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Old 31-03-2003, 07:20 AM
Richard
 
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Default plants, tannins, and charcoal (oh my!)


"HDH" wrote in message...
Hi All,
This pic of my moderately planted 55
(http://www.straightlinetech.com/tank30-mar-03.jpg) shows fairly well the
problem I'm having with cloudy water. Quick-specs:

My Aquarium Experience: 6 months
55 gallon, established 3 months, fishless-cycled
Ammonia, Nitrites, Nitrates: all zero
Ph: 7.6
Temp: 77
Water changes: 25% every two weeks.
Filtrations: Emperor 400

Lighting: twin-tube flourescent (80w) 12 hrs/day

Am I right that the cloudiness is likely from the driftwood tannins? I
really like these two pieces of wood and want to leave them in. I find

that
using charcoal (comes in the standard Emperor filters) helps a little with
the cloudiness, but I also recall that charcoal removes certain trace
elements that the plants need.

So I'm not sure what to do - continue using charcoal?, not?, something

else
entirely? Is there crystal-clear water in my future?

Any input much appreciated.
Thanks,
Howard


Hi Howard,

Very nice looking tank. As this is not a strong area of mine, all i can do
is make some suggestions if it where my tank.

From my POV, it looks more like a slight bit of algae. If this is what it
is, the charcoal may help but is not a cure. I would discontinue the
charcoal myself. Have you noticed any green buildup on the charcoal?

First, try increasing your water changes a little to perhaps weekly at 20%,
and as you did not mention CO2, cut back on the light to perhaps 8 hours a
day for a while. As long as you have driftwood, you can have clear,
although slightly tinted water from what little i know on that subject. My
daughters tank while clear ran a hint of yellow-brown that did not detract
from the beauty of her tank. Our own driftwood provides a nice tea color as
well. Water changes can help keep this reduced.

There are many others here far more experienced with planted tanks than i,
perhaps they can better shed some light for you.