Water clarity and filtering

Question
Hi Chris,
I wanted to know if it is safe to add a water clarifing agent to my 38 gallon frshwater tank.  I only have fancy guppys and artificial plants.  Also, if I use a Brite water filter, do I still need to add a water conditioner to the water when I make my weekly water changes?  Thanking you in advance...Bruce

Answer
Hi Bruce;

It's always best to use a water conditioner because it does other things besides chlorine/chloramine removal. A good one also adds stress relief and binds harmful dissolved metals.

Clarifying agents are safe to use, but the big question that's even more important is; Why is the water cloudy? If it's a new tank it is pretty normal for the water get cloudy for awhile. It can take 8 weeks or more for it to clear up and water clarifyers often don't help much. If the tank has been set up for more than three months and is cloudy, there could be some overfeeding and/or overcrowding going on in there. Let me know if you need help figuring it out. The most effective clarifying products (also called flocculents) are brown or reddish brown in color. It makes the tank look pretty awful for a couple of hours but they work better than the ones that are clear or whitish liquid. Here is a good article about cloudy water to help you pin down the cause;

http://freshaquarium.about.com/cs/waterconditions/a/cloudywater.htm

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins