Should I re-rinse my sand?

[Eleven13]

Hey everyone,

I just switched substrates yesterday from gravel to sand. I currently don't have any fish and only two plants, both of which are tied to driftwood and not planted.
I bought 20lbs of Petco white aquarium sand for my 10 gallon tank. The directions on the bag weren't very specific, and only mentioned rinsing it but not for how long. So I threw it in a bucket and filled it up with water, stirred it, and dumped it probably about 10-15 times. Each time I did it the water didn't look any clearer, so I figured that was good enough and it would clear up when it settled.

So I put it in the tank and filled the tank up and put the plants back in last night around 8pm and it was milky white to the point where I couldn't even see my heater. Today it is slightly better (I can see the outline of my heater but can't see my background whatsoever), so I'm not sure what to do.

If I take the sand out again and rinse it in the bucket, will it actually begin to rinse clear? If I don't re-rinse and just let it clear up on its own, the next time I vacuum the sand or partial the tank or disturb the sand in general will I have to deal with this problem again?

Thanks for any help!

 

[ddodad]

IMO I would rinse it again, my trick is put it in 2-3 pillow cases and just run water through it. It might take 10-15 long rinses to get the water clear. In the long run it will be worth it. There will be less clouding during ware changes and less chance of the sand dust harming the filter

 

[Eleven13]

Thanks for the advice, I think that is what I will do. I figure I might as well do it now while I don't have anything in there, especially if it will benefit me in the long run.

I'm not sure if I'll be able to use a pillow case though, so if I go back to my bucket method (it's like a 15 gallon rubber bucket - I put the sand in, fill the water up several inches above sand level, stir vigorously with my hand, then dump the water and repeat) the water should ideally be running clear by the end before I put it in my tank?

 

[ddodad]

The bucket method works well also. I'm just always looking for shortcuts. Ideally the water will be clear once you finish rinsing. When you actually fill the tank it might get a little cloudy but clear up within a couple hours

 

[Billbug68]

I usually rinse in a bucket in my driveway. That way the bucket is slightly slanted and the water overflows the low end. Just hold the hose in the bottom and use your other hand to keep stirring the sand around. Eventually the water will run clear. Eventually...