Rinsing aragonite

[eugenesa]

I just got 15 lbs of CaribSea Seaflor substrate at my local LSF. I was told to rinse it well before use...

Well, I keep rinsing it for the last couple hours (and getting quite tired at it), but the water is still looking milky-durty... And it does not seem to be getting any better. When I first fill the rubermaid with fresh tap water, it looks almost clear, but when then I mix the subtrate with my hand, the water gets muddy. I suspect it is not dust or mud present in the subtrate, it is the fact that I am mixing it which produces the mud? Like something gets dissolved or, may be, the particles rub each other and produce dust?

How long does it usually take to rinse aragonite?

Any advise will be much appreciated.

Thanks,
Eugene

 

[drummereef]

Some don't rinse their substrate at all. I don't. You'll be safe to add it to the tank. You'll probably cloud the tank up some, but not to worry. It will clear in a day or 2.

 

[AZDesertRat]

I never rinse my sand if I am going for a deep sand bed. You want the finer materials for best bacteria colonization.

 

[Medaka]

I think it says to rinse it just to clear out some potential debris that isn't sand.

I don't think it means to rinse it until the water gets clear and stops being milky (if it ever does)

btw, you can avoid a sandstorm just by putting the sand in first, and then covering it with some plastic bags and then putting some bowls/plates on top to hold the bags down so they don't float away.

Then Pour the water on the plates/bowls and after it's full remove everything and enjoy having clear water instead of a milkshake for days.

 

[capncapo]

Are you rinseing it in tap water? Not a good idea because tap water will retain lots of phosphates that don't need to be and should not be retained. If you're going to rinse it, rinse it in RO water and nothing else.

If you're planning on using a DSB then don't rinse it at all.