Chemi-Pure Mesh Bag Caught In Filter - Cloudy Water, Now What ?

[rx330]

Hi,

I am starting up my 52G saltwater aquarium, and right now, all I have inside the tank is live aquarium sand, and salt water at the proper levels.

I put the mesh bag of chemi-pure in the compartment within my wet/dry filter, that contains the return pump back into the tank. The chemi-pure bag got partially sucked into the intake of the pump, nothing ripped open, but unfortunately the water now shows particles and is cloudy, which is clearly from the chemi-pure bag getting partially sucked against the intake of the reutrn pump.

I changed the prefilter media pad, and they are dirty with carbon spots. There are also small particles floating around a cloudy tank which I know is what had been squeezed out from the chemi-pure bag.

If I keep changing the pads once a day, within a few days,
a) will the water get clear again

b)is there any danger to the concentration of the water, even if the filtration clears the tank, are dangerous chemicals left behind.

c) will the chemi-pure debris floating around my tank, destroy the bacteria that my tank requires that the live aquarium sand provides.

Please advise if I should do a full/partial water change, or change pads and see for 2/3 days what happens, etc ?

 

[melosu58]

Have you cycled the tank yet? If not then go ahead and cycle your tank. It should clear up during the process.

 

[rx330]

Tank was cycled but this snag seemed to cloud up the tank pretty good. The water surface shows heavy signs of debris, and the return arm is shooting out water with a constant stream of debris .

I'm thinking take the chemipure bag out, change the pads twice a day, & wait 2 or so days to see if ok.

I am nor a pro, so let me know your thoughts

 

[Crepe]

Fit a filter sock over your filter outlet and it should take care of most of the debris.

 

[rx330]

I will buy one tomorrow.

Thanks for the advice

 

[rx330]

I put a filter sock stuffed with filter floss in it, & attached it to the return pipe in the tank. I added a sponge to the wetdry filter, & replaced the prefilter pad under the drip plate.

I don't see this clearing up so fast and am starting to believe that a water change is inevitable.

Are there chemicals I can add to clean out that carbon residue from the water

Do I lose all the benefits from the live sand that I was getting while cycling my tank for initial usage

What else can I do ?

 

[Zer0]

It's only been a day.. you need to give it some time. Wait a couple or a few days and then see what happens. There's nothing that will clear the water up in day. The only thing to do to get the water crystal clear would be to completely change the water.. right?

 

[rx330]

Being a novice at this, I think I figured out the problem.

When you look in the overflow section of tank, I have a return PVC tube that brings water back into the tank, & I have a piece of PVC that is for the intake into the wet/dry.

The PVC for the return has bubbles all around it floating upward in the overflow compartment, and I believe what I am watching shoot out of that bendable "snakehead" looking return piece, isn't actually debris, but water that has air in the line, and tiny bubbles are shooting out.

The vinyl tubing attached to my pump that sits in the wetdry, disconnected & I quickly reattached it as water was shooting everywhere briefly. I think air got into the line, as I am unsure why bubbles are forming around the return PVC in the overflow, as I don't have a leak anywhere.

Can what I am saying be accurate, and would it be wise to clear the return line ?

If yes, how do I clear the line. Do I shut off the pump for a few secs, do I keep it running but lift it out of wetdry to push out all water without taking any in, and how would bubbles stop rising around the return PVC pipe in the overflow compartment ?

Please help !

 

[thincat]

How deep is the water in the return pump compartment? I believe that your pump is sucking water from the surface...Cavitating (sp.) and that is where your air is coming from. Remove that Chem pr and raise the water level in the return compartment.

 

[cmor1701d]

I think TC has you covered on this one. It does sound like cavitation or air intake by the return pump.
Can you post a pic of your wet/dry and return pump?
Upload the photo to something like photobucket and get the "direct link" after uploading it. In a message here, click on the yellow icon (insert image) and enter the url of the photo.