I just started setting up my 72 gallon bowfront tank the other day. The substrate I am using is bagged aragamite bought from a reputable dealer. Since I filled the tank with water on Saturday it has been cloudy ever since, and when I try to level out the substrate it kicks more sand up. Will this always be the case because I'm using sand or will it eventually pack down? Right now it's so bad that I can't see past 6 inches in the water and if it continues I won't ever be able to add fish. Please let me know what you think, thanks.
substrate and cloudiness
- Thread starter triggafish
- Start date
I don't think the cloudiness would prevent you from adding fish at all. Remember, many of the fish we get are SO COLORFUL because it helps them in murky water to draw attention to themselves for mating. And labyrinth fish and corydoas breath atmospheric air because they come from oxygen depleted waters. Cloudy murky water looks bad, but it's NOT harmful to the fish.
Oops, I overlooked that little VERY IMPORTANT point! Sorry. And God, this is the saltwater section. How did I wander in here again? Natural saltwater systems are crystal clear, not muddy and mirky. Just scratch everything I said in the previous post. You guys ought to have a different background color or something over here...
I've bought sand and arogonite(from carib-sea i believe) and on the bags it clearly says rinse throughly before use. Maybe just that brand???? dunno? I think its kinda like rinsing charcoal before use, you wanna get a the small particles and dust from shippping and movement out before you add it to the system
You should not rinse your sand. All those small particles become coated with the beneficial bacteria needed to activate your dsb and once they are the sand will settle on it's own. The bacteria will weigh it down and you won't have the dust storm. When I put the sand in my tank that already held water I opened the bag and immersed the bag under water and filled the bag with tank water and slowly (I mean slowly) slid the sand from the bag underwater. I had murky water for the first two weeks, I did the shrimp method and at two weeks I added my live rock. The water was still quite murky at that time. Within 24 hours of adding cured live rock at about 2 lbs/g the water was crystal clear. Go figure. I have also done this by adding sand directly from the bag into a dry aquarium. I then used a dinner plate to difuse the water as I added the water, it clouded up but not too bad, I added my rock and fish back into the tank and within a couple of hours it was clear as ever. So........don't rinse the sand, you are washing good particulate down the drain......be content to know that this takes time to set up properly.......don't add any fish until your tank is completely cycled......