"yellow" water

[reef dude]

Everytime i look at my 90 gallon reef from the side, the water column tends to have this yellowish tint to it. But every time i look at it from the front, it seems crystal clear. Should it look clear from both views??
I do have 2 175w 5,500 k and they are just about 12 months old, is that a possible reason???? This is quite frustrating

 

[cboyfan2020]

i would say that is definately the reason. You need to replace your bulbs and when you do get the 10k's. Not the 5500 or 6700k. Also some vho actinics would probably help.

 

[foulbrew]

The water column can build up impurities which tend to make the water look yellowish the long way through the tank. I actually regularly check for this and if detected run some carbon for a few days...
...I suppose it could be the lighting, and changing your bulbs regularly (on an alternating schedule) is a good idea. However, the advice from cboy on the kelvin lacks a foundation.

 

[cboyfan2020]

Originally posted by foulbrew
However, the advice from cboy on the kelvin lacks a foundation.
I guess I am the only one who thinks bulbs should be replaced reguraly and that the lower kelvin bulbs give off a yellowish tint

 

[bang guy]

Take a white piece of paper and tape it to the far end of your tank. Then run carbon for 6 hours and look again. Remove the carbon once you see the desired results.

 

[foulbrew]

No. you're not the only one that thinks that. But you are the only one who would recommend a lighting scheme based solely on color and a suspicion that it might be the light. Changing your lighting (including the bulb type) can have an effect on a lot of stuff in a reef tank and should not be done as lightly as you seem to indicate.

 

[cboyfan2020]

tell me what would cause a yellowish tint then. Not trying to be rude, I just want to know.

 

[bonermeister]

I feel it could be a combination of things in your tank. Your lighting first and foremost is probably the cause, but does not have to be. The first thing that came to my mind before you mentioned your lighting system was possibly your macroalgae went sexual on you (if you have a refugium with macro that is). Another possibility is impurities in your water. I would check the last two first before making any major adjustments to your lighting. Hope this helps and good luck!

 

[cboyfan2020]

would heavy metals in water supply cause a yellow tint?

 

[bonermeister]

Originally posted by cboyfan2020
would heavy metals in water supply cause a yellow tint?
If he had enough heavy metals in his tank to cause discoloration, I highly doubt anything in it would have been living before the discoloration took place.
When I said impurities I was leaning towards broking down organic compounds not adequately being removed by the protein skimmer.

 

[salty jeff]

Are you running a protein skimmer? I had the same problem until I picked one up for my tank. It took care of the problem.

 

[justinx]

My water column never looked yellow while it was in the tank because it is a rather short tank, but when i noticed it was when I did water changes. The water removed always was a dingy color, a big difference from the fresh saltwater. This was when I was doing water changes on a monthly basis. After changing my routince and changing water ona a wekkly, basis, the problem has stopped and I can no longer tell the difference between that old and the new water. Try increasing your water change frequency to more often and smaller amounts. that And as already mentioned, try running some carbon. I am pretty bad about this, but when i remeber to, I run some carbon in my skimmer for 48 hours. I should do this monthly, but I usually forget. HTH

 

[coralcollector]

old water turns yellow do a water change and watch it go away real simple here.