Sand Isn't Settling

[guppy2002]

I put play sand in my 29 gal tank 2 days ago and it doesn't seem to be settling at all. I rinsed the sand a billion times but the water is super dusty and hasn't cleared up at all. I put the same sand in my 10 gallon and it cleared up in a day. I do not have a filter yet for the 29, it will be her tomorrow hopefully. Is the dust not clearing because of lack of filter? Any help is appreciated, thanks

 

[Akasha72]

I think the answer is yes. Once you get the filter in it should clear up but some extra water changes will help too

 

[Byron]

Agreed.  But it is also likely that a bacterial bloom is occurring in part.  These can vary in duration from tank to tank.  But a filter will help whichever.
 
Byron.

 

[CSnyder00]

I would say it will settle once the water starts to move. A water change wouldn't hurt to remove any more dust. Mine took hours worth of rinsing before it was done.

 

[Ch4rlie]

I had this occurring in my tank recently when I added fine sand substrate.
 
What I did was to put in a temporary internal filter stuffed with filter floss for about a week, this helped immensely with clearing a lot of the sand debris and particles and the sand settled within a couple of days
 
Then I set up my more permanent external filter and took out the temp internal. All going good, though have to say, every time I disturb the fine sand substrate when moving things and adding plants it will cause a bit of a mess in tank water but settles quickly.

 

[Vethian]

a simple power head attached to half a plastic bottle with poly filler from walmart.  it makes an awesome polisher and is cheap.
 
[youtube]https/www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4CnMWfQfc0[/youtube]

 

[Ch4rlie]

That guy is basically DIY king of aquarium equipment, I have watched him before, very clear and concise and usually very simple DIY projects.
 
That DIY vid is good alternative to having a internal if you do not have one spare in the cupboard and of course powerheads do have mulitple uses. I have one in my cupboard too, just in case

 

[Vethian]

That guy is basically DIY king of aquarium equipment, I have watched him before, very clear and concise and usually very simple DIY projects.
 
That DIY vid is good alternative to having a internal if you do not have one spare in the cupboard and of course powerheads do have mulitple uses. I have one in my cupboard too, just in case

 
 
Yeah, I've found having a powerhead for a spare is good thing to add to the hobby kit.  

 

[214jay]

After filling the tank and getting cloudy water from the sand you should then drain it as much as possible.  When you fill up again use a hosepipe clamped to a plate at the bottom and fill it very slowly.  This disperses the water across a wide surface area so it does not create the 'sandstorm' in the tank and it will be very clear instantly.