i hate to do this, but my first post is a question...

[zachxlutz]

hey, i did a search but couldn't find exactly what i was looking for... i'm setting up a planted 35g and i just put in onyx sand substrate and filled the aquarium up. the water is extremely dirty, should i run it with the filter on or should i let the substrate/dirt settle to the bottom with the filter off? thanks a ton.

btw, its a 35g tank with a penguin 75g bio-wheel dual filter w/ onyx black sand.

 

[crazyred]

I would let it settle a bit before running the filter. Sand can do some damage to your impeller. You could also wrap some filter floss or a nylon stocking (clean) around the intake tube to prevent the filter from sucking up any sand if you don't want to wait.

Welcome to AA!!

 

[zachxlutz]

yeah, its weird. well... i guess not so weird. on my 10 gallon i just used regular sized gravel and didn't have this problem. i guess the sand is just a little lighter than the gravel and a lot got stirred up whilst pouring the water in from a 5 gallon bucket.

thanks!

 

[malkore]

even a pre-filter sponge should prevent any damage to the filter motor, and run some floss to filter out the fine particles.

Onyx is usually pre-washed before you add it ot the aquarium, but even then it can still be a little cloudy.

Also, keep in mind that Onyx is designed to increase the carbonate hardness of your water, which should raise the pH a tiny bit as well.

Welcome to AA!

 

[zachxlutz]

yeah, the guy the store told me it was a good substrate for a planted tank, and i plan to have it pretty well planted... here is a picture for you guys to see just how cloudy it is.

 

[hsherman1986]

mine looks about like that, but white. I just set up a 20g with white sand substrate. Two days later, still a little cloudy. I can see the back to the tank now though I bet it would have cleared up faster if i would have left the filter off though. Eh, live and learn

 

[zachxlutz]

yeah, i had my filter on for about 14 hours, and now i have had it off for about 4-5 and it seems to be clearing up a tad bit faster, so hard to tell... i can only see in about 3-4 inches right now. c'mon! c'mon!!!

 

[Menagerie]

Welcome to AA, zachxlutz!
That looks like a typical new sand substrate tank!

 

[zachxlutz]

thanks menagerie, i'm happy to be here. looks to be a wealth of knowledge on these forums!

any idea how long its gonna take for the substrate to settle down?

 

[BillD]

I would just empty and refill. That will get most of it quickly. If you let it settle, it will be stirred up gain.

 

[Menagerie]

I am not familiar with onyx sand substrate. When I have used pool sand in the past, it clears up in 12-24 hours. Usually after 4 hours, I start the filter with an AquaClear sponge over the filter intake. After a week or so, you will begin to notice that the sand does not stir up as readily as it is doing now due to the bacterial and algae growth that acts as glue. Unless this is the sand that is very fine and is easy to stir up, but I only remember one member having that problem (I can't recall the type of sand).

 

[malkore]

I would just empty and refill. That will get most of it quickly. If you let it settle, it will be stirred up gain.

That will indeed help, and will help remove a lot of the super fine dust, that likes to stay suspended.

If you disturb it, ti will cloud, but not nearly this bad, nor nearly this long.

 

[zachxlutz]

i think i'm just going to wait it out and let it settle, i'm not in a HUGE rush and i don't really feel like doing a 100% water change. i'm confident it will settle and be purty.

***EDIT***

update:

this is about 12 hours after the last picture was taken. the tank has cleared up considerably and i can almost see to the back now, 12 more hours and it should be crystal clear. then i'll turn on the filters and add a mesh-baggy of substrate from my 10 gallon and get things going.