Pool Filter Sand or Not?

[RazorbacksFan]

ok ill try that... it should have been waterlogged... i took it straight from his tank, in a bucket, to my house ( about a 5 minute trip), rinsed it with some tank water, and put it in... wow it must have dried real quick... and i guess i had it in wrong... i had the mesh biofilter, then the carbon filter... ill have to change them around...thanks

Glad to help I had trouble figuring it out at first too it's kind of a funky setup. The reason you want the filter pad first is to keep any stuff besides the bacteria from accumulating on the bio filter. Glad I could help with the issue.

I had no water clouding at all. I did probably over rinse the PFS though. And I did put it in with a python stuck down in the sand so that it didnt stir things up.

I was a little overzealous with filling it up so I had some clouding. I thought I would tell him just in case so he wouldn't freak out.

 

[mfdrookie516]

so my method for filling up tanks is redneck i guess... i just take a bucket, put de-chlorinator in it, fill it up with what i feel like is 75 degree water, carry it to the tank, and leave a big crater in the bottom, then once ive done this many many many (did i mention many?) times, i rake the gravel back over and take a nap lol... so should i do it differently with the sand? i always leave my canister running when i do water changes because the inlet is just an inch off the bottom... what do i need to change... wow sorry for all the questions, i just dont want to screw up something, especially a $200 filter

 

[spoonman]

Definately turn off the filters while you are filling it up and probably move the intake up even after you have it filled. The fish stirring it up could get it in the intake and mess up your impeller.

 

[RazorbacksFan]

so my method for filling up tanks is redneck i guess... i just take a bucket, put de-chlorinator in it, fill it up with what i feel like is 75 degree water, carry it to the tank, and leave a big crater in the bottom, then once ive done this many many many (did i mention many?) times, i rake the gravel back over and take a nap lol... so should i do it differently with the sand? i always leave my canister running when i do water changes because the inlet is just an inch off the bottom... what do i need to change... wow sorry for all the questions, i just dont want to screw up something, especially a $200 filter

Invest in a python you will never look back and your back will thank you.

 

[mfdrookie516]

so ive heard... well guys, again i thank you for the advice. i am going to bed, and i have one last question and i will try not to bother you all anymore with my "newbie" questions...

How in the world do you rinse out your sand? i tried rinsing out rock in a 5 gallon bucket by filling it up, stirring it with my hands, and pouring out what water i could without the rock coming with it... is there an easier way? Thanks again, good night team insomnia, thanks for the info

 

[RazorbacksFan]

so ive heard... well guys, again i thank you for the advice. i am going to bed, and i have one last question and i will try not to bother you all anymore with my "newbie" questions...

How in the world do you rinse out your sand? i tried rinsing out rock in a 5 gallon bucket by filling it up, stirring it with my hands, and pouring out what water i could without the rock coming with it... is there an easier way? Thanks again, good night team insomnia, thanks for the info

One method is you could put the sand in a large rubbermade (or similar) bucket and just put a hose in the bucket and let it flow until the water coming out is clear. Night have a good one man on behave of TI.

 

[spoonman]

How do I become a member of Team Insomnia? Do I have to commit a felony?

 

[RazorbacksFan]

How do I become a member of Team Insomnia? Do I have to commit a felony?

It's optional but encouraged, in all seriousness you have to be one of the forum night owls.

 

[Zer0]

ROFL @ the felony thing!! Team insomnia is where its at man. We have late night parties and secret handshakes. teehee. xD

 

[mfdrookie516]

alright guys... so im on my way out to get the pfs today, and my fiance looks over and say "wow, that tank looks really yellow!!!"... im kinda freakin out here.. im assuming its from the driftwood i put in last night... i have about 2/3 of the water out so far, im letting my filter run in hopes the yellow will go away without having to do a complete water change and go through cycling again with nowhere to put the 20 fish except a 5 gallon bucket ... any suggestions??

 

[Zer0]

Just take out some of the water like you said. Let the filter(s) do the rest. Just give the filter some time and with doing a little bit of water change it should be gone. Assuming that its nothing bad.

 

[mfdrookie516]

do you think its the driftwood? if it is im definately burning it... it is such a nice piece too... anything i could put in it? i forgot to mention... its not in my cichlid tank, its in my community tank, and two of my guppies died in the last hour..

 

[Zer0]

Well then, if i were you, i would change alot of the water, get the driftwood out of there and try and save some fish. But then again, i've never heard of yellow water so im at a loss as of now lol. Sorry. :/

 

[mfdrookie516]

i put a post in the sick fish discussion too... just waiting on some help... im hoping somebody has been through this too and knows what to do.. thanks for the advice though... like i said i took 2/3 out already, and when i put the pfs in, ill probably take some more out... i just dont want to have to cycle my tank again

 

[Zer0]

Yeah captainahab just said if it were him he would take out the driftwood just like i said i would as well. I think it would make sense to take it out since all was fine when you put it in and now its not. Did you wash the driftwood thoroughly? I've never used driftwood before so im not sure if theres any precautions you want to take before putting it in your tank, but i know you want to wash it good before you do anything with it.

 

[mfdrookie516]

yeah, well i wouldnt say "washed" but i rinsed it in tank water... and used my hands to scrub off the slimy junk ( the slimy stuff that everything gets, not some wierd slime disease lol) and then put it in... i dont understand it though how his was perfectly clear and it did that to mine... im not putting it back in... though i was soooo excited when i got it because it looks so nice.. ugh! thanks linksyz... you all are always so helpful, especially to me where im new at this

 

[Zer0]

Yep, no problem bud.

 

[mfdrookie516]

well here they are as promised... thanks spoonman, its your fault i got the sand, and im already loving it!!! water is a bit cloudy, but after a few days, im sure it will be crystal clear once again... trying to figure out what i want to put in it though, the decor i had just doesnt seem to go along with the sand... throw out some ideas please

 

[Zer0]

Nice tank you got there. How much did you rinse the PFS? because when i dropped mine in my tank i had no cloudiness whatsoever. Although i did rinse my sand like 4-5 times. xD

 

[mfdrookie516]

yeah i just rinsed it twice, and then with the other problem i had with yellow water, i just put it in with only about 6" of water, stirred it up real good and vaccumed out all he water... then i took cycled water from 2 of my other tanks, filled it up about halfway, and did 3 partial water changes in a sense... but yeah, its starting to clear up alot now... i think by morning it will be good and clear