5 Tips to Get the "DUST" Out of Your Aquarium Water [from Food to Filtration Set-up and Much More!]

[@dennisruedel]

Ben, you totally nailed it.. there is still a lot to learn, but I have seen your tanks, and they really look like the fish are floating in air without a spec of dust floating around. Thanks very much for sharing 👍

[@BenOchart]

Thank you Denny!

[@b1scu1t69]

Your definitely Wright,For me its mainly the turn over and adequate filtration for the volume of your tank. Never had any issues with my tanks clarity. Love your content like always from the UK 🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧

[@cichlid_kings]

Hit the nail on the head for sure. Every topic is very important. Only thing I would add is , if you do have some dust in the water colum and the tank & fish are healthy , don't sweat it. And have patience addressing it , sometimes in this hobby you have alot of trial & error , like Ben said to find what works for you and your tank 😎

[@MiguelJimenez-by9fh]

Very good information Thanks

[@eues803]

Hello Ben, Always following your channel, as always passing us good information, always good to see the good tips that you pass us, until brief!!!

[@PaulBowen3]

Another tip I use for cleaning particles out of water is a powered surface skimmer that I made on my freshwater display tank. I took a fluval U2 filter, removed top, removed all media containers, sealed up side intakes using plastic and aquarium sealant. Cut top using a drill so it is like an overflow. Fill filter with fine sponge etc. It's cheap and amazingly effective and removing "Dust" and easy to maintain. Also you can add/ remove any chemical media, far easier than if you had any in your canister filter. Recently also converted a U3 filter for same job. Give it a go you won't be disappointed with results 😎👍

[@dennispeleg7843]

Also don't forget, cleaning inside the hoses if you have a canister filters. Alot of build up especially with the fluval ribbed hoses.

[@brianp6180]

Pinky floss works great for polishing but I don’t like it in canister filters. It clogs to fast. So I use a corse, medium, then fine sponge instead of the pinky. I do use it in my HOB filters since it’s so easy to get to. You can clean and reuse it several times. Good advice as always Ben!

[@svrwthr]

Color of light will help lol. New to this and I finally have a cycled tank. I thought a Fluval 107 (145GPH) would be perfect for my 20g T, with a spray bar. I started with a SunSun that only had 107GPH. Substrate, well I first started with a 10g and used the colored sand and I felt the 10g was going to be too small so I switched to a 20g so I had to add another 10lbs of sand, then added some larger stones, live plants, and a chunk of spiderwood (boiled and sat in water for a few days) . Well I didn't wash the second 10lbs of sand. Particulate nightmares since. The spray bar just scoops every particulate up and swishes it around the tank. With the pump off for 10 minutes now, the water is crystal clear. I will probably do a small 1" tube light vacuum after this comment. But here is where I get back to light. If you look at Ben's tank above, you will see it is using RGB and mostly on the blue side. I am in no way saying his tank will have particulates if he ran white light, he is running a sump and huge canister so I doubt there is any. I am just saying in mine, if I run RGB and blue, I do not see the particulates. When I boost into the white light for added light for the plants, I see particulates. So if you don't want to see the particulates, as long as they are not harmful particulates, run your lights in RGB and/or blue light. Doesn't solve the issue of the particulates, but if you want ecstatically pleasing viewing, don't run white light ;D

[@Pay2winps]

Ben that was the very best and most detailed video easy to understand and learn from this I have just ordered a wave maker today and some better quality filter media thank you so much for a dedicated video on this really enjoyed learning and watching thank you so much

[@BenOchart]

Thank you Curtis 😀👍🏻

[@migueleespinosa2632]

I believe you always need a dedicated polishing filter separate from you main filtration. Make it as easy as possible. In my 120g, Mine is a Fluval 407. Very easy canister to maintenance. I have swisstropicial sponge filter on the intake and fine filter sponges in the first stage of its set up. The rest of the filter has Sera Siporax mini in every tray. Works great. I don't touch my fx6s for 6+ months at a time.

[@brianhahn3296]

Another great vid Ben, looking forward to the stream from the Shack, I think James is going to push for Africans in the 300 lol Thank you for your help and time

[@chrisg.9892]

Good video Ben !!

[@markbaumgardt2868]

Very informative video Ben can't wait for Saturday at the Cichlid Shack will you be showing us the fish

[@BenOchart]

I hope to. I’ll be limited to my live stream area but will have footage of walking around that I can play during the stream

[@AndrewJones-el7rs]

Excellent video Ben thanks

[@HalfManHalfCichlid]

Great summary for overall good tank hygiene

[@divin777]

This video came when in the same day at cam from holidays to a 15 gallons tank filled with brown stuff, and plants too. The canister filter stopped pumping water..

