charcoal

[Gulp]

To keep the water clear and smell out...sure. If you don't take care of your tank very well.

I have never needed charcoal in my filters to keep the water clear or to keep them from smelling.

A lot of people use it as a crutch to try and hide poor maintenance. Others use it because they have heard or read that it helps. But test not using it for yourself for a few months. Then, if the water starts looking bad or smelling, try and find out exactly why that is happening. And figure out if charcoal is simply masking something that you are doing wrong.

Ditto. I do not use charcoal in my 110 gallon and it's so clean I'd drink it. :soda: The water no noticeable smell and is crystal clear 99.99999% of the time. You just have to keep up with regular maintenance and you shouldn't need the expensive coal.

 

[AquaDummy]

The water no noticeable smell and is crystal clear 99.99999% of the time.

Please tell me your secret. I've been struggling with cloudy water (white). My tank has been cycled, the reading are always at zero for ammonia and nitrites. I do regular water changes of 50%, twice a week. I have an AC500 and AC300. I have 2 sponges in each + I have floss in the 300 (not enough room in the 500). I've tried a biological cleaner called 'Clear' - recommended by the LFS guy.

I just can't get rid of the cloudiness no matter what I do....

 

[Gulp]

Please tell me your secret. I've been struggling with cloudy water (white). My tank has been cycled, the reading are always at zero for ammonia and nitrites. I do regular water changes of 50%, twice a week. I have an AC500 and AC300. I have 2 sponges in each + I have floss in the 300 (not enough room in the 500). I've tried a biological cleaner called 'Clear' - recommended by the LFS guy.

I just can't get rid of the cloudiness no matter what I do....

I'll tell you what I have and what I do, but I really don't know why my tank stays so clear and yours is cloudy.

I have (2) Magnum 350 Canister filters and (1) Emperor 400 power filter. I always keep a micron filter in one of the magnums, and I keep the other magnum full of crushed coral and a just use regular pre-filter sleeve (the coral is to raise my PH a bit). The micron filter is a great water polisher that removes microscopic particles. I have to swap micron filters each week, or every other week if I get lazy as they clog up pretty fast (at least that shows they are working ). The micron filters are cleanable and reusable so I just rotate them.

My tank isn't in direct sunlight, and I don't leave my lights on all the time. My tank has also been up and running for about 2 years now. I only do a 20% water change each week (was doing more when I was trying to cure my Oscar of Hole in the Head).

This is a short video I took a few nights ago of the aquarium playing around with a new digital camera I bought. The clarity of the water is what it looks like all the time: http://www.roadrashed.com/Aquarium pics/New arrangement/MVI_0153.AVI

How long has your aquarium been up and running? If you are dealing with the white cloudiness.......you are probably going through a bacteria bloom:

White Cloudy Water:
White cloudiness is usually the result of a bacteria bloom. Keep a careful check on ammonia levels, if the bacteria is a result on bacteria die off, you may experience increased ammonia levels and your tank maybe recycling. Bacteria also consume oxygen, so just as with an algae bloom, you want to increase circulation while treating the tank.

Causes:
Medical treatment of your aquarium that has destroyed the bacteria colonies. (Not all medicines will destroy the bacteria but some will).
As in algae, high nutrient levels can also trigger a bacteria bloom (In this case, they are feeding on the excess nutrients)
Sometimes the cleaning of all filters at once, or the changing of the gravel can trigger a bacteria bloom, due to the removal of bacterial colonies that had settled on the filter media or substrate.
Solutions
As with algae, you need to control the nutrient level of the tank. Once you control this, the bacteria bloom will usually go away on it's own.
If your tank is recycling and filled with expensive fish, you may want to consider the use of zeolites to absorb the ammonia while your tank finishes the cycle. This will extend the time that the tank needs to complete the cycle though.

Bacterial bloom
This appears as a greyish haze in the water. It is due to the explosive growth of bacteria, usually in a newly setup tank. It occurs because the bacterial population of the tank is not in balance with the level of waste nutrients. This will usually sort itself out as the tank matures - it should disappear more quickly if partial water changes (say 20%) are performed. Also, avoid overfeeding (very important in a new tank), to help reduce the waste levels. Remove any uneaten food, decaying plant matter, etc. Note that the bacterial bloom will not cause any harm to the fish.

http://www.totallyfish.com/tips/cloudywater.html

I just grabbed a few comments about the subject, but if you just do a search on bacteria blooms you will find all kinds of info. As strange as it sounds, you might be cleaning your tank too much. If you are doing something that keeps killing the "good" bacteria, it's just going to bloom and grow back. As mentioned, it also might be a sign of overfeeding. I don't want to hijack the thread more than I already have so I'll stop rambling.......but hopefully this helps a bit in the long run.