I think i made a mistake :/

[Sidman24]

So I decided I would switch from gravel to sand in my 30 gallon. I used regular play sand. Washed it out in a bucket at least 10 times. When I put the sand in I let it drop from the top.. The water is VERY cloudy. It's been 12 hours since I put the sand in and the water has improved very little... Should I just wait?? Also, should the filter be on or off? Would adding anything help? Thanks guys!

 

[Fishlover3578]

I think it's normal my dads was cloudy for a while just don't put in fish yet

 

[aquandrew]

is there fish in it? if so the filter should definitely be on and you will need to rinse the sand particles out of the filter after the water clears

 

[Fishfur]

If the filter is not running, get it going. If it has a sponge, that's good, or filter floss, both will take out the very fine particles that are causing the cloud. You may have to rinse them out once or twice, if they get clogged with the particles.

It can be a challenge to really rinse sand well, it has so many silty 'fines' in it, which do cloud water until they either get filtered out or eventually, settle out, but that can take quite some time.

 

[Fishlover3578]

My dad said he didn't rinse his sand and it took a week for his I think 55 gal

 

[Fishlover3578]

I want to do my 29 after ten gal cycles so I have a temporary place for fish while sand settles ... My concern is timing it right cuz guppies r pregnant and I'm concerned of hurting fry

 

[Babakapusta]

Don't worry

So I decided I would switch from gravel to sand in my 30 gallon. I used regular play sand. Washed it out in a bucket at least 10 times. When I put the sand in I let it drop from the top.. The water is VERY cloudy. It's been 12 hours since I put the sand in and the water has improved very little... Should I just wait?? Also, should the filter be on or off? Would adding anything help? Thanks guys!

I have a 125 gallon tank that has been going for 15 years with a sand substrate. The fish are always stirring it up. They can live with it, some fish like eels bury themselves in it.

Depending on the fish, you may be able to add them if the tank is cycled. It is more important for you to cycle the tank than worry about the sand.

Here is something to worry about. How deep is your sand? If it is deep you need to stir it every so often to release any gases that are forming pockets under it. I think it is methane gas but I'm not positive on that. On one of the forums I used to frequent, one of the posters lost his entire tank of fish because the gas erupted into the tank and poisoned them. They were never ill they died while he was at work.

I have seen small amounts of gas form under some of my rocks. I have fish that dig in the substrate so it isn't really a problem, I do move my rocks and wood around every so often to make sure no gas pockets form.