New tank, muddy

[JaredShope1]

Got a new 29 gallon for christmas. Put some organic potting soil in, with a gravel cap. Put some live plants too. Ran into some complications and the water is super muddy/murky. Any solutions? Should I turn on my filter?

 

[SaraB]

I had a similar issue using play sand. Keep your filter off for now. Give it a few days to settle a bit. Do some small water changes making sure you don't disturb the bottom. After it clears up somewhat then turn the filter on.
It took over a week for mine to settle down enough that I trusted it wouldn't ruin my filter and another week to be completely clear. Just be patient, it will be fine.

 

[flitabout]

How did you add your water? did you use paper towels news paper to defuse the flow while filling? How many times did you fill and empty. After almost 10 years of dirting tanks once in a while you will find a tank may need to emptied and filled several times before clearing out completely. It's just the nature of the beast with dirted tanks. You may need to do up to 5 drain and fills.

 

[BillD]

I would agree with removing the water and refilling. If you don't, and let it settle, it can be stirred up again. As a side note, I wouldn't use organic potting soil. You would be better served using mineralized top soil, or, failing that, the cheapest top soil you can find, which will likely have the least organic material.