Particles in water.

[Sir Alex]

I have a bunch of little particles in my water and they've been there for quite a while. Over a month ago I completely drained the sump and removed this mud stuff that was in there. I didn't quite get all of it but at first it wasn't really a problem. Then for some reason my father decided that some stuff in the sump needed some "improvements". basically he completely stirred up the bit of mud on the bottom and completely clouded up the water (you couldn't even see out the other side). A little while before I removed the mud I did a water change and used some equipment that had been outside. I had a bunch of pollen floating around in my tank for like 2 weeks... That could be the problem but I doubt it is because I have a pretty thick mechanical filter (yes, I clean it often).

 

[little_fish]

Could be. A lot of have little particles in the water anyways, i just consider the filter feeder food and dont worry about it too much.

 

[fastrd400]

Was probably miracle mud in your sump, and dirt and pollen from your equipment. They are ultra fine particles and can stay suspended in the water column for a while, especially with the right amount of flow..

 

[AmberSunrise]

I never can seem to get all the particles out of my water either I have tried all kinds of sponges and filter socks etc.

 

[PRC]

sometimes what people think are "particles" are actually microbubbles of water, generally from return pumps or powerheads that are mixing with air somehow.

 

[AmberSunrise]

How does one stop a microbubble? I do get a lot of stupid bubbles from my filter waterfall but I cant turn it down any lower than it already is.

I really think mine is dust/detritus because it settles on all my sponges and plants and i have to shake it off every couple of days. Very ugly and annoying but I dont know what else to do.

 

[little_fish]

You usually have to locate the source. If its a powerhead - remove it; pump, turn it down, sump pump, fill it up. It can also be from microscopic leaks in your plumbing that air is being sucked through.

In your case, i wouldnt worry about the waterfall bubbles or the settling detritus

 

[Sir Alex]

It's still pretty bad. I turned off the return pump and the powerhead so the particles could settle. They're completely suspended. They're just floating there...:grumble:

 

[Sir Alex]

There still there...

The only way to stop them is to put a filter bag on the return thing, but that looks really ugly.

Ugh, what should I do?