I recently brought my first fish tank. Filled it with sand,not realising I had to clean the sand first but had already started filling it up. I’ve since put Oxidiser in the tank and turned the pump on with the sponges/filters in place. Will the water eventually turn clear or do I have to take out all the water, wash the sand and start again?
Posted by ironspider_23
8 Comments
I’d just do a water change.
Unblur the pic and show us the tank!
Dang, how’d you get it to look so clear?
Jokes aside, you have a couple of options. If you let it sit long enough it will eventually settle, but that might take a very long time. You also could just do a water change or two or drain it completely. If you do drain it and refill it, people use all sorts of stuff to stop the water from stirring up the substrate and causing this. One of the best things I’ve seen is people using bubble wrap or something, pouring the water onto that, and it will rise with the water causing minimal stir-up.
If you wait and the water flow is low enough sediments will eventually settle. If you have a very fine filter floss in something like a canister filter you might be able to clear the particulate with just the filter alone but it’ll be faster and probably easier if you just drain the water, take out and rinse the sand, then re-add the substrate. Even if the particulates settle if you introduce bottom sifting fish like a corydoras or a catfish or if you plant into the substrate you’d stir up a mess again. So even if the water eventually turns clear the issue will remain ready to return unless you find a way to remove the particles for good.
I’d do a big water change
Do a big ol’ waterchange, perhaps one more. That is the fastest way. Otherwise, the wait can probably be anything from days to a week or so.
You can either:
1. use a few rounds of clarifier which will aggregate the small particles into larger ones and allow your filters to clear it up, but you’ll need to replace or clean the filter several times on this process cause it’s a lot.
2. Do several water changes, and it will go away eventually, but your tank won’t be cycling.
3. Throw out all the water, pull out as much substrate as you can, wash it, start over.
I assume there are no fish in this and you are starting to cycle it? Since it’s new, it doesn’t really matter which option you take, but I would choose number one.