newbie needs help

[socal cruzin]

Hi all first let me say thanks in advance for any ,and all help.

I picked up a 24 gallon nano cube reef tank last night.im over the top excited about my lattest obsession.

i also picked up about 18 pounds of live rock.now i followed the set-up to the letter,and when i put my sand in the tank became very cloudy with swerling sand.

i went by my local fish store,and the girl who helped me pick everything out said to shut of my pumps,and the sand will settle.i did this,and the tank became id say 75%clear,so i started my pumps in fear that i would hurt alot of money worth of live rock.
when the system fired up it kicked out another huge cloud of sand.

i shut it off ,and rinsed out both filters,but from here im just lost.

will the sand just settle?
do i turn of my pumps?
if not how long does it take to settle with pumps running?

ok ramble over.
thanks again for any help.

mike.

[sqrle]

It should only take 2 days max to settle. Just keep a small pump going to move the water and help the heater do its job

[Gomer4378]

sqrle is correct.
I dont know about nanos but I've been fighting a losing battle trying to find the sweet spot for my powerheads without blowing my sand all over the place.
about 2 days and it'll be clear again.

[socal cruzin]

Thanks alot guys for the info.im slowy trying to take everything in.

what part does the heater play in the clearing of the sand.i dont have one yet.

mike.

[MichaelsLilGray]

it doesnt play a part in the sand par say.. but if you have live rock, you dont want it to freeze any bugs you have in/on it. id invest in a heater asap to get your temps where they need to be.. the salinity of the water is affected by the temperature. a 24g tank could use a 75w heater..
New JEBO Aquarium Fish Tank Automatic Heaters 75W 30GAL - eBay (item 270358132495 end time Mar-18-09 17:29:01 PDT)
this one is 20 bucks... or spend the extra 10 bucks and get a stealth(black helps hide it a LOT)
Visi Stealth 75W Submersible Heater For 25G Tanks - eBay (item 110356175658 end time Mar-26-09 13:56:36 PDT)

[socal cruzin]

I will pick one up first thing tomorow.

this web-site is very cool.
ty again.
mike......