sand/rock/filter steps ??
- Thread starter psusocr1
- Start date
psusocr1
Active Member
wow, thanks for the pic.,,, that makes me feel soooo much better..mine looks just like that except my sand is a different color..after it clears up im going to add the salt ( i didnt want to do it before incase i wanted to completely change the water out and fill it with new water.
Thanks again
Thanks again
mikeyjer
Active Member
Originally Posted by psusocr1
did you run any powerheads while this happened?? and also when it clears should you stir it up again? or let it go? how do you know when its all done clouding? or will theres always be clouding if the sand gets disturbed??
You don't run powerheads or anything during this process, you want the sand to settle down. Once everything settles, that's when you run a filter with carbon and the powerheads. Do another water change if necessary. If the sand gets disturbed down the road with everything in it, it will become cloudy again, best not to disturb the sandbed if you don't need to. That's why you get the basic part done at the beginning so you don't have to move around the sand bed later down the road, so if you want to add live rocks, best to add them after the water clears up. Put base rocks against the bottom glass, you have to move the sandbed around to do so and yes it will stir stuffs up again, but not to worry. After all the base rocks are in, place your live rocks on top of the base rocks. Forgot to mentioned, keep your powerheads and filter systems off during this process cause you'll blow things everywhere and make sure you take out enough water so you won't overflow when you add rocks. Then after your done, turn your filter system and powerheads back on and let it run, it should clear up again faster this time around, it would take about less then a day to clear up, it took mine about 6 hours, but mine's only a 55. Then you just watch your parameters afterwards. :happyfish
did you run any powerheads while this happened?? and also when it clears should you stir it up again? or let it go? how do you know when its all done clouding? or will theres always be clouding if the sand gets disturbed??
You don't run powerheads or anything during this process, you want the sand to settle down. Once everything settles, that's when you run a filter with carbon and the powerheads. Do another water change if necessary. If the sand gets disturbed down the road with everything in it, it will become cloudy again, best not to disturb the sandbed if you don't need to. That's why you get the basic part done at the beginning so you don't have to move around the sand bed later down the road, so if you want to add live rocks, best to add them after the water clears up. Put base rocks against the bottom glass, you have to move the sandbed around to do so and yes it will stir stuffs up again, but not to worry. After all the base rocks are in, place your live rocks on top of the base rocks. Forgot to mentioned, keep your powerheads and filter systems off during this process cause you'll blow things everywhere and make sure you take out enough water so you won't overflow when you add rocks. Then after your done, turn your filter system and powerheads back on and let it run, it should clear up again faster this time around, it would take about less then a day to clear up, it took mine about 6 hours, but mine's only a 55. Then you just watch your parameters afterwards. :happyfish
psusocr1
Active Member
Alright i need help again a.s.a.p
after waiting 5 days for my water to "clear up" of course it never did.
Perhaps i didnt wash the sand good enough before adding it to the water....soo what i did today was drain all the water except for about an inch(took me 2 hours) should i mix the sand up violantly to "wash" it again or do you think that letting it sit for 5 days washed it well enough. I want to fill it up again and get the salt added and get it running but i dont however want to have to change another 200 gallons of water??
please help,, :help: :help:
thanks
after waiting 5 days for my water to "clear up" of course it never did.
Perhaps i didnt wash the sand good enough before adding it to the water....soo what i did today was drain all the water except for about an inch(took me 2 hours) should i mix the sand up violantly to "wash" it again or do you think that letting it sit for 5 days washed it well enough. I want to fill it up again and get the salt added and get it running but i dont however want to have to change another 200 gallons of water??
please help,, :help: :help:
thanks
mikeyjer
Active Member
Originally Posted by psusocr1
Alright i need help again a.s.a.p
after waiting 5 days for my water to "clear up" of course it never did.
Perhaps i didnt wash the sand good enough before adding it to the water....soo what i did today was drain all the water except for about an inch(took me 2 hours) should i mix the sand up violantly to "wash" it again or do you think that letting it sit for 5 days washed it well enough. I want to fill it up again and get the salt added and get it running but i dont however want to have to change another 200 gallons of water??
please help,, :help: :help:
thanks
IMO, I would just fill it back up again with water that's already premixed, by placing a plate on the bottom and pour water over it will help preventing large sand storms. After placing all the water within, run a carbon filter, your water SHOULD clear up within a day or two. It took mine about less then 10 hours to clear up. No need to change out all the water again. I hope this helps! :happyfish
Alright i need help again a.s.a.p
after waiting 5 days for my water to "clear up" of course it never did.
Perhaps i didnt wash the sand good enough before adding it to the water....soo what i did today was drain all the water except for about an inch(took me 2 hours) should i mix the sand up violantly to "wash" it again or do you think that letting it sit for 5 days washed it well enough. I want to fill it up again and get the salt added and get it running but i dont however want to have to change another 200 gallons of water??
please help,, :help: :help:
thanks
IMO, I would just fill it back up again with water that's already premixed, by placing a plate on the bottom and pour water over it will help preventing large sand storms. After placing all the water within, run a carbon filter, your water SHOULD clear up within a day or two. It took mine about less then 10 hours to clear up. No need to change out all the water again. I hope this helps! :happyfish
danedodger
Member
I didn't rinse my sand first and the cloudiness lasted forever!!! We just ran a bunch of filter floss for the longest rinsing it out everyday and that did the trick.