, too much defeats the purpose.

that is incorrect, the O3 oxidizes the DOCs so they are no longer in the water, a skimmer removes DOCs, if they were removed by the O3, they aren't there for the skimmer to remove, naturally the skimmer production will be decreased with O3 use.

[e_chimp]

Read Reef Aquarium Volume 3. Has a great section on ozone.

Reefkeeping has an article that touches on some of it:3
From http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/20...f/index.php#11
"It seems as if the tide of opinion has turned, however, and most aquarists now claim that the amount of skimmate is reduced significantly when using ozone. Many claim that the collection of skimmate has nearly stopped in their aquaria when starting ozone. Why the difference compared to past opinion? That's hard to say, and may depend on the types and qualities of the skimmers available now compared to years ago, as well as changes in other husbandry practices. In any case, the overriding experience of many aquarists today is that skimming is reduced, and the presumed reason is that the organics are being made chemically less skimmable by ozone. The remaining organics would then be removed more by bacterial processes than before the initiation of ozone in the same aquarium. "

You can actually improve protein skimming by using slighter amounts of ozone than you normally would. This action is created by cleaving complex dissolved organics into smaller amphiphilic compounds, making them more skimmable.

[JetCat USA]

No offense intended buy why would i want to use just a little and then depend on my skimmer to pull it out when i can use a safe amount and completely remove it without relying on the skimmer? I've been using O3 for 15 or so yrs so i think I've got enough hands on experience i don't need to read a book/artical that answers a why question with a 'That's hard to say.......'

[e_chimp]

Dude you are taking my comment way out of context. I was only talking about using it for the purposes of increasing protein skimming, not in the way you are talking about. If ozone is such a miracle cure for dissolved organics then why even buy protein skimmers? Shoot I'm glad to hear that all I need to do is just buy an ozonizer to deal with nutrients!

Or maybe its because ozone is a rather volatile substance which you do not want to add to the levels in which you would be removing all organics from the water. Point is that it can be used at a much smaller and safer level and still prove quite useful. If you use a lot you are sacrificing safety and also you are decreasing skimming output by causing the DOCs to be cleaved to the point where they are not as skimmable.

[TitusvileSurfer]

The glass was my first thought. He said it looks clear from the front (assuming) and greenish from the side. You would think he would know if he had a 1 panel low iron glass plane, but perhapses not. My vote is starfire in the front, and regular glass on the side.

[melev]

I think until the original poster responds, we should hold off on any further guessing about what he original saw.