[@tabarakaquatics8067]

As part of your canister maintenance sometimes you have to clean the motor/propeller, and tubing for residual particles.

[@BenOchart]

True😀👍🏻

[@jaybasil3694]

Just got to solving my cloudy water problem. Takes looks great fishes are healthy plants are growing except all the “dust” I can see in the light rays.

[@markfranklin8831]

👍 great video

[@mitchelward4988]

Hi Ben, I found relocating/ adjusting live plants in the tank to be a nightmare with leaf, but mainly fine particles of root coming away from the plant. I’m up grading to a 125g tank so I am aiming to only use plastic plants. Hope this helps Curtis ?

[@scottwoodward123]

New to your channel and this is a very informative video. I am going through the same at present so it was very useful

[@BenOchart]

Thank you Scott

[@rikscichlidaddiction25]

I seem to have that issue as well. I clean mine weekly. I have fluval FX4 and two HOB 75 and struggle to get clear water. Looks clean but not super clear

[@turtleanton6539]

Yes😊

[@ecastro9301]

I have a 125 African cichlid tank Fx6 course medium pads packed with media, fx4 the same , another fx4 course, medium, fine some media bags 100ml purigen 100ml carbon scaled out .my water is nice clear crisp and no foul odors

[@BenOchart]

Do you recharge your Purigen? How long do you use the carbon?

[@ecastro9301]

@@BenOchart I change out both like every 3 months I haven't tried doing the recharge not really comfortable using the bleach "

[@elementsoflife000]

Do you personally think ph raising substrates are necessary for keeping african cichlids? If ph is not raised woul the fish be affected?

[@TJ-ht3jb]

I have had many African Cichlids over the years . I have Burundi and Blue Zaire Frontosa currently. Substrates such as crushed corral and aragonite help maintain a higher pH and definitely help breeding and health of African Cichlids.

[@BenOchart]

What TJ said and the minerals help neutralize nitrates, stabilize pH and provide mineral nutrition to the fish. Some fish keepers put some crushed coral in all their tanks for the stability and minerals.

[@trentinw]

thanks Ben for the help! Always learning from you! Great video and thanks again!!😊

[@bigbearddahuzi1036]

@@BenOchart I use crushed coral as my biological media in my sump. There is plenty of surface material for the bacteria and it keeps my water well buffered

[@patrickwilliams711]

Pj aqua maintenance I wonder have you ever mentioned, people who want to have aquarium with easy maintenance, because may to old to carry any fx filter or any heavy canister filter. . Enjoy an aquarium at any age ..

[@BenOchart]

I’m getting there 😉😀👍🏻

[@toniabrewer-jordan124]

I am a newcomer to LIVE aquarium. at set up I added sand and substrate then water and filter. But my water is super dusty. i can not see through it. What did I do wrong? the plants and snail will arrive a a couple of days and this set up is terrible. PLEASE>>>PLEASE help

[@joewinburn2043]

What type of timer do you use for your wave maker ? I need one

[@BenOchart]

A simple rotating dial plug in timer. They’re like $6 for 2 at Walmart or on line

[@korrinawayne]

how do i get rid of white powder stuff from api

[@BenOchart]

Not sure what you’re referring to but you can catch whatever fine particles are floating around by adding some crib batting floss or Seachem Purigen to your filter.

[@COOPERSCICHILDS]

Awesome

[@jasminekaif8546]

are these white particles harmful to my fish?? as my fish are always fine and happy, should I worry about their health? also white particles can be seen when I switch on the light otherwise one can't notice it at all

[@BenOchart]

Shouldn’t be harmful.

[@jasminekaif8546]

@@BenOchart thank u sir

[@AnselmCarasco]

Clean your filter the media is clogged with debris and cannot absorb the debri coming in and it gets back into the aquarium. Wash your sponges and filter media in non chlorine water to save the beneficial bacteria to avoid bacteria bloom.

[@wabajack8250]

I don’t think that’s dust it’s probably uneaten food I had something like that when I first got into the hobby

[@TheHukomsinQueensland]

I also have them and is way worst

[@mikemichaels6753]

Trust me on this…. Get the best carbon… it will make your water look invisible. That’s all it takes!