Water not clear - even after water change

[Peter@JAX]

Hey guys,
I need some advice on an issue that I have.
My tank has been setup for almost 1 year now, I do water changes every 28-30 days. I recently got new 250w MH 10k's and mounted them in a new canopy and also an additional 30lbs of LR. The problem that I am having is that there is now suspended particles in my water column.

I did my monthly 30g water change a few days ago and it still looks the same. All water quality test are right where they should be (had them doubled checked by LFS). I have tried the Coralife marine clarifier and it does not seem to have too much affect.

I dose with C-Balance every other day, and use RO/DI treated with SeaChem Prime when doing my water changes. My sumps filter pads have been changed out (every month) and I have cleaned my sump and skimmer (super skimmer 220).

Any suggestions….
Pete

[geekdafied]

Its the lights. They are causing you see things you never saw before. All of the DOM particles etc floating through your system. Its how you get the "shimmer" effect. If the water was absolutley crystal clear, you wouldnt get the shimmer effect because there would be nothing for the light to pass through. If you shine a light through RO/DI water, you dont get the "shimmer" effect because the water is crystal clear.

[Peter@JAX]

Could the lights be causing a bloom of something?

[the_h2o_guru]

Here in Fort Pierce, Florida the Smithsonian Institute has a large reef tank in the front hall. That tank is just full of floating sediments. I asked the director about this and he told me it was for a more realistic representation of real reef conditions.
The directors name is Bill Hoffman and he is a very knowledgeable reefer . The set up there is very impressive they use algae filters, have sumps above the tanks up stairs in the attic. These sumps are lit during the night and have very active wave makers in each sump. The excessive wave activity and the night lighting prevent lots of typical reef problems.
If you ever get the chance to visit Florida near Fort Pierce you should stop in at Harbor Branch and the Smithsonian .
It will be well worth your time, Maybe we should set up short trips for people.

The H2O Guru

[geekdafied]

It could very well be causing a bloom. Im basically cycling one of my tanks again and when the lights come on in the morning, the water is crystal clear, by late afternoon, it has a tinge to it, more then like a bacterial bloom(according to coral_reefer) and then the next day when the lights come back on, water is clear again and so repeats the bloom.

[coral reefer]

Originally Posted by geekdafied

Its the lights. They are causing you see things you never saw before. All of the DOM particles etc floating through your system. Its how you get the "shimmer" effect. If the water was absolutley crystal clear, you wouldnt get the shimmer effect because there would be nothing for the light to pass through. If you shine a light through RO/DI water, you dont get the "shimmer" effect because the water is crystal clear.

I think I know what geekdafied is trying to say. However, the shimmer effect resulting from the halide lighting is not due to DOM suspended in the pelagic area of our tanks. The shimmer is caused by the angle by which the light from the sun or our artificial lights refracts or becomes absorbed by the water movement on top of our tank. A good example of this is a diamond and the way it sparkles as the light hits it from different angles!
The shimmering lines are a result of very short and quick lighting intensity fluxuations that pierce the water like a magnifying glass. Variables such as turbidity, DOM and the like will alter and inhibit this light by refracting it of the suspended material and back up to the outside of the tank. This reduces the PAR that is available for our corals...That is the only thing that this turbidity and excess DOM does as far as lighting is concerned...it doesn't have any effect on the shimmering effect of light on the water IMO!

[Peter@JAX]

So.... Can any thing be done??

Pete