just getting started

[oakleyanni]

I'm new to saltwater but not to fresh and i just set up my first saltwater tank and have questions already!
I've been reading so much on the hobby that at this point I figured it was time to just start asking people.....so I set up my 29 gallon last night and after cleaning my substrate (a mix of black sand and crushed coral) and putting it in the tank, as I started to add the water it became very cloudy! I know I cleaned the coral until the water ran clear but then why is my water clouding up? Soooo I hucked up the filter and left it run and this morning the water was clear but when I pocked at the bottom the water started to get cloudy again!! Okay do I need to start over or is this okay......of fcourse I'm not adding fish until the tank is cycled but i don't even want to get that far into it if this substrate is going to cause problems in the future.....can someone please point me in the right direction
Thanks so much

 

[stellablu]

I use aragonite sand and it takes a couple of days to fully settle. I worried the same as you did. Give it a day or two should settle in nicely.

 

[Navarre]

Hi and welcome to the marine section.
The cloudiness is very fine particles that will remain in the system. I would not worry over it too much to be honest as this will get moved and cleaned by the cleanup crew once they are introduced.

What are you going to be doing for filtration? The most common and by far the best method is considered to be Liverock.

Are you going with fish only or hoping for a reef setup? (If reef is your choice then lighting needs to be considered)

 

[oakleyanni]

Thank you so much for the advice I will just let it go

I have a 29 gallon eclipse sysetm with a wet-dry biofilter. I'm planning on getting live rock next week and I eventually would like to go reef but it will be a bit for I'm not trying to jump into anything to fast.
Speaking of bottom feeders how many and what kinds would I need for such a small tank I don't want to over populate?

Thanks for all the help I'm sure I'll be back

 

[Navarre]

Glad to be of help


You will be suprised but you will need at least 1 cleanup crew per gallon of tank. So 29 cleanup crew (29 hermit or snail or a mixture of both). These dont need to be purchased all at once of course, perhaps 10 to start with and then each time you visit your shop for food or livestock, simply add another cleanup to the list, this way the expense is not as bad.