When I washed my sand, the water was still cloudy for a while, one thing that helped me was to put a napkin/paper towel /toilet paper around the filter intake, this helped quite a bit. When I woke up the next morning, the toilet paper was tan and the water was clear. If you do this, make sure that the paper you use doesn't have lotion on it like some klenex does.
I've got those Sand-Substrate Cloudy-Water Blues
- Thread starter Wycco
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What a fantastic idea- I was going to go buy a sponge... but this is better- I HAVE paper towels at home.
BTW- I tried the water clarifier- (before I read another person say not too). It did help to a degree.
I still have only a visibility of two feet through my water though. If I look in one end with the lights on I can see rocks/plants etc that are two feet away but no further.
I could be having a bacteria bloom I suppose... I've read people have them about the stage I'm at. Could be a conincidence that I'm blooming now at the same time I just put water clearifier in to clean up the sand.
I know this all entirely my mistake for not washing anywhere near as thoroughly enough as I should have... live and learn.
I'll try the paper towel around the filter trick tonight. How do you attach it to the intake? Rubber/elastic bands? I know they're organic- are they safe in the tank though?
If that fails... I guess I'm stuck with it until a water change... suspect it'll be many water changes before I have crystal clear water though.
rubber bands are fine in a tank. i use 2-4 at a time in my tank to hold my DIY penguin filter cartridges together...i change them with every filter pad replacement, or when they are very very dirty.
I just kept doing massive 50% water changes when I filled my tank with play sand and it took just a couple days to be fully clean. I've also heard of people using the diatom cartridge with their HOT Magnum filters and getting it clean in hours.
Question for all of you plant enthusiasts: I'm thinking of converting my african cichlid tank (containing the play sand) into a planted tank. Will this substrate medium work for plants or will it choke out the roots since it gets so compacted? Also, it completely inert so do I have to fertilize more?
Question for all of you plant enthusiasts: I'm thinking of converting my african cichlid tank (containing the play sand) into a planted tank. Will this substrate medium work for plants or will it choke out the roots since it gets so compacted? Also, it completely inert so do I have to fertilize more?
