Particles in the water

[merman]

Have had my planted tank set up for 10 months now, everything is going swimmingly (pardon the pun) except that I have a lot of suspened matter in the water. I have installed a UV unit which has worked reasonably well, but I still have a lot of material suspended, what can I do? I have no real mechanical filtration a part from a sponge betweem the drip tray and my bio balls.

[Ben]

Hi Merman,
This might start up some controversy but purchase a small bottle of Geo liquid add it to your tank as per instructions on the bottle.
Within 24 hours the suspended particles will be on the tank floor, and then siphon the debris.

Doing this once every now and then will keep your water crystal clear., but it will not be necessary to do every water change, maybe every 2 weeks will be fine.

Cheers,
Ben

[merman]

I use Geo Liquid anyway, and yes I do like it, but I still find a lot of particles in the water. Maybe I need to Siphon more?

[Merrilyn]

"I have no real mechanical filtration a part from a sponge betweem the drip tray and my bio balls."


I think that is your problem right there. There are a few things you can do to improve the filtration.

First of all, add a big sponge to your filter intake pipe, so that the water is first drawn thru the sponge, before it goes into your sump.

Next, a few layers of filter floss over the top of your sponge in the sump will help to capture any fine particles that may have escaped the intake sponge.

Then, add an airstone to your tank to increase the water circulation. The more the water circulates, the better the chance of debris being picked up by the filter.

Hope that helps.

[endless]

I have the same problem as well but in my case the particles are so small that they simply pass through my filter. I dont think there is anything wrong with my filter ( i have 4 types: trickle, cannister, undergravel and internal). With all filters going i will be doing about 3000 - 4000l/h. My tank is about 400 litres. Someone suggested that when i fill my storage drums that i let the water run for a minute or so to get rid of the particles in the pipes. i'm going to give this a go when i do my next water change and let u guys if there is any improvement

[jim from sydney]

Have had my planted tank set up for 10 months now, everything is going swimmingly (pardon the pun) except that I have a lot of suspened matter in the water. I have installed a UV unit which has worked reasonably well, but I still have a lot of material suspended, what can I do? I have no real mechanical filtration a part from a sponge betweem the drip tray and my bio balls.

what food do you give the fish?????Jim