Getting clear water

[Jarred Darque]

OK, I am startin to set up my new 29 gallon. I put in the sand (using a sugar-fin argonite) and added the saltwater. I have been runnin some filters (not the filters that will be on the tank) for about 12 hours now, but visibility in the tank is still minimal. If I turn hte filters off, visibility increases dramatically fairly fast, but it is the super-fine particles that are filtering out to the top of the substrate, and once I turn hte filters back on, they are stirred back up.

Are there any tricks I can do to speed up the process of filtering them out?

On my 10 gallon, I was able to place paper towels in the filter box and that filtered out the super-fine sand particles, but that will mess up the filters that are currently on use on this tank :/

 

[melosu58]

It will take a day or two to clear up.

 

[lando]

If you have an estra canister filter laying around you can try running that with new media and filter pads in it. I am not sure it is worth the trouble of setting up. As Mike mentioned, this is normal and it will take a feww days for the dust storm to settle.

 

[Jarred Darque]

ok thanks dont have much of a rush on it, I will not start transferrin live rock or anythign until I have the lighting and powerheads for it.

Will I need a protein skimmer right away, or can that wait a month or two? At the start, I will be short on live rock, I wont be getting all the new LR right away, will be startin with the 20lbs I have in my 10 gallon, and getting a few lbs every week or two until I have aboubt 50lbs


30lbs at 6 bucks a lb aint cheap

 

[melosu58]

Tell me about it. I have 200 lbs at 8.99 a lb.

 

[Ziggy953]

I'm with you on that one Melosu!!! I have recently been buying every piece of dry "Live Rock" I can get my hands on. One of the LFS I deal with gets a lot of it in and it sells for 1.99 a lb. I'm curing it myself.

 

[melosu58]

I'm curing it myself.

That`s a great idea!!

 

[MT79]

Will I need a protein skimmer right away, or can that wait a month or two?

If you can get one, do it. The sooner the better. If not, I would recommend using GAC regularly, at least until you have a skimmer going.

 

[Jarred Darque]

GAC?

 

[MT79]

30lbs at 6 bucks a lb aint cheap

FWIW you can get good, uncured LR online for about half that price if you get it all at once. Best of luck

 

[MT79]

GAC?

AKA Carbon, charcoal (Granular Activated Carbon)

 

[Jarred Darque]

ah gothcha. The LR I get at the price is already cured though. LFS near me. I had virtually no cycle time when I set up my 10 gallon tank