Water Still Cloudy

[shaloric7]

I originally set up my new 36-gallon aquarium without washing the sand and had serious cloudiness problems. I emptied the water and washed the sand, but the water was still cloudy after a week. I tried adding water clarifier tonight, but it made the cloudiness notably worse and this hasn't cleared up after several hours. The directions said the water would get worse but then clear within one to two hours.

What should I do? Should I start over with gravel?

 

[Mebbid]

If there is a detectable ammonia level in the tank then this is likely just a bacterial bloom brought on by the available ammonia in the water.

If there isnt any detectable ammonia or nitrite in the water then this is likely just a mechanical filtration issue. Add filter floss to the filter and that should take most of it out. If there aren't any fish in the water you could do another 100% water change.

Cloudy water is rarely a big deal.

 

[wildroseofky]

When I first switched to sand I had to take my tank down and rewash the sand. It takes a long time to get sand clean. If the sand has been well washed than it is a bacterial bloom and will go away. My tank did that during a cycle and it took two weeks to clear up. Patience is the answer if no fish are present. If you have fish, you need to do a lot of water changes until it clears up.

 

[Dooboedoo12]

I made the same mistake when I set up mine. Water changes fixed it. But it took a long *** time. I recently bought live sand. I didn't wash it and it worked well. Just an FYI for next time if u want

 

[shaloric7]

Now, my Marineland 200 filter has stopped pumping water. Is it possible that the little bit of sand suspended in the water destroyed it after about 10 days?

Nevermind, I took the filter to the store and the guy wiggled the impeller assembly up and down and got it working again!