dust particles

[sheltie]

My tank with IOS. There are many fine dust particles flying around in the tank.I have tried adjusting the skimmer, aslo tried putting filter wool to trap the dust but still cannot. Pls advise me on out to get rid of the dust. Many thanks and Happy CNY

[Tanzy]

Those 'dust' are detritus or air bubbles?

[sheltie]

Definately not bubbles. thanks

[hammer99]

I too have this peoblem, they would stick to the wall eventually.

Any advice what are thoses particles

[Virus]

Dust? look carefully maybe it's copepodes? or maybe PH too strong stir up the sandbed...

Last time my water is "dusty" is due to these 2 thing.

[hazkha]

i also have that problem.what is copepodes?

[Achilles Tang]

Copepods do not swim freely in the water column. They are mostly benthic.

If the floating dust bothers you so much... you can try Seachem Clarity.

[purplefin]

I had the same problem. I tried to get those fine micron filters to remove them but it still came back. In the end, I bought a feather and somehow I think it eats up feeds on these particles. The particles are now much lesser.

[blacknails]

Yeah if it really is dust, you can use some chemicals sold in LFS that will clear up the water like Seachem Clarity which AT suggested..

For my case if my tank becomes really 'blur' after a water change or something, I'd just run a mechanical filter and wait a few days.. usually it will become pretty clear in 2 to 3 days..

You could try activated carbon too.. Maybe it ain't excatly particles.. could be chemical reasons causing the blur water..

Or check your flow rate..

Hope I helped..

[patrick123]

Dear All,

I'm having the same problem. As advised by the senior reefers here, after removing all my coral chips in my sump (which my sump is now completely empty), I find that my Nitrate is now undetectable.

However, I also find that my main tank is very dusty when the MH light is on. I do not have any cottom wool or any mech filter to trap the dust.

Is there something that I do wrong here? My sump is now almost completely empty without anything (other than some carbon). I'm thinking of putting back some of the coral chip to trap the dust and dirt. Is this a good idea?

Also, I would like to know how the reefers here trap the dusty particle in the water if the sump does not have any coral chip or wool.

Please advise.

Best Regards,

Patrick

[shoelevy]

is ionic imbalance a possible cause for this dusty water effect?

[patrick123]

It is possible, but how to tell? I only use CR with ARM and Grotech Mg which has equal amount of Kh and Cal and 1/10 of Mg.

Are you saying that most of the reefers here have empty sump that doesn't use anything to trap the particles, and the tank is crystal clear?

[ah_d3x]

there is no way to remove the dust particles... if i'm not wrong ur tank doesn't have lots of live rock right?

because the current hit almost every corner... and tat makes stuffs like fish shit and those decompose items hard to settle down... tats y..

mine tank also like tat... no choice..

[patrick123]

Is this true? You mean even if I put in coral chip or cotton wool in the sump will not be able to get rid of this?

[ah_d3x]

nope.. will help abit but will not totally help.. well one way is to... off all ur power head make sure no current in the tank and wait for all the dirt to settle then u start ###### them away.

[decentkid]

one good and effective way is to use ozone..

ozone will react with the " dust particles " and allow them to bound together to be removed by skimmer or filtered away more easily

just my 2 cents

[williammuk]

Are you saying that most of the reefers here have empty sump that doesn't use anything to trap the particles, and the tank is crystal clear?

I don't use any mechanical filter. Just let the particles/detritus settle in the sump and siphon out during water change. If I look very closely, I can still see tiny particles floating in the water column. But I would not say that the water is blurry.

Is yours blurry (eg. milky) or is your water clear but that there are particles in it?

[patrick123]

The water is not milky. It is clear but with a lot of particles floating in the water column.

[AlfaRomeo]

I used to have this problem in the initial stage of my tank and managed to overcome it by using a canister filter which sucks water directly from one end of main tank and returns the filter water at the other end. Canister was full of filter floss. Took me about 1 week to totally eradicate the floating stuff.

[weishun]

I heard from a friend that this "dust" particles are actually dead algaes and detritus. I used to have this problems before. What i do is that i add more liverocks, as this particles will float around the tank and get caught in the liverocks. So what i do is that whenever i do water changes, i use my siphon pipe as a vacuum cleaner and vacuum my liverocks to clear all the "dust" particles. Have been working fine for me. Water now crystal clear. Just my 2cents. May give it a try.

[patrick123]

I used to have this problem in the initial stage of my tank and managed to overcome it by using a canister filter which sucks water directly from one end of main tank and returns the filter water at the other end. Canister was full of filter floss. Took me about 1 week to totally eradicate the floating stuff.

Alfa,

Does this mean that after the 1 week, you don't have to use the canister filter anymore and the problem will not come back again?

So it means that I do not need to put in additional coral chips into the sump right? Now my sump is practically empty as I have removed all the coral chips 6 months ago.

Thanks,

Patrick

[butteye]

Hi Patrick,

Do you have a refuge? mine do and I notice that my particles comes from the refuge...

[AlfaRomeo]

Alfa,

Does this mean that after the 1 week, you don't have to use the canister filter anymore and the problem will not come back again?

So it means that I do not need to put in additional coral chips into the sump right? Now my sump is practically empty as I have removed all the coral chips 6 months ago.

Thanks,

Patrick

For me, i left the canister running for 1 month to polish the water, after the 1 month.. no more floating stuff liao

[patrick123]

Alfa,

Thanks, so looks like I need to start looking for a canister filter now. Anyone have second hand want to sell? Prefer eheim type.

BTW, do you think it will be equally effective if the canister filter draw water from the sump and return water into the sump instead of doing it directly in the tank, which means I have to put the canister on the top of the hook.

Thanks,

Patrick

[AlfaRomeo]

If it circulates in the sump , than those particles stuck in the main tank will not be filtered rite?