Added sand after water, I'm an idiot

[splix]

yup. Thought it was the right thing to do, to add the sand after the water. Not quite sure what I was thinking there. Now it's just cloudy.

I've got the heaters and power heads going. My water level isnt high enough to go over my overflow until tomorrow, so it's not going through any sock filters yet. It's been a long 5 days filling this tank up with RO/DI water (155 gal).

Am I right in leaving the power heads on? Tomorrow I'll have enough water made to run through the sump, which should help.

 

[Sk8r]

Lol---it'll be fine. You won't be able to see a thing for days, but as the bacterial 'skin' forms on the sand grains they will sink to the bottom and the water will become clear.

 

[geekengineer]

Could you use that p-clear water clarifier stuff? if you want I don't know if it works ok for saltwater but that might speed the process as long as the additive doesn't cause issues etc.

 

[Kingsixx]

The one thing I'm learning from reading the wealth of information that is Reef Central, is that this hobby is a patient man's game. Don't rush things, let it run its course and it should clear up in no time.

 

[PfenWendt]

If you realllllly wanted to clear it up, i did the same thing but mine was with a tank move, so i had buckets of LR and coral that needed to go back into the tank asap. I used this stuff made by Kent called 'pro clear' Water was pretty clear within 12 hours.

 

[shifty51008]

I cant see how that pro clear stuff would work on sand dust. If you want you can run filter socks or a filter pad, that will catch all the dust but as said in time it will all settle once the bacteria starts to grab hold

 

[gone fishin]

It will eventually settle down. If you have a sump a filter sock will help but keep an eye out and change as needed.

 

[splix]

Yeah I'm just mad at myself for the noob mistake haha. 9 hours laters, I can hardly start to see the bottom of my live rock through the front of the glass. Oh well....haha.

I'm in no rush. Lights will be here monday, tank will have nothing to do but cycle until then.

 

[jgraz]

I did this in my first tank. A 44g pentagon. Filled with fresh saltwater then realized I forgot to put the sand in. I then proceeded to pour sand straight from the bag unwashed. 60lbs of sugar sized grains. By the next morning the water was crystal clear with only a HOB filter running.

 

[toothybugs]

In the grand scheme of reefing, that is hardly a mistake. A casual, passing annoyance at best and a one-time deal in setting your tank up

 

[splix]

Here's the kicker. It got so cloudy I couldnt tell where my live rock was so I stopped after 2 bags. I have another bad I need to do, so it's going to happen again haha. Then I need to get the sand off the top of my rock.
I was pouring straight from the bag also since it's "live sand" and was advised not to wash it or anything.

I've looked at the bottle method, I'll give that a try.

 

[Sk8r]

Turkey baster will blow off the rock, and forget any sculpting of the sand: fish take care of that. My sandbed is constantly acquiring hollows and hills, thanks to a pair of gobies.

Don't add clarifiers or such, really. Your tank chemistry will take care of it like it never happened.

 

[splix]

it got around 75% clear late afternoon, until i decided to wipe the sand off the LR.
It's not that bad, it's clearing fairly quickly. I was just worried about these people talking about it taking weeks.
I'll probably add the rest of the sand and try to clear the rest of the rocks tomorrow when it clears up enough.

 

[anthonys51]

your not mixing the saltwater in the tank are you. your mixing in a separate bucket

 

[JammyBirch]

It's not a mistake at all. Sounds like you filled with RODI so you likely killed the bacteria in the sand but it will come back too.

It's possible to add sand to a tank without clouding the water, use a 2l bottle. Put the sand in the bottle, submerge the bottle spout down and let the sand flow out close to the surface. It washes the sand for you.

Pretty sweet, check it out on YouTube.

 

[stingeragent]

You can also pour the sand in via a funnel and pvc pipe. Either way it will clear.

 

[leemosh]

I've done that before, too. It's no big deal. After it clears, it will pretty much stay clear.

Good luck with your new tank!

 

[BillNye]

You can also pour the sand in via a funnel and pvc pipe. Either way it will clear.

+1 This is what I do. Works great, no clouds. I've found that turning off all pumps and powerheads lets the sand settle faster.

 

[alexXx]

that's pretty funny but lesson learned you should have fun with the fine powder all over everything.

 

[smoothie7]

I wouldn't worry about it. No need to rush it anyways. It should clear up in a few days anyways