how do you clear up cloudy water?

[mr funktastic]

i finally got to fill up my 55 gallon tank that i bought after christmas. i rinsed the sand but i dont think i rinsed it good enough. my water is now very white and cloudy and when it starts to look clearer i can see a white dust forming over my black sand. i put on a small filter that i had lying around to help clear it up. i was wondering if running my actual filter (penguin 350b) would be ok and clear up the tank. i didnt want to run it becasue i wasnt sure if the white cloudy water would be bad for the filter. i mixed all the sand up with my hand once it was in the tank to make sure to get all the crap that was in the sand out. any advice welcome. thanks in advance.

 

[rich311k]

do a large water change. That should help. Then turn on the filter. It will settle.

 

[Lonewolfblue]

Yes, do a large water change, then let it settle a little more before putting a good filter system on it. When I did my pfs, had to do 1 good water change, 80%. Filled back up, then an hour later it was crystal clear.

 

[mr funktastic]

the only problem with it settling is that once i put fish in it they will swim near the bottom and kick it up again. wont this be a constant problem? i was actually planning on doing a large water change tomorrow to help things out. i bought big als water treatment, it says on it millions of live bacteria to instantly cycle your tank and i was wondering when is the best time to put this in and i have heard that putting it directly into the filter is actually better becasue then all the bacteria gets into the filter pad. is this true? thanks for your help

 

[Lonewolfblue]

No, it won't be a problem. I thought the same thing when I did mine, but the end result, much easier to maintain.

 

[Lonewolfblue]

I never tried that water treatment from Big Als. Not sure which product you are talking about.

 

[rich311k]

It is pretty much the same thing as cycle. i would not put much faith in it. I would use media from another tank if you have it available or run the new filter on a old tank.

 

[azn_fishy55]

I agreewith rich311k with adding some media or substrate from another tank to this tank.I had to move some fish from my 30 to a 10 and move the AquaClear filter there too.Since the AquaClear had tons of bacteria settled in,on its media and surfaces the tank never went through a cycle.HTH

 

[mr funktastic]

i have put media that i had in my 10 and 20 gallon tank into the new filter behind the new pads so the bacteria should absorbe quicky. i will also be putting in the water cycle stuff. it wont do any harm so i figure why not put it in even if it only helps a little. i did a big water change and am now running the new filter on it as well as a small one that i had from a tank that i took down. how long will the tank take to cycle if i am using media from my other tanks? i have one cichlid that i have had in a 10 gal for a few months. it is a demasoni and he was only 8 dollars and they normally sell for 20 in my local fish store so i picked him up. he was pretty tiny when i got him he is almost 2 inches now i think. u can kinda judge how big he is by the size of the heater. this is the only photo i have ever managed to take of him becasue he is way to fast for my camera. hope u like him

 

[malkore]

Biggest question: why is it cloudy?

bacterial bloom in a new, cycling tank causes cloudiness...
greenwater can look cloudy if its not a really bad case (i.e. not pea soup)
lots of fine particulate matter can cloud too

all three need different solutions

yours sounds like the first or last though. some filter floss will help with the last...cycling the tank will resolve the first.

Dont' count on Big Als (or any) cycling product to do much. if it's not Bio Spira, its not a magic potion.

And even Bio Spira has let people down. Nothing can replace a proper cycling process, preferably fishless cycling.

 

[mr funktastic]

i am pretty sure it was caused by not completly rinsing the sand. i think it is just dirt that was in the sand that never got out and then i put the water in which disturbed the dirt particles and caused them to cloud up the tank. i noticed that once i let it settle for a while all the cloudiness was actually settling on my sand and making it go a little white.but if i swished my hand near the sand it would all swirl away into the cloudiness again. if that makes any sense lol. and again how long is to be expected for cycling with media. i know it takes around 3 weeks without the seeded media but i have never done it with it.

 

[jrp1588]

that's a lovely demasoni btw. I want some really badly, but they are $17 which is a touch too pricey for me. haha

 

[mr funktastic]

lol its the same thing with me. a demasoni will rum me 20 bucks and thats was the cheapest i have seen them around me. i got him in a mixed cichlid tank becasue he was to small to put with the other demasoni and there were threee but when i wanted to get more they were all gone!! it really pissed me off but what can u do. i actually just managed to snag another pictue of him but just barely. hope u like this one to i didnt have the flash on and it is a little out of focus but still good.

 

[jrp1588]

ahh, so jealous. lol

 

[Lonewolfblue]

When adding media from other cycled tanks, people have have cut cycle time considerably, even almost instantly. Just depends on how much media, adding gravel, filter media, etc. Could be looking at a much shorter timeframe than the 6-8 weeks. Just hard to tell where you sit til you begin the fishless cycle and see what it's doing.

 

[Lonewolfblue]

Once it settles, and if the sand is whitish on top, you could even do a gravel vac and just lightly go over the surface to suck all the whitish silt off the surface.

 

[mr funktastic]

i just did that actually and it look much better. i also just layed out the rocks and it looks pretty good i think i need to build it a little higher though. i will post a pic tonight before i go to bed to get peoples opinions. it is still a little cloudy but it is a good start.

 

[Lonewolfblue]

With rocks, you could slope the sand a little, not as deep in the front, and a little deeper towards the back. I've even seen nice setups where it's deep in the back corners, and shallower up front and in the middle, sloped from the middle to the back corners. Lots of things to try to get the exact setup you like.

 

[jrp1588]

yeah...I got my sand all how I liked it...the cichlids totally ruined it and made it the way they wanted. lol

 

[mr funktastic]

ya thats why i wasnt to concerned about the way the sand was lol because i have seen the devastation that my one little demasoni makes i can only imagine 50 pounds of sand that he can play in now. it is like a kid in a sandbox just waiting to dig everywhere.