White stuff all over tank after adding sand.

[zKRYt]

Hi All,

Having a little bit of an issue with a white substance covering EVERYTHING in my tank after adding sand. Last night everything was really cloudy, which I expected, but this "silt" covering everything I did not. I don't know if this is just really fine sand that got shaved down from shipping or maybe from the little packets from arag-alive sand that is polluting the water. I'm hoping this is something that will settle with time as I just did a 100% water change yesterday after my rock cured to add the sand and start cycling.

I'm curious if any of you have experienced this and if so, did it resolve on it's own? Also concerned that this "stuff" may clog my pipes and pumps.

Appreciate the help!

Zach

 

[zKRYt]

whoa, ok I gotta figure out how to scale down those pictures lol.

 

[shadowmonster]

Precipitate.

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-07/rhf/index.php

 

[zKRYt]

sub-topic...how do you edit a post? :lmao:

 

[Sk8r]

A) precipitate can result from dosing calcium and alkalinity buffer within a few hours of each other. Allow 8 hours.
B) I think you can edit for 30 minutes. AFter that it takes a mod to step in and do it. I think we do see the problem.
c) many of us use Photobucket free account, which auto-resizes for the web

 

[zKRYt]

Precipitate.

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-07/rhf/index.php

Thanks for that article! My tank looks the most like precipitates from overdosing limewater, however I never added that. I'll have to see if that's included in those packets, as I added each one from each bag of sand (total of 4). If that is the case it looks like it will clear up in a couple days and there is no livestock to worry about a crash except my copepods.

 

[zKRYt]

A) precipitate can result from dosing calcium and alkalinity buffer within a few hours of each other. Allow 8 hours.
B) I think you can edit for 30 minutes. AFter that it takes a mod to step in and do it. I think we do see the problem.
c) many of us use Photobucket free account, which auto-resizes for the web

Thanks for that, I'll have to setup an account. As for dosing, I have no dosing setup at the moment - calcium and alkalinity are added via the red sea pro salt mix. Brand new (and first) saltwater tank so no livestock yet.

 

[zKRYt]

Oh, also, my skimmer goes nuts when I plug it in. Cup fills up in literally 2 minutes. Granted its small, but while curing it would take a few days.

 

[billdogg]

I'm going to guess that you didn't rinse the sand before you put it in. Now you know why new (dry) sand needs to be rinsed, then rinsed again and again and again.......

It will settle out over time (the next few days to a week or two) and then you can carefully siphon it out as you do water changes.

 

[mcgyvr]

totally normal IMO.. (with sand that isn't rinsed)..
If you purchased "live sand" from one of the companies the actually include a little packet that you add to the tank to help mitigate that.. a clotting chemical or something.. I forget..

I end up just taking a cup and sifting/skimming it (foam) out from the top of the water as best you can..
But its normal for what you did and can take days/weeks even to settle out properly..
If you run a mechanical filter it will do a good job at pulling it out too in a day or 2 or so.. (as will the skimmer).. and yes it can make the skimmer go a little nuts.. Thats fairly normal for a skimmer too when anything is added to the tank.. they can/do go crazy for a bit..

 

[zKRYt]

Thanks everyone for the responses. Glad this it is more of a temporary issue that will...eventually...resolve itself. The reason for not rinsing the sand was because it was live sand. I opted for dry rock so wanted the substrate to help seed the tank with less risk of nasty critters. looking forward to it clearing up! Love the look of the tank with sand finally being in it. It's like cutting a cube out of the ocean and putting it in a glass frame.

 

[mcgyvr]

Patience is virtue in the reefing world..
and
Nothing good happens fast here..

learn/go slow/enjoy..

 

[shadowmonster]

Thanks for that article! My tank looks the most like precipitates from overdosing limewater, however I never added that. I'll have to see if that's included in those packets, as I added each one from each bag of sand (total of 4). If that is the case it looks like it will clear up in a couple days and there is no livestock to worry about a crash except my copepods.

You don't necessarily have to be using limewater for precipitation to occur. Just as an example I've mixed up new saltwater numerous times and the powerhead I was using ended up covered in white dust. That link above explains why I believe.

 

[Sk8r]

Ah. SAND explains everything. It'll clear as soon as the dust gets a bacterial coating. Don't worry about it. It's going to settle but it may be a week or so.

 

[zKRYt]

Ah. SAND explains everything. It'll clear as soon as the dust gets a bacterial coating. Don't worry about it. It's going to settle but it may be a week or so.

glad its temporary! going to wait to ghost feed until it clears up. don't want to start the cycle only to realize I have to replace all the water and start over.

 

[JoeBatt]

Yup just the sand 'dust'

 

[alcimedes]

I would think a fine enough filter sock should pull the dust out relatively quickly, just keep it in the water column by cleaning your rock work with water periodically.

 

[zKRYt]

For the protein skimmer, should I just keep it on and let it overflow until it settles or keep it off until there is no sign of the particles? Thank you again for all your help!

 

[ssick92]

For the protein skimmer, should I just keep it on and let it overflow until it settles or keep it off until there is no sign of the particles? Thank you again for all your help!

Shouldn't really matter either way. I'd keep it running and just let the drain hose flow back into the water. It most likely will help break in the skimmer in these early stages.

 

[zKRYt]

Looks like even one day has made a big difference, but even moving the slightest thing creates a dust storm.



I'll leave the protein skimmer on for now and see if it makes a difference.