Cloudiness from sand??

[Mark Henry]

Happy Holidays everyone,

I finally had time to get my65g setup and running this week. I
stabilized my temp at 78f and salinity at 30ppt before adding 40# of
washed aragonite and 40# of livesand last night.

I added the aragonite using a small 1g bucket and slowly added it to the
bottom. The sand was added by sinking the individual 20# bags to the
bottom of the aquarium, cutting them open, and slowly scooping out the
sand.

Well, I figured that no matter how hard I tried I would kick up some
serious fine matter into the water column, and was I right! So, I left
the sump system running overnight hoping that it would be clear this
morning. Well, here it is this afternoon (a full 20 hours after I added
everything) and I'm still looking at light tan water.

My sunp has a prefilter in the overflow, standard floss style filter
media in the sump and a post-filter before the return pump. I've changed
out all three filters (which were all packed with very fine sediment)
this morning.

So, do I need more patience (which I think Wal-Mart has on sale this
week) or better filter material? I'm used to freshwater tanks needing
3-6hrs to settle back out after deep cleaning the bed material, but this
seems a little excessive.

tia,

mark h

[George]

"Mark Henry" > wrote in message
.. .
> Happy Holidays everyone,
>
> I finally had time to get my65g setup and running this week. I stabilized
> my temp at 78f and salinity at 30ppt before adding 40# of washed
> aragonite and 40# of livesand last night.
>
> I added the aragonite using a small 1g bucket and slowly added it to the
> bottom. The sand was added by sinking the individual 20# bags to the
> bottom of the aquarium, cutting them open, and slowly scooping out the
> sand.
>
> Well, I figured that no matter how hard I tried I would kick up some
> serious fine matter into the water column, and was I right! So, I left
> the sump system running overnight hoping that it would be clear this
> morning. Well, here it is this afternoon (a full 20 hours after I added
> everything) and I'm still looking at light tan water.
>
> My sunp has a prefilter in the overflow, standard floss style filter
> media in the sump and a post-filter before the return pump. I've changed
> out all three filters (which were all packed with very fine sediment)
> this morning.
>
> So, do I need more patience (which I think Wal-Mart has on sale this
> week) or better filter material? I'm used to freshwater tanks needing
> 3-6hrs to settle back out after deep cleaning the bed material, but this
> seems a little excessive.
>
> tia,
>
> mark h

Next time, I would try rinsing the aragonite sand with distilled water
before using it. It will clear up, eventually.

GEorge

[sdsdev]

"George" > wrote in message
news:XgZqf.650491$_o.569671@attbi_s71...
>
> "Mark Henry" > wrote in message
> .. .
>> Happy Holidays everyone,
>>
>> I finally had time to get my65g setup and running this week. I stabilized
>> my temp at 78f and salinity at 30ppt before adding 40# of washed
>> aragonite and 40# of livesand last night.
>>
>> I added the aragonite using a small 1g bucket and slowly added it to the
>> bottom. The sand was added by sinking the individual 20# bags to the
>> bottom of the aquarium, cutting them open, and slowly scooping out the
>> sand.
>>
>> Well, I figured that no matter how hard I tried I would kick up some
>> serious fine matter into the water column, and was I right! So, I left
>> the sump system running overnight hoping that it would be clear this
>> morning. Well, here it is this afternoon (a full 20 hours after I added
>> everything) and I'm still looking at light tan water.
>>
>> My sunp has a prefilter in the overflow, standard floss style filter
>> media in the sump and a post-filter before the return pump. I've changed
>> out all three filters (which were all packed with very fine sediment)
>> this morning.
>>
>> So, do I need more patience (which I think Wal-Mart has on sale this
>> week) or better filter material? I'm used to freshwater tanks needing
>> 3-6hrs to settle back out after deep cleaning the bed material, but this
>> seems a little excessive.
>>
>> tia,
>>
>> mark h
>
> Next time, I would try rinsing the aragonite sand with distilled water
> before using it. It will clear up, eventually.
>
> GEorge
It will clear eventually so just be patient. I set up a tank with
"Southdown" sand and live sand and it took 2 days to clear up. I really
doubted my decision to use the sand at that time. For the first few weeks
with live rock in the sand would get moved slightly and kick some up again.
Once the bacteria gets started in the sand it will help bind these small
particles down in the future.

[Wayne Sallee]

Yep.

And a fine calcium sand is the best way to go, even it if
does cloud up easy at first.

