Sand, how much rinsing is enough?

[oneponygirl]

Hi all, I picked up a bag of sterilized play sand for my new 10g today and am rinsing. And rinsing and rinsing and rinsing. How do I know when enough is enough? If I pour tepid water into the bucket with the sand it stays pretty clear, hot water makes it muddier looking. Agitation makes it pretty cloudy but it would do that no matter how clean it is, it's sand for crying out loud. So I'm hoping someone who has used sand will be able to tell me. I looked for the pinned topic on sand and couldn't find it. Thanks all!

 

[tttnjfttt]

I washed my sand till it stayed relatively clear, and also I watched how fast it settled down after stiring it up. Basically, I did this because when I clean my tank, it is gonna get stired up, and I don't want to wait days until I can see my fish again.

Also, one tank I didn't wash it well enough, and it got very when I filled it, about 3 days later, it was still murkey looking.

 

[oneponygirl]

Thanks! I thought I had rinsed it enough but then adding it to the tank made it get all stirred up again. Do I have to wait for it to be clear before adding fish or can I just let it settle a bit?

 

[fishwatcher]

I rinsed mine decently, but not great. It took a day for it to settle completely. Then of course when it gets stirred up it doesn't look so great, but it'll settle pretty quickly. You can add your fish pretty much at any time. My water was pretty cloudy when I added mine and they were just fine.
Good luck!

 

[oneponygirl]

OK, fish, water, et all are in but the current of the pump is so strong that I fear the water will never clear. It doesn't seem to have cleared a bit since I turned the pump on, you can see particles swirling around. How long should I give it and what should I do if it doesn't clear? Currently, you can see about a third of the way from the front to the back of the tank.

 

[pica_nuttalli]

here's a thought: you can purchase some really fine filter sponges at most larger fish suppliers. get a 3-pack and put one in the place where your filter-floss would normally go (you may have to remove the floss; in that case, see if you can't rig that to sit in the filter output with an airline inside it to keep the bacteria aerated.) the sponge should do a better job of removing fine particles than the filter floss would alone and should help clear your water faster.

but be sure to keep the original filter floss somewhere with an oxygen supply! or your tank will have to cycle all over again.

--EDIT--
i think pygmy goats are the cutest. lemme know if you ever post pics!

 

[Angry_Platy]

I just did the switch to sand and spent approx 4 hours washing 20kg of sand. I used a 9L bucket filled approx 1/2 full with sand then stuck the bucket under the tap and let the water run for a while, then tipped the water off, then ran the water again, then tipped the water off.....etc.etc. Basically what I was looking for was no dirt rising from the sand when I turned the tap on. I still saw murkey water when I tipped the water off the top though.

When put in the tank it was clear straight away and crystal clear 1/2 hour after turning the filters on. I have some particulate matter sitting on top of the sand but it kinda looks OK.

HTH

 

[oneponygirl]

Good idea with the sponge. When I run out later I might pick some up. Overnight it has cleared up a bit. I can actually see all the way through it and see my fishes, it's just a little dirty looking still.

Angry Platy, I used that same method with the buckets. I would run in the water, stir up the sand with my hand and then dump it off. I probably just didn't quite do it as long as I should have. I'm admittedly not the most patient person. Now I know better for next time.

Also, there are pics of my goats on my website My Webpage. I don't have pics of my fish yet. I have plans for that soon.

 

[oneponygirl]

Alrighty, it's crystal clear now. Now I can see how plain it is in the terms of plants. I moved a few of the fake plants from the 5 gallon but didn't bother getting more because I want real ones so until then there's only a few.

I did get two more neon tetras today to bring the count to five. The new ones are SO cute! Tiny compared to the others and the second I put them in the tank they just clung to the others and won't let them out of their sight. Precious.