Cloudy water.

[Jdills1347]

Just did a tank rebuild and I took everything out including the gravel which I kept in a bucket full of water. I left about 25% of the water in the tank and put some eggcrate down and fill that up with crushed coral which I had rinsed a few times. I put my old gravel on top of the and put in a texas holey rock which I had rinsed as well. My tank was really cloudy last night and it is still pretty cloudy today. What's the best thing to do. I have both HOB's running with carbon instead of my usual crushed coral in the media baskets.Should I turn the filters off to let it settle or what?

 

[astroguy]

i'd say no, keep the filters on. They will remove the small particles. Maybe check the filter and clean it in tank water, maybe it's a bit clogged. It may last a bit longer than a day. And maybe you're getting bacterial bloom as well?

 

[Jdills1347]

I doubt that I am having a bacterial bloom. Really just looks like it is clouding up from the crushed coral. Happened right away when I put it in.

 

[marknmelissa]

Man you have to wash that stuff forever to get all the dust out. I had to wash enough for 30 aquariums once when I was helping a guy start up a fish store. My hands were raw after that!
Keep the filters going and keep rinsing the medium out. Also doing some regular water changes every day will help as well.
Good luck,
-Mark

 

[Jdills1347]

Do I have to wash the media with tank water or can I use tap water. Will the chlorine kill the bacteria or something?

 

[astroguy]

no and yes

 

[Jdills1347]

^that's kinda vague.

 

[astroguy]

Do I have to wash the media with tank water or can I use tap water. Will the chlorine kill the bacteria or something?

I suggest to use the tank water, not the media. The chlorine will kill the bacteria.
Hope it's more explicit now

 

[Jdills1347]

Thanks that's better.

 

[marknmelissa]

I have a biowheel that has the media growing on it. So I just use tap water to wash off the particulate that the filter has collected. I'm not worried about the bacteria because it is safe on the biowheel.
-Mark

 

[astroguy]

Mark: no way. Tap water is *not* safe on biowheel. Read the instructions, they will tell you to wash the bio-wheel in tank water. You probably have no problem because i) you have no chlorine/chloramine in the tap water?, or ii) you wash shortly so that the colony is not completely depleted.

 

[Jdills1347]

No he said that he washes the filter with tap water and doesn't worry about the bacteria because it is still stored on the biowheel. He's not talking about washing the biowheel.

 

[astroguy]

No he said that he washes the filter with tap water and doesn't worry about the bacteria because it is still stored on the biowheel. He's not talking about washing the biowheel.

secure1347: thanks!
Mark: Sorry, it definitely is no good to read so late... I misread your post. However, I suggest to use tank water for the filter as well. Cleaning it in the tap water will "trap" some tap water in the filter which eventually makes it into the water tank and on the bio-wheel. The quantity probably is small, but why not make it safe?

 

[marknmelissa]

I've never had a problem, but if a problem exists it's probably safer to err on the side of caution.
no problem,
-Mark