How to have crystal clear water?

[eduguy]

What can you do to make this? I know there is carbon but what else?

 

[George9]

What can you do to make this? I know there is carbon but what else?

Weekly water changes and poly fill (100% polyester pillow stuffing) will do the trick

There's also seachem purigen

 

[blert]

Don't over stock. Don't over feed. Maintain a weekly PWC and maintenance schedule. Have adequate filtration. Not much to it.

Poly-fill works good as a water polisher.

 

[Bent Needle]

Weekly water changes and poly fill (100% polyester pillow stuffing) will do the trick

There's also seachem purigen

What is the poly fill for? And how would you use it?

 

[jcolon]

What is the poly fill for? And how would you use it?

It does the same role as sponges or foam, but It does wonders for trapping small solids in water that can give water a clouded look. You can get it at an Arts Craft, Walmart, Kmart etc ... I use Fairfield Brand 100% Polyfill. Stuff it in your filter and after the first week of use you'll be surprised at how much stuff it'll trap. The one in my AC-70 traps so much gunk that I have to change it every two weeks ... no worries a typical 20oz bag will last you months ... if not a whole year.

BTW some LFS's sell the same thing as filter floss for more $$$ than the same stuff at the stores I mentioned.

 

[Bent Needle]

Huh...I have a hang-on-back filter, would it work just stuffed in the area between the filter box and the filter cartridge? My tank is new and is still clear, but I want to keep it that way.

 

[jcolon]

Huh...I have a hang-on-back filter, would it work just stuffed in the area between the filter box and the filter cartridge? My tank is new and is still clear, but I want to keep it that way.

Yep ... that'll work just fine. In addition, if your cartridge has carbon embedded, you can remove it and stuff the Poly-fill inside the cartridge. That's what I did with my RCS tank ... Polyfill stuffed in the cartridge AND in the space you mentioned. Literally every free space is stuffed with Poly-fill and the water still flows fine.

 

[eduguy]

Is the "pillow stuffing" pretty much cotton? In my tank I have a marina s15 with as much bio media as i can fit. Will i be able to remove the carbon from the cartridges to put in this polyester?

 

[Wroberson]

I'm surprised my water is as clear as it is considering the pads in my filters are 2-3 months old.

Anyway,
These guys know a bit more about the topic than I do, but here's my input.

They make a water polisher filter pad that removes tiny particles from the water.

You could also use a very fine silk screen fabric. It comes in micron sizes. The higher the number or mesh, the the smaller the particle it will trap. It's rather thin material. Mesh 420 would be 420 mesh per square inch.

 

[emerald76]

Is the "pillow stuffing" pretty much cotton? In my tank I have a marina s15 with as much bio media as i can fit. Will i be able to remove the carbon from the cartridges to put in this polyester?

Cotton biodegrades- polyester polyfill is synthetic

 

[jcolon]

Is the "pillow stuffing" pretty much cotton? In my tank I have a marina s15 with as much bio media as i can fit. Will i be able to remove the carbon from the cartridges to put in this polyester?

It's Polyester fill, not cotton. With most HOB filter cartridges you can cut a slit, remove the carbon and stuff the polyfill. You can buy similar products like water polishing pads etc .., but they can add up $$$$$$$. Polyfill runs $5 a 20oz bag that'll last you months.

 

[eduguy]

It's Polyester fill, not cotton. With most HOB filter cartridges you can cut a slit, remove the carbon and stuff the polyfill. You can buy similar products like water polishing pads etc .., but they can add up $$$$$$$. Polyfill runs $5 a 20oz bag that'll last you months.

There is a plastic frame around my filter cartridge. Will it still work? Also, if i stuff the cartridge my filter might overflow because it is already stuffed with as much bio media as it can fit.

 

[jcolon]

Yep .. In looking at pics of your filter cartridges, it looks like it's got a plastic housing on one side and the other is filter padding? If so that's where you'd make a slit and empty out the contents and replace with poly-fill. BUT I read it's got ceramic media embedded in the cartridge correct? In those cases I'd say forget it and just stuff the polyfill in the filter housing. There should be more than enough room for some wad of ply-fill. Certainly It's worth a try and the Water will still flow without over spilling.

 

[eduguy]

Ok thanks