newbie here, just starting up

[theslayerjay]

so i just set up a 30 gallon aquarium with sand. i washed the sand for several(3) hours till it rinsed clear. when i put it in my tank and added water it came out cloudy.?is that normal? i did a 50% water change like 20 hours later and it improved the cloudy water by some but not all... so do i just keep doing water changes till the waters clear? or if i leave it long enough will it settel itself out?? ill take any and all advice as i am totaly new to this hobby and im already finding out its harder than one first thinks...: thanks all.

 

[Guggiboy123]

so i just set up a 30 gallon aquarium with sand. i washed the sand for several(3) hours till it rinsed clear. when i put it in my tank and added water it came out cloudy.?is that normal? i did a 50% water change like 20 hours later and it improved the cloudy water by some but not all... so do i just keep doing water changes till the waters clear? or if i leave it long enough will it settel itself out?? ill take any and all advice as i am totaly new to this hobby and im already finding out its harder than one first thinks...: thanks all.

Mine did the same thing I just let it sit and it cleared up but water changes will help as well

 

[jcolon]

to AA!

Yep ... PWC's till it clears ... even with washing the fine dust particles still adhere to the sand ... yet funny how they detach when in the tank. Nothing out of the ordinary with what your going through.

 

[theslayerjay]

k thanks . good to know. the petshop people are really not help. one guy tells you this and another tells you that...grrrrr

 

[librarygirl]

HI and welcome! As the others have said, it's normal. I've soaked/rinsed sand for 3 days and it was still cloudy when I put it into the tank. It'll settle on its own in a day or two. Here's a beginner's guide for you in case you haven't seen it: Guide to Starting a Freshwater Aquarium - Aquarium Advice

 

[theslayerjay]

thank you for the link librarygirl. hopefully it will help me out.

 

[Kimberley]

Iv never used sand, but I know people who have and they have had the same thing happen. It's completely normal and they just left it to settle

 

[theslayerjay]

So I went out and got some fish. Couldn't wait. I'm just going to to the fish in cycle and see how it goes. I got 2 yellow Molly's a black Molly and some dwarf fish it has like red line running down it. And it's got 2 long like antennas coming out like his chin?? It's cool looking though. Woo hoo. Wish me luck. And any advice will be appreciated. Thanks