Does Sand Cloud Water

[foley69]

i have added sand to my 33gal and my 15 gal and both tanks have gone cloudy is this due to the sand the 33gal has had sand for about a month now and the 15 gal has had it for a couple of weeks but they are both couldy

 

[Jdubz]

if you add some filter floss to the filter that should clear it up a bit quicker.

 

[DP1981]

Mine is really clear with sand, but I did rinse it lots and lots before i put it in. Did you?

 

[foley69]

yea i rinsed it well and truly but i might whack some filter floss in see if tht sorts it out

 

[fatheadminnow]

Mine is really clear as well.

It all depends on how well you cleaned it before you added it to your tank.

I also have filter floss in my filter, which catches very fine particles in the water.

After a while, by doing water changes it will eventually clear up.

-FHM

 

[ScottyBoy]

Also depends on what sand you use, I used plasters sand for my malawi tank because of its alkaline content and my water is crisp

 

[markandhisfish]

when i changed to sand in my 100g it was cloudy for a couple of days then cleared. a few weeks later i had a baterial bloom ( not sure if the 2 are related) that cleared in a day or 2 and all is well now. crystal clear. when changing from gravel to sand regardless of how well you wash it you will inevitably get a certain amount of cloudiness to start with but it will settle down . and when it does its ell worth it imo .

i also use floss in my filters highly reccommend it .

 

[foley69]

ye i might squeeze some floss into my fluval 1 haha

 

[jnms]

Depends what sort of 'cloudy' you mean?

1) If it is yellow/brown cloudy then that has come from the sand.

2) If is it white cloudy then that may be something else...

 

[loubega]

how well did you wash before hand? the more you wash it the less cloudiness forms....i learnt from this and spent ages cleaning each bucket of sand....

 

[foley69]

the cloud in both tanks resembles the colour of the sand but one is clearin up but in the smaller tank i only have a little filter going but will be adding a fluval 1 in the next couple of days as its maturing in my other tank atm

 

[electric yellow]

When i set up my cichlid ttank it took agggges and multiple washes out of the filter sponge before it settled. I ended up having to go the aquarium and get heaveier sand to put on top of it. It will settle. You just have to be patient. ive found that having an extra layer of cotton wool in my filter and not putting my "water into the filter" pipe so close to it, it doesnt stir as much. I wash the filter out every couple of months and its never on the same day i do a water change.

The other thing i have learnt is that with sand my cichlids love to spit it and throw it everywhere so i have to also wash my silk plants and decor or they start to look dirty and festy.

Just be patient. I have crystal clear water now.