Flourite Causing Cloudy Water

[Wmc2009]

I just recently added fluorite substrate with my gravel to benefit my plants, but now my water is cloudy. I wAshed the fluorite repeatedly before adding it to my set-up but still have unclear water. Is this normal? I've checked my water several times no problem there and I've carefully done pwc adding fresh slowly not to disturb dust. Even after all that it's still really cloudy. Help

 

[brennae]

Has it sat overnite? Sometimes it just takes time to settle. I've had the same problem.

 

[Wmc2009]

Yeah it's sat for almost 5 days now. It's just not going away.

 

[brennae]

Are there fish in the tank? If it were me I would keep doing water changes. Large ones if there are no fish to shock. I'm no expert though so hopefully some one else chimes in.

 

[Wmc2009]

Yes they are fish in it. I've done PWC almost every day and it's still pretty bad. I'm not sure if it's just something thats expected or if I'm doing something wrong. Whatever is causing it, it's driving me NuTs!!!

 

[Wmc2009]

ReWashed All The Substrate And The Problem Is Fixed!!! YaaaY.

 

[Wmc2009]

 

[aqua_chem]

Did it dry out between washes? I've found that other substrates will do the same thing if allowed to dry. Eco-complete is a great example of this.

 

[cyris69]

Flourite is a great substrate but dusty as can be. It took mine nearly three days to clear with nothing in the tank but two hobs.

I washed three bags for about 30-45 minutes and it never got clearer. Granted I did have the tank with water in it already. If you have the tank empty and use a large dish and slowly pour water onto the dish it doesn't get nearly as cloudy. My tank was a opaque black and red since I used both colors.

 

[Wmc2009]

No I didn't dry it out. I redid the entire tank, emptied it, washed small amounts for at least 30 minutes and then added it back in. Time Consuming but well worth the outcome. Your the second person that's suggested ecocomplete. Is that for planted tanks?

 

[aqua_chem]

I don't necessarily suggest ecocomplete, but it's a viable alternative if you prefer the color. Speaking from a results standpoint, theres really not much of a difference between the two.