How to Keep my tank water Clear???!

[kernyboy]

Hey Guys,
I have a 55 gallon reef tank. I'm running sumpless and have just a CPR Hang on Back Refugium with Skimmer. My water is pretty good. Water params are spot on, but After visiting Unique Aquaria, my girlfriend and I came to the conclusion that maybe our water isn't as crystal clear as we thought lol.

We have these little specks floating about. Sometimes its microbubbles, other times its just tank dander (dertrius msp) Any thoughts or solutions?

 

[bill120mph]

do you have any charcoal running? it helps clear things up, how is your water surface? do you have ripples for air exchange?

 

[Kevin McG]

Filter bags on the return do wonders, just be sure to change them often.

 

[wish]

I use a sock/filter and charcoal

 

[afboundguy]

I have a 55 gallon with a bak pak skimmer as well. Have you tried the bubble trap? I used that and it helped out a lot. Here's a link to what I'm talking about http://www.cpraquatic.com/products/bakpakaccessories.html It's the "NTB" on the link.

Also the "BPBT" are some baffles that are supposed to stick right in the left side of the bak pak to help with microbubbles but I don't know how that works. Def give the bubble trap a try though, helped me out a ton...

 

[Rick C]

You could run some carbon or add a HOB fuge.

 

[Ray]

I would say to add a hang on filter with one of those floss/carbon bags to help take anything out of the water and get rid of any color you might have in your water, you can run it for a few days to a week so it doesnt get much build up and become a nitrate factory. You can then keep the filter running with nothing in it for added circulation

 

[stingythingy45]

You could run some carbon or add a HOB fuge.

This is what I did when I had a 55 gallon with a CPR Bak Pak skimmer.It really help to polish up the water of all the debris floating around.

 

[RonD2008]

I think that he already has a HOB Fuge with his CPR bak pak skimmer.

I myself have also wondered about adding a HOB fuge and removing my Emperor 400 biowheel filter to go along with my HOB Aqua C remora skimmer.

 

[jojo1n2]

chem pure carbon, you would just have to find a way to get your return water from your bak pak flowing through it

 

[theone]

In my experience with HOB Skimmers if you don't have a bio-load for the skimmer to skim then the micro bubbles will go into your tank. In my 50 with only 4 fish, minimal inverts, and soft corals, if I see that my skimmer is throwing bubbles back into my tank, that coincides with it not producing skimmate, so I shut it off.

I always turn it on during water changes since I stir up everything before draining the the tank. I produces a lot skimmate for a day or two but after that its off.

 

[kernyboy]

I have a CPR Fuge with built in Skimmer, I just need a way to clean of debris from the water.

Do you guys recommend just keeping a standard hang on back filter on my tank?