substrate dust.

gonsouth

AC Members
Nov 27, 2009
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I put my substrate in my tank ( the one from Aquarium Plants .com) and filled it with water. I put plastic down over it and poured the water in on that. My tank is now horribly cloudy, even though I rinsed it as per intstructions. The dust is even sticking to the glass and floating on top of the water. How can I plant it if even the slightest touch raises dust.

Has anyone else had this problem? How long will it take to clear, if ever.

HELP!
 
I ran my filter to see if that would help, but it got worse, so now i'm just leaving it alone to see what happens.
 
I just upgraded to a 36 from a 20. I tried the plate method to pour the water on but it didn't work. I ran my Magnum HOT lastnight with the micron cartrige. when the water went from brown to cloudy I swapped out the catrige for a clean one. This morning my water was clear.I pplanted half the tank, and then waited for it to settle down again a planted the second half. I'm running the HOT with my filter media now, and it is cklearing. It just takes patience.
 
keep your filter running, if you shut it off, the dust will settle, and when you turn it on it will just stir it up again, keep your filter running and let the dust filter out.

good luck!
 
Along with what Rocker92 Said, you can also Add in a particulate matter binder ( declouds water ). IMO i like Acurel F, it will clump all those little particles together so they are big enough to get caught in your filter, or heavy enough to settle to the bottom. However this should be done before a lot of ornaments or plants are in there. It can make the particles stick to the items in the tank but even that will clear up after a little while. Hope this helps.
 
Thanks, everyone--I think I'll try the acruel F if it's not clear by tomorrow, and I'll turn the filter back on.
 
I started using quilt batting for mechanical filtration and i think it works pretty good. It will clog easily if there is a lot of particles in the water, so rinse it or replace it every day until things clear up. But a $5 bag from walmart is likely a lifetime supply. Much cheaper than micron filters and probably acruel F.

Every review i have read about the aquariumplants substrate says that it is light weight and people have a tough time getting plants to stay put once planted. At first anyway.
 
I agree with it being lightweight--my AC-30 filter blew a hole in it--I was going to either mix it with gravel or top it, but the folks at Aquarium plants said to use it alone. Now, peanut bowl, you've got me worried about planting it.
 
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