ARG! Stupid sand...

[Leopardess]

Okay, I went out and purchased a new fifty gallon tank today to start a saltwater tank....I was reading through some posts and seemed to find the general consensus that good quality play sand would be okay as a base. Well, I came home and have spent the past hour or so trying to rinse about two and a half gallons of sand in an attempt to get the water to run clear, but this is just not happening! Will it be okay if I get it mostly clear and leave the rest to settling and the filters or is there something that I am missing??? Thanks in advance

 

[exodon]

what kind of filter are you running?

 

[dgodwin]

If you are planning a deep sea bed (DSB) for your filtration, you do not want to rinse the sand. The smaller particles, the ones you are rinsing out, are the most beneficial. The smaller particles have more surface area for the bacteria to form on. I used southdown play sand. I didn't rinse it off at all. Just dumped it in the tank, filled with water, added salt, heater, and powerheads. If I were to do it again, I would probably mix the salt before adding it to the tank. Everything else was fine. For cycling, I used 1 piece of live rock and a previously frozen cocktail shrimp. The tank was cloudy for about a week, but has been fine since.