Settling Sand, Live Rock And Skimmer

[Jodie]

Hi All (again),

Following on from my last post, I have added the sand, but came a cropper really.

I didn't realise how long it would take to settle, and my live rock was shipped today so I needed to get it in the tank asap. Unfortunately I couldn't see anything so wasn't sure it was a good idea.

Anyway, what I've done is, leave the powerheads and heater on.
Add the live rock.
Turn on the skimmer (loads of crap from rock and sand floating on surface).

Was this the right thing to do?

Just want some reassurance really (again).

Its nice to know theres people around to ask at any time

PS. The sand looks like its starting to clear a bit......how much longer will it take?

 

[Navarre]

dont worry you have done the right thing. depending on the amount of flow in the tank and th size of sand grain you may find the tank clearing in 24 hours or even as long as 48-72 hours!! dont despair, it might look terrible but it wont cause any damage. If you want to clear it faster then turn off most of hte powerheads and lower the flow as much as possible. this means the suspended sand particles will fall to the floor of the tank. Keep a low flow so the water still moves around the tank as this is important.

hope this helps.

 

[RoyalGrammaPrincessHannah]

When I set up my tank, I put in a reasonably large grain size aragonite, and some normal sized live sand and the tank didn't go completely clear for a week and a half. I had the filter and skimmer running. Wierd

 

[Jodie]

Thanks Navarre, it really helps to have some reassurance.

It is quite a fine grain of sand (aragonite). There is plenty of flow with both powerheads and the skimmer switched on, so I might turn one of the powerheads off for tonight....

Also, just a quick question. Is it possible to turn the skimmer off for limited periods during the evening (as its quite noisy). I would leave it on all day (whilst at work), then off for 4 hours or so then turn it back on overnight.

Is this ok, or is it best to leave it on 24/7??

 

[Chac]

It will be fine to turn off the skimmer when you need it off