Water And Sand

[fishboy619]

i have changed my gravel substrate to sand today, but the sand is taking ages to settle, i have my fish in bags in buckets with warm water in bottles floating in the bucket to keep them warm.the water level is only about 5inches from the sand and its really murky. is there a quick way to get the sand to settle as i dont want to leave my fish in the bags longer then i have to. i started about 2 hours ago, removing plants,decor fish, taking away old gravel, washing sand adding sand etc. but this part (waiting for sand to settle) is taking a while. its already been 45minuets since i added it and its not muich clearer, any ideas. please help
cheers

 

[The-Wolf]

you can put the fish back in the tank.
think about rainstorms and how silty rivers get, the fish can handle it.

 

[fishboy619]

but wont the fish get all the sand in their gills, i thought thats why you werent suppose to stir the substrate, because all the little particles annoy the fish and sufface them.

 

[The-Wolf]

no they won't
as i said think about rainstorms and how silty the rivers get during/after them.
common sense debates that nature wouldn't create a fish that dies evey time a little rain falls.

 

[fishboy619]

not trying to argue with you wolf, as i know you know your stuff, but im still worries, none of my fish are wild caught and have lived in tanks all their lives, should i just top up the water to full then float/release the fish?i have platies,betta,ADF and shrimp. also a few platy fry.

 

[The-Wolf]

I know you are not trying to argue, I can see that you have certain concerns about the safty of your fish.
I am trying to point out that your concerns are unwarrented, they will be fine.

if you really are that concerned then perform a 50% water change and then add the fish, but
IMHO that would be a waste of effort and your time, but by all means do what you feel you need to ensure peice of mind.

 

[fishboy619]

cheer for the advice, i will top up the water level to full, turn the filter back on, float the fish bags, and hope for the best. i will do a water change this weekend and test the water often.

 

[DarkEntity]

Dont put the filter on till the sand settles. Sand is an abrasive, it can damage the filter.

 

[fishboy619]

cheers for noticfiying me about the filter. i get that sand is bad for filters but what does abrasive mean? i have topped up the water level to full now, and switched the heater back on, the filter is now off.how long will i have to wait app. untill i turn the filter back on. the fish are in the bags as of now, should i release them now. i still have the plants and decor to add, i couldnt see where to put them before as the sand cloudy my view. would i be able to add the fish tonight. then tommorow add the plants and decor, hopeing the sand has settled. if i have the fish in their for a while without the filter on, wont it effect the water, ie. ammonia etc?
just wanting to make sure before i do anything for sure.my platies are my own bred and lovely colors and i would hate to feel like i killed them but my mistakes.

 

[idlefingers]

cheers for noticfiying me about the filter. i get that sand is bad for filters but what does abrasive mean? i have topped up the water level to full now, and switched the heater back on, the filter is now off.how long will i have to wait app. untill i turn the filter back on. the fish are in the bags as of now, should i release them now. i still have the plants and decor to add, i couldnt see where to put them before as the sand cloudy my view. would i be able to add the fish tonight. then tommorow add the plants and decor, hopeing the sand has settled. if i have the fish in their for a while without the filter on, wont it effect the water, ie. ammonia etc?
just wanting to make sure before i do anything for sure.my platies are my own bred and lovely colors and i would hate to feel like i killed them but my mistakes.

From wikipedia:

An abrasive is a material that is used to smooth, machine, or, in some cases, roughen another softer material through extensive rubbing.

So for example sandpaper would be an abrasive material.

Sorry I cant help with the filter advice. Best of luck

 

[smithrc]

did you wash the sand?

If not it will take days to clear... I decided not to clean 2 bags of playsand for our 350L as it was cold out.... took over a week to clear....

the sand will have settled after a few seconds what it suspended in the water is very very very fine dust....
turn you filter on and add the fish - they will be much better off in the tank rather than bags.

Can you add filter wool to the filter - its really good at clearing sand dust

If not, get a powerhead a bit of tube that fits onto the intake and a tupperware, poke the pipe into the pot and pack it with filter wool.

 

[fishboy619]

great advice but... i have a juwel aquarium and all the filter is in the corner, i have some white prefilter wool ontop of the whole filter media thats suppose to collect food and bit particles.wont the sand particles damage the filter? i washed the sand, but not very well, it mixed it with water then scooped out the sand and using my hand to stop the sand falling out, poured the water back into the container, before adding it to the bottom of the tank.will the fine dust effect my fish and frogs?
what would be best, keeping the fish in the bags for now, leaving it a while or adding the fish, then when its cleared, adding the plants and decor? i cant see to add the extras yet.i can just about see the first 4 inches of sand from the front, but seeing the background picture i can usally see is not possable.
just an idea, but could i use the prefilter wool and place it in a net, then dragging in the water, collecting the fine dust?will it work do you think?

 

[smithrc]

pack the top of the juwel with the wool.

any way of getting the cloudy water to pass through the filter wool will help.

Get the fish in there

 

[fishboy619]

okey, cheers. ive added an extra 2 wool pads (all that would fit in) and used the net/wool idea i asked about before. its still murky, but it takes time. the fish will be added in a little while.
just one more question that never been answered, can i still modifiy it tomorrow like adding planst and whatnot, or will it stress the fish out more 2 days in a row, i wasnt planing on takeing them out, just working around them?

 

[fishboy619]

just an update to any one who cares: i add the fish back into the tank after floating them, they all seem heathy.i will add the plants and decor tomorrow. the net with wool in it, didnt work very well, but the 3 white prefilter pads in the filter seem to be doing a good job.the water is clearing a bit more now, the sand is looking good. i will treat my fish with brine shrimp and bloodworms tomorrow. they've been though a lot today,being in the bags and buckets for hours on ends.