sand (how long to settle?) look at picture!! whats wrong?

[rinklskn]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8096844#post8096844 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by RichConley
Buy yourself a 2 bulb 54w T5 Tek fixture. Should cost you about $150. Make sure you get individual reflectors.

Throw the old lights right next to it. When you get a little more cash in the future, replace the freshwater lights with another 2 bulb tek retro.

and what coral can I keep with that? where can I buy that light for $150. what is the cheapest protien skimmer that will get the job done?

 

[HBtank]

You should always rinse your sand. You can do this and keep fines if you want, just let it settle down and then pour it out.

That scum at the top and the finest silt like particles are the result of not rinsing.

 

[Eashton123]

I just started putting water into my tank and mine is worse then the picture right now. Thanks for the info

PS I did rinse my sand really good but theres no avoiding it.

 

[leeweber85]

Run a poly filter or filter floss and it will take it out in 24hrs.

 

[navajo]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8096824#post8096824 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by RichConley
THats not really true, you CAN keep stuff with Normal output fluorescents, and plenty of stuff. Its just not as easy.


PCS are junk, and no one should be buying them anymore. Theyre more expensive than T5s, and they arent nearly as powerful.

As to the sand thing here...another reason why I dont like aragonite sand.


Do you have a skimmer you can throw on there? It'll help clear it up quicker. Filter floss also helps.

I guess I could have worded that a bit better, but what I meant is that 1 NO Fluor. light in a 72 gal isn't going to be enough to keep most corals healthy...

 

[pony_killer]

hey guys im still a newbie at this but when i started my 46 gallon, i purchased my live sand from the lfs. before i dumped it into the tank, i poured it all in a bucket and rinsed it REALLY well. so well that when i filled up the bucket with water, i could see the white sand at the bottom, and the bucket was not cloudy looking thereafter i poured the sand into my tank and after a few hours of settling, the water was crystal clear! so far ive had my tank since june of this year and the water hasn't been clearer. i have plenty of figi live rock, many soft corals, 10 fish, 6 snails, and about 4 hermits. ill take a few pics for your viewing pleasure.

 

[AZDesertRat]

If you are after a true fully functioning deep sand bed rinsing the sand is counterproductive. You are striving to get the silt and fines that are in the sand and by rinsing it out you are depriving the fauna of an important part of the whole sand bed system. Don't rinse it, tough it out for a few days or so and use newspaper or paper towels to soak the scum off the top if you don't have a surface skimmer or overflow box. Its worth the extra inconvience in the long run.

 

[skippy2]

I agree with not rinsing the sand first. It is definately counterproductive. By rinsing, you are losing what you paid for and want. This is a pic of my tank when I added 100lbs of non rinsed sand. It cleared up in 24 hrs. and was crystal clear in about another 5. All my corals and fish were fine through it all.

 

[AZDesertRat]

Here was mine in its first week

And the way it looks today 2 years and 9 months later