Water Dirty Brown After Adding Sand

[chris1804]

hi, im new here,

i want to set up a tropical fish tank for my son but im having problems,

ive got all that i need just not the fish yet,

my problem is im using sand not gravel, ive washed it a number of times, ive added it to the tank then filled the tank with water, but the tanks going dirty brown, ive done this about 3 times and its all the same, its a 50l tank what am i doing wrong?

 

[elisew]

Hi chris
Welcome to TFF

I always give my sand a really, really good wash, probably about 5 or 6 times in a bucket until the water begins to run quite clear. When you`ve put the sand in are you just pouring the water straight on top of the sand?
Try putting a sandwich/dinner plate on top of the sand and pour the water onto the plate before it gets to the sand. You may well end up with a 'scummy' looking residue on the surface of the water when it`s settled, just scoop the top layer off and then slowly add enough water to top it back up again.
Once you have your filter running you`ll notice the water will clear.

Please do make sure to read around the forum about cycling your tank before you add any fish. It`ll take a few weeks until the tank is ready but better safe than sorry

 

[chris1804]

do i wash in cold or hot water? because ive been using cold. ill give it another go tomorrow, ill wash it again 6 times, somebody told me to wait till the sands dry fill the tank with water and pour the dand in the water, if it dont work ill get gravel lol


sorry just re-read , so even tho its looks dirty i have to run the filter for about 2 weeks to get the water clear?

 

[elisew]

I always use cold water because I use the hosepipe in the garden.

Drain as much water out of the sand as you can after washing it then tip it into the empty tank, (it doesn`t have to be dry) Level it out and then put a plate on top and then fill with water. (I personally wouldn`t put water in until the sand is in and levelled)

You`ll find any cloudiness will clear within a few hours of the filter running but that won`t mean you can put fish straight in.

See how you go doing it that way but if you have any bother come back and just shout

Don`t give up, sand will look much nicer and it`s actually easier to keep clean

 

[chris1804]

yea i like sand better than gravel, i no this sound stupid but how do i fill the tank up buckets or hose pipe wich one will help, so will the filter make the water clear if its brown?

 

[Noahs ark6]

Leave it, it is only sand in the water. dont turn the filter on until the sand settles. good luck

 

[chris1804]

Leave it, it is only sand in the water. dont turn the filter on until the sand settles. good luck

how long do you have to leave it for? i left it for 3 hours today and it was still the same , ive cleaned the tank out now and emptyed the sand so ill try it all again tomorrow

 

[stubert]

have you got any wood in there?

 

[chris1804]

have you got any wood in there?

no ,no wood,

 

[chris1804]

elisew thanks for info, i used the plate method and it worked a treat, only prob is im stuck on what to buy, can you guys give me some ideas, ive ordered a air pump with double output and i wanna get a a tube so the bubbles blow all up the back wall, gonna get a background but dont know wich one, could you please tell me what kind of stuff will look nice,

heres a pic so far, ive got to empty the water i just done this to see how the plate method went

 

[elisew]

Glad all went well

If you haven`t got them yet I would say a filter and heater would be the first things to put in the tank.
What kind of fish are you planning on keeping?

Have a look in this section of the forum, you can get some good ideas from other members who have taken pics of their tanks:
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/forum/22-members-aquarium-and-fish-pictures/

Might be better if you start to post in the Tropical discussion section now as most of the members of the forum read and post there. Your posts and questions are more likely to be read and answered

 

[festo]

where did you get your ideas for decoration from?

 

[chris1804]

Glad all went well

If you haven`t got them yet I would say a filter and heater would be the first things to put in the tank.
What kind of fish are you planning on keeping?

Have a look in this section of the forum, you can get some good ideas from other members who have taken pics of their tanks:
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/forum/22-members-aquarium-and-fish-pictures/

Might be better if you start to post in the Tropical discussion section now as most of the members of the forum read and post there. Your posts and questions are more likely to be read and answered

yea ive got filter and heater just waiting for heater to be delivered

where did you get your ideas for decoration from?

tbh i had the white thing give me and the plants i brought them lol it looks ok but not how i want it. lol i just wanted it to look simple but nice, i want to get some under water lighting what do people think? i was thinking about getting some white pebbles from the beach to put in what do you think?

 

[festo]

look on youtube,some great ideas on there