how to properly put sand in a tank

[vicnair]

I recently got a 10 gal and i wanted to put sand on the bottom. well, i put the sand in then filled up the tank as slo was possible, but it still made the water really sandy. i put a filter in but nothing happened for two days, it was still sandy. how do i put sand in without it causing it to float and murk up the water??? THANKS!

 

[KcMopar]

Its best to wash/rinse the sand in a large bucket first to get most of the cloudy stuff out of it. In the past I have put a plate over the sand and used a large cup to put the water in until it got about half way then I filled from the bucket slowly letting it run though my hand first to break up the water stream. The cloudiness will go away but it takes a while.

 

[OrangeCones]

I've always used an airline tube to syphon the water into a sand-filled tank very slowly (after washing as KcMopar suggests). This is a very slow process, but worth the extra effort.

 

[keishakay]

i find it much easier to wash the sand (as suggested) and then take a small strainer or your fish net will work, and work it though the net/strainer as slowly as possible. i have a huge fish net so its not hard but very time consuming.

 

[Andrew Castagna]

You dont!!!!! Every time I add sand I just dump it in and wait for it to settle. Also, putting the sand in after the water works better.