New tank setup added sand and got cloudy water.

Q

quik z06

Guest
Hi all, Im new to the forum and am in the process of setting up my 110 gal. I purchased a 30 gal tank to use as a quarantine tank later but for now its to help get my 110 started. I have live rock cycling and live sand (NOT CC). When I added the sand yesterday, it looked like a sand storm in my tank. I figured after about 12 hrs, it shouldve settled down, but its going on over 24 hrs now. Is there anything I can do to help it settle? AFTER I added this sand I found a few tips to prevent this from happening when I do my 110 gal tank. So I guess this tank is my trial/error tank lol.
Any advice on how to settle the tank? TIA
 
geoj

geoj

Active Member
If there has been no improvement in the last 24 then you will need to change the flow in some way.
 
Q

quik z06

Guest
I repositioned the powerhead and checked the filter, its fine. I noticed the powerhead had a lot of sediment on it. It has started to clear up some but still not quite enough to see the middle of the tank. I might do a slight water change tomorrow if it doesn't clear up some more.
 
Q

quik z06

Guest
http://www.naturesocean.com/test/live-sand.html
I used the aragonite live sand. Tank is clearing up more and I can almost see the back frame. Still very murky though.
 
jerth6932

jerth6932

Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Quik Z06 http:///forum/thread/386007/new-tank-setup-added-sand-and-got-cloudy-water#post_3388032
http://www.naturesocean.com/test/live-sand.html
I used the aragonite live sand. Tank is clearing up more and I can almost see the back frame. Still very murky though.
Welcome to the site

Not to be a skeptic, but please don't follow its INSTANT CYCLING mumbo jumbo. Test the tank over a couple of weeks and make sure. Please don't just add fish like it says.......
Make sure that your power heads aren't kicking up any new sand/debris to keep it going. Probably by the time you read this in the morning if it has not been kicking up new then it will be clear. Sounds fun to be setting it up, good luck and we love pix!
 
Q

quik z06

Guest
Oh I know about the cycling and all, I only really bought the live sand to help cycle the dead rock that I had. Im trying to get abut 125 lbs ready to go so by the time my 110 is set up and going the rock is set to put in without the amonia/nitrate/nitrite boom. I did put the powerhead facing upwards so its not kicking up debris. The tank has also cleared up a lot, can almost see the back of it now lol. Hopefully by tomorrow it will be clearer and I will prob need to get a CC for all the algae booming in my tank. Pix will come as soon as its presentable lol.
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Hi, and welcome to the site.
Turn off the power heads until the sand settles. If there is nothing in the 110g there is no reason to do things in the 30g first. Remember to put your rocks first and then the sand around them. You can't build on sand because it shifts.
The tank must cycle the "bloom" is important and you want it to happen. Adding live sand will help it go a little quicker and it's the best thing to use. Did you read the 101 tips on starting up? It is found at the top of the New Hobbyist section. Algae is also a natural thing (not nuisance algae) and your CUC will take care of things if you get enough to handle the job. Use RO (reverse osmoses) water to prevent the ugly nuisance algae that results from tap water.
 
Q

quik z06

Guest
Actually I havent read the tips yet here. Ive done about 100 hours of reading prior to getting this tank about salt tank care but the problem with that is getting a lot of conflicting info from multiple sources. Going to be good reading it all from 1 place. Some of it is actually coming back to me slowly. Benefits of working in a LFS for a few years back when Dinosaurs roamed the earth (j/k). How some technology has changed.
 
Q

quik z06

Guest
Well, tank has settled enough to see whats inside. I put a few more rocks inside to build up. Here's what it looks like (the glass is starting to get some algae growth on it already so dont mind that mess :) ) now that its settled, I can get some cleaning done inside and finally set up the tank lol.
 
1guydude

1guydude

Well-Known Member
I think the OP is planning on getting a lot more LR specially if its a 110!!! The pic isnt the whole tank correct lol...
 
travelerjp98

travelerjp98

Active Member
i would hope that quik ZO6 plans to get more lr.
quick Z06, you can add 3lbs of live rock to 10lbs of base rock, because the br will eventually become "live"
 
Q

quik z06

Guest
Yeah I still have about 100 lbs sitting in the 55 gal drum. I didnt want to just dump it all and overload the tank. BTW, thats the 30 gal tank not my 110. I may add a few more pieces today of rock. All the rock is buried under the coral pieces in the drum so I didnt crush the coral when I was curing them so I gotta dig for them.
 
1guydude

1guydude

Well-Known Member
o well in that case, u really didnt need sand or that much rock in a qt tank....could have used some PVC like elbows and couple straight ones. I dont have a qt but it would have been easier to take care of and clean!
 
gemmy

gemmy

Active Member
I'm a little confused at the method here (I need a little more insight). Are you "prepping" the sand and rock in 30 gallon tank to prepare it for the 110?
 
Q

quik z06

Guest
Sand is staying in the 30 gal. Im prepping the live rock for the 110. Doing a few pieces as to not overload the tank atm and meanwhile the rest is still being circulated in an enclosed drum with a powerhead on them. I was told that in this process the smell would be horrid so thats why the majority is outside, yet I have had it going for 2 weeks and still have 0 smell to it. I actually had some growth to it that looked like mildew/mold you would find on soup left for a month lol. Sorry best I could describe it. I did remove it from the rock though.
 
gemmy

gemmy

Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Quik Z06 http:///forum/thread/386007/new-tank-setup-added-sand-and-got-cloudy-water#post_3388611
Sand is staying in the 30 gal. Im prepping the live rock for the 110. Doing a few pieces as to not overload the tank atm and meanwhile the rest is still being circulated in an enclosed drum with a powerhead on them. I was told that in this process the smell would be horrid so thats why the majority is outside, yet I have had it going for 2 weeks and still have 0 smell to it. I actually had some growth to it that looked like mildew/mold you would find on soup left for a month lol. Sorry best I could describe it. I did remove it from the rock though.
Thanks! That makes sense. I just started by putting everything in my DT and cycling it in there. It was just easier for me and I never did have the horrid rotten egg smell that rock with a lot off die off smells like.
 
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