An Aquarium "Side View" Question...

[Kurt_Nelson]

I think the best summary is something somebody earlier said... if it doesn't look as clear from the side as from the front, then it's not as clear as you think!

Clear - really really clear water - will look pretty much the same from front/back and from side/side. If it doesn't, then you don't have clear water!

 

[Osage_Winter]

OK...

 

[Mark Hewitt]

If the water is slightly cloudy, you'll notice it more from the sides than the front, obviously.

But think about those massive aquariums where you walk through underground tunnels etc, ridiculously bigger than our fish tanks, and yet you can usually see through them very clearly.

I'm not saying there's anything particularly wrong or dangerous going on with your tank if the visibility isn't perfect, the fish won't care after all. But neither should you dismiss it as being one of those things, as it *is* possible to have perfectly clear water from every angle.

 

[Floyd R Turbo]

Floss is just the white polyfiber pads that you see in any LFS. The poly pads will take out any fine particles.

Purigen is a manufactured resin about the size of fine sand. It works on a chemical level.

+1 on what Mark said

 

[six2sevenproductions]

If you stand in front of your tank, place your face near the bottom of your tank and look upwards into the water, you should see the same cloudiness as looking from the side.

 

[Osage_Winter]

If the water is slightly cloudy, you'll notice it more from the sides than the front, obviously.

But think about those massive aquariums where you walk through underground tunnels etc, ridiculously bigger than our fish tanks, and yet you can usually see through them very clearly.

I'm not saying there's anything particularly wrong or dangerous going on with your tank if the visibility isn't perfect, the fish won't care after all. But neither should you dismiss it as being one of those things, as it *is* possible to have perfectly clear water from every angle.

Thanks Mark; this probably sums it up best, as there is more than likely no "right" answer here...

Once again, I am having slightly cloudy water issues (from the front) and so I am back to square one -- I am not going to worry about side view clarity at the moment.