Clear Water

[johnnywortho]

now my rio 180 tank has always been cared for and looked after with regular 50% water changes every week and trying to keep healthy and as clean looking as i can. But i find that the water is never clean looking, there is always lots of little bits floating around in the tank just tint particles and tbh its doing my head in. I just want a tank with water that looks so to speak crystal clear. i recently purchased a eheim aquaball 2212 internal filter along with the standard juwel filter but this still hasn't solved the problem.

I currently have a sand based substrate and was wondering that is this slightly to blame for all the particles floating about in the tank. could this be the sand that is being kicked up by the fish?

anyway back to the point, now would an external filter solve the problem i have or wouldn't it make a difference to the water cleanliness. i was thinking of a removing both internal filters out and replacing them with a all singing all dancing eheim filter.

Also because i would be removing the juwel filter thus removing the heater that is within the filter case, do eheim produce some sort of filter that has a heater built within it. my tank is a rio180 which i believe is around the 46 gal marker. not bothered about the cost of the filter i would be willing to pay quite alot just to get my tank looking all that cleaner

thanks for your time john

 

[Mikaila31]

try putting a bunch of filter floss or micro filter pads in the filters. also try adjusting the flow and see if a higher or lower flow makes any difference.

 

[gaz gun man]

I have an external running on my main tank, my water has been the same as yours I tried adding a polishing pad but that made no difference so I suppose the only thing left to try is a small internal stuffed full with polishing pads.

btw my filter does 6x turnover and I have gravel substrate

 

[johnnywortho]

in your opinion what filter should i use for the filter floss, the standard juwel filter or the ehein aquaball. and where abouts would i put the floss? soory for all the questions im just abit new to this filter floss

 

[8inary]

i wouldnt go with an eheim, i am actually a pro fluval guy, more so the fx5, for the money, you cant get better! just read the reviews, they are the dogs do dars!

that said, there are still many other decent external filters that i would go with over eheim, ...i know it sounds like an eheim bash here, i just think however, that for the price, you can get just as good for a lot...lot less.

the fx5 is one i recommended to many friends, they have not been dissapointed, the fx5 keeps their tanks so clean and has made such a difference. but rather than just take my word for it, check out other externals first, you might save yourself a packet and still end up with a dcent filter