Wayne Sallee
Wayne's Pets



sdsdev wrote on 12/23/2005 4:11 PM:
> "George" > wrote in message
> news:XgZqf.650491$_o.569671@attbi_s71...
>
>>"Mark Henry" > wrote in message
.. .
>>
>>>Happy Holidays everyone,
>>>
>>>I finally had time to get my65g setup and running this week. I stabilized
>>>my temp at 78f and salinity at 30ppt before adding 40# of washed
>>>aragonite and 40# of livesand last night.
>>>
>>>I added the aragonite using a small 1g bucket and slowly added it to the
>>>bottom. The sand was added by sinking the individual 20# bags to the
>>>bottom of the aquarium, cutting them open, and slowly scooping out the
>>>sand.
>>>
>>>Well, I figured that no matter how hard I tried I would kick up some
>>>serious fine matter into the water column, and was I right! So, I left
>>>the sump system running overnight hoping that it would be clear this
>>>morning. Well, here it is this afternoon (a full 20 hours after I added
>>>everything) and I'm still looking at light tan water.
>>>
>>>My sunp has a prefilter in the overflow, standard floss style filter
>>>media in the sump and a post-filter before the return pump. I've changed
>>>out all three filters (which were all packed with very fine sediment)
>>>this morning.
>>>
>>>So, do I need more patience (which I think Wal-Mart has on sale this
>>>week) or better filter material? I'm used to freshwater tanks needing
>>>3-6hrs to settle back out after deep cleaning the bed material, but this
>>>seems a little excessive.
>>>
>>>tia,
>>>
>>>mark h
>>
>>Next time, I would try rinsing the aragonite sand with distilled water
>>before using it. It will clear up, eventually.
>>
>>GEorge
>
> It will clear eventually so just be patient. I set up a tank with
> "Southdown" sand and live sand and it took 2 days to clear up. I really
> doubted my decision to use the sand at that time. For the first few weeks
> with live rock in the sand would get moved slightly and kick some up again.
> Once the bacteria gets started in the sand it will help bind these small
> particles down in the future.
>
>

[Pat]

Would you please explain to me exactly how you managed to get free time
THIS week? Just curious. You are my idol ;)

Mark Henry wrote:
> Happy Holidays everyone,
>
> I finally had time to get my65g setup and running this week.

[Mark Henry]

George wrote:
>
> Next time, I would try rinsing the aragonite sand with distilled water
> before using it. It will clear up, eventually.
>

I rinsed/washed the aragonite with prepared (reef crystal) seawater by
adding about 20# into a five gallon bucket then pouring on the seawater
until the bucket overflowed. After agitating the aragonite by hand I
poured off the bulk of the remaining water (and floaties) before adding
the rest to the tank.

thanks,

mark h

[Mark Henry]

Pat wrote:

> Would you please explain to me exactly how you managed to get free time
> THIS week? Just curious. You are my idol ;)
>

lol...

Not so much "free time" as it was "sleep time"...

;-)

mark h

[George]

"Mark Henry" > wrote in message
...
> George wrote:
>>
>> Next time, I would try rinsing the aragonite sand with distilled water
>> before using it. It will clear up, eventually.
>>
>
> I rinsed/washed the aragonite with prepared (reef crystal) seawater by
> adding about 20# into a five gallon bucket then pouring on the seawater
> until the bucket overflowed. After agitating the aragonite by hand I
> poured off the bulk of the remaining water (and floaties) before adding
> the rest to the tank.
>
> thanks,
>
> mark h

That's about all you can do, except wait for it to clear.

George

[Wayne Sallee]

The best way to do it, is to take the sand outside and
pour it into a 5 gallon bucket, and stir it up with the
hose, while filling the bucket with water, then stop and
let the sand settel, and pour off the cloudy water, and
then repeat several times until the water is reletively
clear. Then put the sand in your tank, and take the bags
that the sand came in, and slice them open, and lay them
on the sand, then place a heavy bowl on top, and pour the
salt water into the bowl that way it spills over from the
bowl onto the plastick, and you will have less cloudy
water. If you are adding any live sand, then place that
sand on top of the washed sand. Don't wash the live sand.
To prevent residual clorine in the washed sand, you can
add some declorinator to the bucket on the last rinse
cycle :-)

Wayne Sallee
Wayne's Pets



George wrote on 12/24/2005 4:07 AM:
> "Mark Henry" > wrote in message
> ...
>
>>George wrote:
>>
>>>Next time, I would try rinsing the aragonite sand with distilled water
>>>before using it. It will clear up, eventually.
>>>
>>
>>I rinsed/washed the aragonite with prepared (reef crystal) seawater by
>>adding about 20# into a five gallon bucket then pouring on the seawater
>>until the bucket overflowed. After agitating the aragonite by hand I
>>poured off the bulk of the remaining water (and floaties) before adding
>>the rest to the tank.
>>
>>thanks,
>>
>>mark h
>
>
> That's about all you can do, except wait for it to clear.
>
> George
>
>

[Mark Henry]

Ah... patience was all I needed (that and a couple filter changes) and
I've got a clear tank. Next step, live rock.

mark h