Clairet Posted April 24, 2014 Report Share Posted April 24, 2014 We are new to the world for fish keeping and we are currently trying to set up our tank. We are all ready to get our first fish in tomorrow (and Mr 4 is sooo excited) however we put rinsed Silica sand in about 3 hours ago and the tanks is still really cloudy. What have we done wrong? How long is it likely to take to settle?? Can we still put a fish in it tomorrow or is it harmful? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrienne Posted April 24, 2014 Report Share Posted April 24, 2014 You haven't done anything wrong. Putting a plastic bag on the substrate while filling the tank would have reduced but not stopped all the cloudiness. Depending on your filter it may have settled by the morning. May I ask how big the tank is and what sort of fish you are going to get tomorrow? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clairet Posted April 24, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 24, 2014 You haven't done anything wrong. Putting a plastic bag on the substrate while filling the tank would have reduced but not stopped all the cloudiness. Depending on your filter it may have settled by the morning. May I ask how big the tank is and what sort of fish you are going to get tomorrow? The tank is a Blue Planet 50ltr tank and we are just using the filter that comes with it. As to what fish we are starting with, we are not 100% on that as it depends on what the shop has. We may just start with neon's to make sure we have everything right to start with unless something else catches our eye at the shop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mangolm Posted April 24, 2014 Report Share Posted April 24, 2014 If it doesn't settle you could try either doing a series of water changes (cover the sand when re-filling to avoid stirring it up more and don't siphon the actual sand this time) or packing your filter with cosmetic cotton which i found cleared the dust from my flourite up really quickly due it being very dense. Because cosmetic cotton is often bleached i would then recommend a large water change and to switch back to your regular filter media before adding fish. But generally these things are just a matter of patience. Highly recommend you grab a test kit while you're at the shop tomorrow, at a bare minimum for ammonia to ensure the tank is cycling properly and so that you know when you need to do water changes while the tank is cycling. You could also ask them or someone you know with a healthy tank for a bag of water they have rinsed out their filter in. This will help to give your filter a head-start with bacteria. Make sure to ask if any fish are being treated or sick and not to buy from any tank which share the same water or filter system as those being treated/sick. If they say they don't know, ask them to find out or ask to speak to someone more senior. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted April 24, 2014 Report Share Posted April 24, 2014 we put rinsed Silica sand in about 3 hours ago and the tanks is still really cloudy. What have we done wrong? Only thing you've done wrong is not waited long enough. How long is it likely to take to settle?? Closer to 3 days than 3 hours. Can we still put a fish in it tomorrow Yup. or is it harmful? Nope. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camtang Posted April 24, 2014 Report Share Posted April 24, 2014 Have you cycled your tank? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingart Posted April 24, 2014 Report Share Posted April 24, 2014 There is a good article in beginners section about cycling your tank, relying on advice from a shop can be a hit and miss affair. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camtang Posted April 24, 2014 Report Share Posted April 24, 2014 http://www.fnzas.org.nz/?p=1868 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted April 24, 2014 Report Share Posted April 24, 2014 Have you cycled your tank? It's been (At that point) 3 hours, they have no fish, and no mention of a fishless cycle. So I'm going to say no it's not cycled. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camtang Posted April 25, 2014 Report Share Posted April 25, 2014 Hence why I asked, as they may not have considered or heard of cycling a tank before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clairet Posted April 26, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 26, 2014 Yes we did a fishless cycle and got the shop to test the water before buying some fish for it yesterday. They water is looking much better now that it has had a few days to settle. Thanks for all your help everyone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jim r Posted April 26, 2014 Report Share Posted April 26, 2014 Problem with silica sand is the fact you need to wash and wash and wash umtil you are left with approx %50 to get rid of the finer dust particles. I now this from having done this with over 20 5Kg bags of the stuff. Also it is very dificult to keep clean despite people claiming their fish do the job for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BikBok Posted April 27, 2014 Report Share Posted April 27, 2014 Yes we did a fishless cycle and got the shop to test the water before buying some fish for it yesterday. They water is looking much better now that it has had a few days to settle. Thanks for all your help everyone hi clairet did you post in trade me pets message board ? the name and details are similar to a post that was going there... sorry if its not you! But if you've only had the tank going for a week I'm pretty sure it would not have cycled yet. What fish did you put in? Keep an eye on water levels (Ammonia etc) for a while yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clairet Posted April 27, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 27, 2014 hi clairet did you post in trade me pets message board ? the name and details are similar to a post that was going there... sorry if its not you! But if you've only had the tank going for a week I'm pretty sure it would not have cycled yet. What fish did you put in? Keep an eye on water levels (Ammonia etc) for a while yet. Yes that was me =) We just have a few tetra in it at the moment and I am watching the water levels. Won't be putting any more in for at least another week Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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