geo-way
Aquarium Advice Newbie
Hi,
This is my first post on this forum, though I've been reading for it about six months now. I'm new to saltwater, been reading and studying for some time, and 2 weeks ago setup my first tank. 30 gallons, FOWLR. I set it up in the method described in "New Marine Aquarist". I added and arranged the live rock first (30 lbs), let it run for about a week, then decided to add the substrate. I used the old castle playsand because it's cheap and I've read it's the same as all the fish store sand. But here's my problem: I searched the forums and most everyone seemed to say just pour the sand in, don't rinse it. So I started to put some in (like 3 cupfulls, not very much) and it got completely cloudy, like you couldn't see anything. After a day it's still cloudy but I can kinda see through it. And everything is coated in dust. Did I do something wrong? Is all this dusty stuff gonna mess up my live rock or kill things on/in it? I used a powerhead to blow some of the sand and dusty stuff off the rocks but now the water is totally cloudy again. What should I do? Is it always gonna get cloudy whenever the sand gets stirred up? I'm starting to think I should have bought the expensive stuff.
OK anyway, sorry this post is so long. Any comment would be appreciated. And by the way, this forum is great. I've learned a ton. I'll probably be posting again in a few weeks when I'm ready for my first fish!
This is my first post on this forum, though I've been reading for it about six months now. I'm new to saltwater, been reading and studying for some time, and 2 weeks ago setup my first tank. 30 gallons, FOWLR. I set it up in the method described in "New Marine Aquarist". I added and arranged the live rock first (30 lbs), let it run for about a week, then decided to add the substrate. I used the old castle playsand because it's cheap and I've read it's the same as all the fish store sand. But here's my problem: I searched the forums and most everyone seemed to say just pour the sand in, don't rinse it. So I started to put some in (like 3 cupfulls, not very much) and it got completely cloudy, like you couldn't see anything. After a day it's still cloudy but I can kinda see through it. And everything is coated in dust. Did I do something wrong? Is all this dusty stuff gonna mess up my live rock or kill things on/in it? I used a powerhead to blow some of the sand and dusty stuff off the rocks but now the water is totally cloudy again. What should I do? Is it always gonna get cloudy whenever the sand gets stirred up? I'm starting to think I should have bought the expensive stuff.
OK anyway, sorry this post is so long. Any comment would be appreciated. And by the way, this forum is great. I've learned a ton. I'll probably be posting again in a few weeks when I'm ready for my first fish!