Foggy Water ....

[nycwaters]

I DID A WATER CHANGE ABOUT 50 GALLONS BUT THE WATER IS NOT CRYSTAL CLEAR
ANYTHING I CAN BUY OR DO TO MAKE THE WATER CLEAR
I HEARD PEOPLE TALK ABOUT CARBON AND DIATOMS
THANKS FOR YOUR HELP

 

[shadow678]

Why did you do that large of a water change? Was there something wrong in your tank, such as ammonia spike or nitrate buildup? In a 180 gallon tank, regular water changes should be approximately 36 gallons. Freshly mixed salt water will be cloudy for a while, especially in large quantities. Your filtration should take care of it.

 

[nycwaters]

NO I DON'T HAVE A SKIMMER YOU THINKS THAT COULD BE THE PROBLEM AND IF IT IS HOW MUCH DOES A SKIMMER CLEAR THE WATER ...DRASTICALLY OR JUST A LITTLE?

 

[splash1914]

IMO, you should always have carbon in your tank... I keep about a 1/2 gallon bag in mine and it is always crystal clear. With that many fish a skimmer is a must.......

 

[wamp]

A skimmer will not clear the water. Could be cloudy from the salt mix, or, from stiring sand when adding the water.
P.S. Get a skimmer... A big one... With that many fish in the tank and aggresive at that, your playing with matches not having one.
A skimmer removes disolved organics, proteins, crap... Without one, they build up inside the tank and are only removed via water changes. Unless you want to do weekly changes, adding a skimmer will help remove these thus, decreasing a chance for them to buid up.
A skimmer can also help reduce nitrates by limiting their food supply.

 

[jester]

My Seaclone (ok go ahead and chuckle), help make my water crystle clear. without it, I get a slight hayz. It's only a 40, but still. There are water polishers out there too. 1 micron filters that you can attach to a power head in your tank. Not the best idea, but it works.

 

[waterboy_007]

putting carbon in your tank might clear it up. The BIG problem with that is that it will take the calcium and other chemicals out of the water. i definetely recomend a protein skimmer. i'd get a euroreef if you can. they are pricey, but worth it. it will take out all the bad stuff a regular filter cant, therefore reducing your nitrates by half. I protein skimmer should be used for all salt set ups.