# Unwashed sand.



## Lottielulu (Oct 26, 2017)

Hi, I set up my 190 l tank 5 weeks ago, using established filters from my previous tank. It's fully cycled and doing well, the problem I have is that I didn't rinse the sand as it said it was pre washed. The tank still has a slight cloudy look to it, especially when the fish dig pits and the dust flows through the water. Will it clear in time, or should I empty the tank, remove and rinse the sand in the water taken from the tank and restart. Thanks for any advice.


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## noddy (Nov 20, 2006)

It'll clear up over time with water changes.


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## caldwelldaniel26 (Jun 11, 2017)

It will clear up, a lot of new tanks experience bacterial cloudiness as well.


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## Lottielulu (Oct 26, 2017)

Thanks both for your reply


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## joselepiu (Jul 22, 2017)

is it a bacterial cloudiness or the finniest of the sand?... :-? :-? :-?

if it is a bacterial bloom it will clear by itself in about a week or two at the least...   

but if it is the finniest of the sand would not that end up on the pump and maybe damage it?... :-? :-? :-?


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## BlueSunshine (Jul 13, 2014)

joselepiu said:


> is it a bacterial cloudiness or the finniest of the sand?... :-? :-? :-?
> 
> if it is a bacterial bloom it will clear by itself in about a week or two at the least...
> 
> but if it is the finniest of the sand would not that end up on the pump and maybe damage it?... :-? :-? :-?


Yep, the filter is where most of it goes. Always rinse your substrate thoroughly before putting it in your tank.

One could probably use a substrate vac to clean the sand while it is still in the tank.


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## joselepiu (Jul 22, 2017)

BlueSunshine said:


> One could probably use a substrate vac to clean the sand while it is still in the tank.


+1...


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

Some thoughts on what you are seeing perhaps? 
If it is the sand /dirt being kicked up in the water, it is likely to settle out on anything in the tank like decor or plants. so do you find a layer of tiny silt settled on things so that a wave of the hand makes a cloud. This can be partly cleared by using a siphon to suck this portion off the bottom. It takes a bit of "feel" to get the end of the siphon just right to suck off the silt while not sucking too much sand out as well. Purpose of the larger end on many siphons is to let the really fine continue on out while the heavier grain will settle back into the tank. This is one way to speed removal rather than letting it all wind up in the filter media which requires tons of rinsing/ changing before it clears it all. 
But the other part might be if it is just a look like one gets on a foggy day? Something is there but you can really see what, just "something"? This is often greenish but does not settle out on things like dirt/ silt might. It also takes a different approach to clear as it is an algae bloom and may continue as long as the conditions stay the same. Sometimes clears in a reasonable time as some item in the tank changes but I like to go for quicker progress and I want to change those things NOW rather than someday! Changing the lighting may be a good place to start if it is this type cloudiness.


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## nodima (Oct 3, 2002)

My experience with not being thorough enough with rinsing sand is that it does eventually clear. That said, I shall never again use playsand in an aquarium!!!


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## caldwelldaniel26 (Jun 11, 2017)

nodima said:


> My experience with not being thorough enough with rinsing sand is that it does eventually clear. That said, I shall never again use playsand in an aquarium!!!


Yeah, that stuff is a nasty mess. I'm glad I gave up on it when I was still in the rinsing stage after hearing some of the stories about it taking weeks to clear up...


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## joselepiu (Jul 22, 2017)

nodima said:


> My experience with not being thorough enough with rinsing sand is that it does eventually clear. That said, I shall never again use playsand in an aquarium!!!


lol... :lol: :lol: :lol: ...


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## noddy (Nov 20, 2006)

caldwelldaniel26 said:


> nodima said:
> 
> 
> > My experience with not being thorough enough with rinsing sand is that it does eventually clear. That said, I shall never again use playsand in an aquarium!!!
> ...


Really? I never had an issue with it being cloudy. I did sieve it through a piece of window screening before I rinsed it though to get rid of the big nasty chunks of black stuff.
Sieving 150lbs of it was a bit of a pain though. :wink:


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

The problem with play sand is any sand can be sold as play sand...you cannot depend on a consistent product. The advantage of pool filter sand is the material is specified, the size is specified and it is clean so it won't pollute your pool.


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## noddy (Nov 20, 2006)

DJRansome said:


> The problem with play sand is any sand can be sold as play sand...you cannot depend on a consistent product. The advantage of pool filter sand is the material is specified, the size is specified and it is clean so it won't pollute your pool.


I ended up switching out to CaribSea super naturals moonlight sand, about 150lbs in 72 x 24" tank.
I know a lot of people love pfs but I would never use it because I keep sandsifters and I have read that it can be sharp and cut/irritate their gills.
If it wasn't for the sandsifters I would definitely use it simply for the cost. And the cost was my reason for going with playsand the first time around. Even then I had to search for the lightest colour I could find.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

I was worried about sharpness as well and for many years I used aragonite spheres...looked like non pareils.

But then I tried PFS...the catfish (tender bellies and barbels) and the haps and peacocks (they sift a lot of sand) are fine with it.


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## noddy (Nov 20, 2006)

DJRansome said:


> I was worried about sharpness as well and for many years I used aragonite spheres...looked like non pareils.
> 
> But then I tried PFS...the catfish (tender bellies and barbels) and the haps and peacocks (they sift a lot of sand) are fine with it.


Hmm, interesting. I may have wasted a lot of money on the CaribSea stuff.
Just out of curiosity, do those fish actually sift the sand through their gills or do hey behave like Foai, Tropheus etc. that just dig it up and spit it out?
I actually haven't kept any of those fish, so I'm genuinely curious.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

I've seen it coming from both places...definitely through the gills at times.


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## joselepiu (Jul 22, 2017)

DJRansome said:


> and it is clean so it won't pollute your pool.


in this case your tank... lol...


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## joselepiu (Jul 22, 2017)

DJRansome said:


> I've seen it coming from both places...definitely through the gills at times.


interesting... opcorn: opcorn: opcorn: ...


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## Lottielulu (Oct 26, 2017)

Hi, I have just done a complete rinse of the sand by removing water and fish, and rinsing all the sand with water from the tank, it's so much better now. Tank all reinstated and fish are all ok. BUT......I've found a baby fish , its orange, and lots of eggs, I've put them back in the tank as I'm not bothered about breeding, just wondered who they are from as I thought cichlids kept eggs in their mouth until ready. I have three flying fox fish so could it be them? I have a red zebra, poss yellow labs, a male Johanni, a red jewel, three peacocks, but they are still small. Any ideas please.


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## noddy (Nov 20, 2006)

DJRansome said:


> I've seen it coming from both places...definitely through the gills at times.


Thanks. Something to think about in the future if I set up another tank.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Eggs loose in the tank cannot be the Malawi. If you just found a couple...they could have spit them out but if you found a lot I'd look into other suspects.


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