My tank looks like a sand storm went throught it

[little_tuna]

I just put pre-mixed saltwater and 40 pds of live sand in my new 29 gallon tank this morning and its been really cloudy. Figured this is normal due to the sand particals floating around and that it would take a day or two to settle? (am i right?)

But now that it has started to clear -a very tiny bit- i can see that my powerhead and heater, along with everything else, looks like its covered in dust. :sad:

Am i going to have to take it all out and rinse it off once the water clears??

Did i do it right??

 

[Bifferwine]

Don't worry, what you are seeing is totally normal! It can take several days for a tank to clear up after you add sand. And there will be a residue on everything. Buy a turkey baster from the grocery store, and blow them off. Everything will make its way to the bottom eventually.

 

[SeaBee]

Are you using any filter media to catch this stuff??

Biff's right, a turkey baster is great at cleaning that stuff, it will take a few days to settle down, and it will kick up when you disturb the sandbed too.

 

[little_tuna]

No, no media. Just my skimmer running in my HOB refugium. I wish i would have waited to put the cheato in there because now it in sand particals

 

[SeaBee]

Do you have any filters laying around from other tanks? Maybe an empty Eheim or something?? You could fill that with floss until it clears up, like a few days, and then remove it again.

 

[little_tuna]

Will it give me an accurate reading on my salinity. Because my hydrometer says its above 1.032

 

[Bifferwine]

Did you just mix the water/salt? If so, the salinity reading is going to be off for a couple hours.

If the water was already mixed, you should take a bit out, and replace it with fresh water to drop the salinity a bit.

 

[SeaBee]

You need to lower that salinity, slowly. How old is that hydrometer? They are not always accurate. You need to test your slainity at the Fish Store, or get a refractometer to test it. How are your fish and corals?

 

[Bifferwine]

I think he just set up the tank today, so hopefully doesn't have any livestock! ;)

 

[SeaBee]

ooh, i didnt see that...

 

[little_tuna]

Yeah this is my first tank and i bought the water pre mixed from my lfs

 

[Bifferwine]

It seems like the water was a bit too salty, but that's easy to fix by adding more water.

 

[SeaBee]

Well, I would hope their water is on target, usually fish stores run thier water at about 1.023, perhaps your sand was live sand and that brought up the salinity. If the tank is brand new then you have time. Get a refractometer to test salinity. Remove some water and add fresh, clean, rodi water, thats Reverse Osmosis de-ionized water, or fresh from the fish store should be rodi, ask them. If not, I think you can use distilled water from the store. But do not use tap water, unfiltered, its not good.

 

[little_tuna]

Oh..nevermind, false alarm.....there was a bubble on my needle. Newbie move i know

Its reading about 1.025

 

[SeaBee]

Lol, get a refractometer when you can...

 

[little_tuna]

ill keep an eye out, thank you :)

 

[Bifferwine]

I'm glad it was nothing! :)

 

[little_fish]

You should still see what you water reads the salinity as with the hydrometer and then test it against what a refractometer says that way you know about how much yours is off. I would do this the next time you buy water.

Remember, they go bad after about 6 months and need to be replaces. It will be cheaper in a year to buy a refractometer. You can get them on ebay for around $25, just be sure to get the calibration oil that come with it.

 

[little_tuna]

So i just want to make sure ive done everything right.

I have 40 pds of sand in my 29 gallon. Does that sound about right? I feel like I should take some out.

The water is clearing up more and starting to settle. Do i scrub off all the slime off the glass or will it disappear?

And i guess with the "dust" sand settled, its now laying on top off the sand so when i move my magnet algae scrubber down by the sand it all blows up in to the water. Do i syphon this "dust" out?

 

[little_fish]

you will probably have to scrub the slime off the glass, but after a period of time the smallest particles will work their way down into the sand bed so they dont fly around.

And how deep does it make your sand bed? If you have around an inch, then i would leave it, if you have more than 2 inches, then i would remove some.