Cloudy Water?

[westward13]

I don't mean to have so many questions but I'm trying to make sure I do everything right the first time. After about 4 hours of setting up my new aquarium today, it's up and (mostly) running. I've had one of my two filters going now for about 2-3 hours. The other one is set up and will be up and running by tomorrow evening. I was hoping someone could help shed some light on how long it takes for the water to no longer be cloudy. I've used play sand as my substrate and I made sure to wash it numerous times (around 5 times). I also filled the aquarium with water that ended up being significantly warmer than I thought it was... it ended up being around 90 degrees when I finally put the thermometer in there and it's since come down to 82. Does it normally take a while for the water to clear up? Was it because I didn't wash the sand enough (I also made sure to buy pre-washed play sand on top of cleaning it 5 times myself)? Could it have something to do with the temperature? How long should I give it before I just do a huge water change in an attempt to fix it? As usual, any help is most definitely appreciated! Thanks!

Chris
westward13

 

[Menagerie]

The way way to deal with sand is to let it sit--JMHO. When I added sand to two tanks, I put a sponge as a prefilter on my filter intake tube and let the filter do its job. I like the idea of using a sponge on the intake tube to keep sand out of the filter, which could cause the filter to break. I am using sponges designed to be used with an air pump and airstone, but the fish don't mind The water should clear up within three days or so.
HTH

 

[westward13]

Thanks, Menagerie! Actually, since last night, my aquarium water has cleared up immensely. I'll give it a few more days to settle and then I should be fine. I just got myself all worried yesterday that I possibly hadn't cleaned the sand well enough and that I'd have to start all over. I'll keep you posted and hope to put some pics on here when I've made enough progress. You've been a big help! Thanks again!

Chris

 

[Menagerie]

Sounds good--look into using a sponge as a prefilter--it may save your filter in the long run, especially if the inhabitants of the tank are diggers like mine