HagenKB

Water Clarity

I have had my 4 ft tank set up now for 2 months. My water is not clear. As the water comes out from the filter it seems to contain very small white particles which are then spread throughout the tank. In the lower basket I have pre-filter, middle basket I

I have had my 4 ft tank set up now for 2 months. My water is not clear. As the water comes out from the filter it seems to contain very small white particles which are then spread throughout the tank. In the lower basket I have pre-filter, middle basket I
To be honest, I am not sure what the white particle could be, in most cases when there is a cloud, it is bacterial in nature and looks like milk has been poured into the aquarium. When this occurs, it is normally a sign of overfeeding in the tank Excess dissolved organic materials allow heterotrophic bacteria to explode into a bacterial bloom that becomes so dense that the eye sees it as a milky cloud. The best cure for this is to stop feeding for three days to allow the bacterial bloom to use up the dissolved organics and then be forced to die off to the normal level where they cannot be seen as a cloud. An ongoing treatment with B-Clear - a bacterial team designed to reduce organic wastes and thus remove the original source may be indicated if the problem persists and is not particulate in nature.

In your case, however, it would seem that you are seeing distinct particles. Where they are coming from is not clear from your message. There is no reason to expect the particles are originating in the filter media, so there must be an external source, possibly a sand substrate or something that is disintegrating? If this is true, then it is possible that these particles, whatever the source, are too small to be trapped in the filter, although the use of polishing pads makes that quite unlikely. If this is the case, the use of a flocculent to clump these particles together so that they can be removed by the filter as a larger particle may be useful. The product P-Clear is such an item and does the job of clumping actual particles:

Whenever you use a product like this, it is suggested to use a different filter material to remove it, such as polywool since it is cheap, effective in removing the clumps and easily discarded after a short time. Otherwise the clumps tend to clog up more expensive filter materials. After the treatment, the old filter materials can be replaced.

Be sure to very carefully follow the dosage recommendations, P-Clear clumps electrostatically, attracting particles through electric charges. If too much is used, the effect is overcome, and the tank will actually become more cloudy. So follow the directions to the letter. In this case, more is definitely not better.

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