Hi madblonde,
For future reference, you will get better results by starting a new thread with your question in the title. As far as the sand goes, you can do partial water changes to get the water to clear up a bit. I had the same problem using a Flourite substrate, my filter cleaned most of it. The filter cartridge will need to be rinsed in dechlorinated water to remove what dirt it's picked up. The remaining silt will settle. Good luck.