how can i keep my water "polished"

[Sigrid]

...how about sending a picture of the tank so we can if it is really as bad as you fear...

 

[prober]

Just doing regular water changes should lessen the color and in a couple months the leeching should slow down to the point that it is unnoticeable. There are pieces that will leech for nearly a year or longer but most slow down much sooner.

I soak mine for a couple weeks and that gets rid of most of it.

 

[jasonG75]

how do i deliberately make the water murky? in other words, if its gona not be crystal clear, its better for it to take on the look of deliberately looking like a peat bog.

If I am not mistaken you can buy some PEAT from petco/petsmart (blackwater solution) and I think you add it to your filtration. Someone correct me if I am wrg.

 

[Lightning Bug]

ill check next time im at petco.

 

[dbosman]

plecos dont eat the wood they enjoy the tannins from the wood.

Actually many species of plecos grind the wood, and eat it, when scouring it for micro organisms. And, there are wood eating species of plecos. It is a much more diverse family of fish than one might imagine from the few species to hit most fish shops.

Here is a link to some of the more common varieties.
http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/catfish/pleco.php

 

[huffmagx]

To get a good clean "polished" water you need water changes to remove some of the tannins and good filtration. My water will look sparkly with the use of a Magnum 350 this filter comes with a micron polishing tube and a cylinder for carbon. The micron polishing unit will clog after a bit then you can change to the carbon cylinder while you clean the micron filter.

Diatom filters also give the polished look like the Vortex XL or you can look un using diatom powder with the Magnum 350.

I have also had good success using the Fluval 405 as it has lots of surface area and good flow...either way water changes and filtration is the key. An under filtered tank will often look dirty or even foamy at the waters surface to me.