Very upset.. Help!

[Killerz6]

So I finally got my salt and some rock to start my tank. Filled it up with salt and it mixed together pretty good. I had a bag of live sand lying around and my cat picked a hole on it so I had to use it. My tank looks like someone took a bag of flour and dumped it into it. I'm at the point where I'm just ready to give up. It's ugly and nasty looking and it has not changed in 24 hours. And no I'm not doing water changes cause tht would be a waste of the money I just spent.

 

[Killerz6]

And may I remind you this is only from one bag of sand in the fuge. Never mind if I filled the whole tank with sand. If it's gonna be like this everytime a fish fin hits the surface of sand then I'm not doing sand.

 

[Fishmommy]

mine took a week to clear. be patient.

 

[Killerz6]

It just really looks horrible and that's only from one bag.

 

[Killerz6]

I have filter socks on the intake and it is collecting the small particles

 

[ecfort57]

Give it time. Nothing in tank are your power heads on

 

[Killerz6]

Nothing in tank. Uv sterilizer return pump and two power heads running

 

[SGT_York]

fine particulates in the sand, wash the remaining bags out a few dozen times with fresh water before adding more sand. Best to do one bag at a time. Getting some fine mesh filter socks will significantly reduce your wait time.

 

[dkeller_nc]

This is perfectly normal. The small particles will aggregate and/or be removed by particulate filtration over a day or two.

By the way, it looks like you actually have filter socks on the output into your tank, not the intake to the sump. Folks typically run filter socks on the tank's overflow pipe into the sump; they're a lot more effective that way, since there's little chance of a flow by-pass.

 

[mkoop]

Hang in there, don't get discouraged! This is normal and one of the first big hills you will hit throughout the process. Patience is key my friend.

Rinse the remaining sand before adding it, it will still cloud further, but after a few days it will settle and filter out.

 

[Killerz6]

Dkeller_nc you live in North Carolina? That's where I am located and do you think it would make a difference if j put it on the drain?

 

[Calappidae]

My one tank took 3 weeks to clear up.. washing the sand just ruins the good living stuff in it. Patience is key in this hobby.

 

[Pigpen17]

My one tank took 3 weeks to clear up.. washing the sand just ruins the good living stuff in it. Patience is key in this hobby.

Amen. Yeah, I added 60lbs of live sand. It took about a week to clear up. Now my tank is so crystal clear it dosen't even look like there's water in it.

 

[StaySalty]

That actually looks way clearer than mine when I added sand. Mine was so cloudly that it looked like I had a tank full of coffee with cream. I couldn't even see the back of my corner tank and it took like a week to clear up. This was like 2 years ago. Everything is fine now.

 

[ThisGuy12]

Combination of heat, water movement, and the filter sock on the line TO the sump (not return to the tank) should clear that up in no time.

Let it sit. Some sands take longer to settle. It will settle on its own don't worry keep your head up and don't get discouraged. My 28gallon bowfront took 24 hours to clear up. It will take a lot longer for your big tank to do so

 

[dkeller_nc]

Dkeller_nc you live in North Carolina? That's where I am located and do you think it would make a difference if j put it on the drain?

Yep - my profile does say this (on the left under my user name). Putting the sock on the drain will work better than trying to put it on the pressurized return to the display tank.

By the way, you don't have to wait for your tank to clear to put in your live/dry rock. A light dusting of the particulate material will settle on the rock, but that won't hurt anything.

 

[Sk8r]

Bacteria and sand dust. It'll settle after a week or so and become clear again. Don't run UV during cycling.

Sand particles eventually acquire a bacterial coating that helps them settle and stick together.

Go ahead and add all sand and rock, once your salinity is ok.

 

[MarlinDreams]

As all above have said, give it time. It is perfectly normal. Imagine having to put 200# of it in a tank! I was a little apprehensive at first as well, but it all worked out.

 

[clownfish06]

So if you were going to add a bag of dry sand would you rinse it til water runs clear or just dump it in the tank? Would you be removing anything helpful by rinsing and would you rinse with regular tap water (chlorine) or RO run off water? I am talking about new tank with nothing in it and needing to add sand, live rock and then the water.

 

[clownfish06]

Nice looking set up btw Killerz.