Cloudy

Brand new 90 gallon tank, all put together, just very cloudy ? Sandy ? Advised to leave pumps and skimmers off, in fact everything is off, tonight after 5 days everything looks fairly nice, so . . . . . . . . . . .I give a fan a try to blow the sand off my live rocks, I am now in cloudy water yet again ? Fan is not pointing directly at the sand How is it possible to avoid stiring up the sand when the pump is turned on ?
Might sound stupid, I certainly feel it ?

 

well, since you blew the sand off the rocks im assuming thats why its cloudy this time?

just allow it to settle down on its own IMO.

maybe try to aim the pumps towards the glass or to the top of the water.

 

+1 on above

its a very typical scenario with new tanks and new sand
after a period of time as bacteria start to colonise the sand bed the sand grains
tend to stay where they should be (although they will never be able to stand their ground under a direct hit from a decent water pump or wavemaker so as Elweshomayor stated - do not direct them at the sand bed)
the finer grains or fines as they are called will eventually start clumping together due to bacterial presence and your water clarity will improve

turning all the water flow off, just gives you a temporary relief from the situation
and as you noted, as soon as flow is re introduced these fine grains are lifted of the sand surface and drift about again for a while


Steve

 

so in a nutshell, give it some more time.

I didnt want to turn the filter on as I felt this would simply clog it up, and then I would have to pour the sand back in and start again.
What I have noticed is that the "fine" appears to be sticking to the glass ? again is this normal ?

I will give it another couple of days and turn the filter on.

 

its normal Scuba Ken
some of the particles will stick on smooth surfaces IME
you get a mix of tiny oxygen bubbles and particles , occasionally in a new set up which causes the adhesion you are seeing

Steve

 

I would leave the filter on. That is what it is for. You will just have to clean it a few times until everything settles down.

 

Leave the filter on as Vinny suggested and run the circulation pumps too.

 

i wont have any sand left in the tank if i leave the circulation pumps on ? Its like a dust storm in there ?

I will put the filter back on though.

I have several tropical tanks, and have always dreamed of having a reef, I get up every day praying that its doing the right thing.

Also Salienty wise, i have a reading of 1.023, a friend of mine is telling me it MUST be 1.022 or everything will die ? My local pet store says 1.025 is still ok ?

Wow so many opinions and which is right ?

Thanks guys, I really do appreciate your time and help

 

IMO anything between 1.023-1.026 is fine, consistency is more important.

I also agree leave the pumps on and change the direction or placement of the flow. You can have the sand storm now or later but you will mostly like have some increased suspended particles regardless. Eventually any mechanical filtration like sponge or floss, or filter sock will remove the particles.

In this hobby you are always going to get different opinions, just try and research as much as you can and look at some good books.

There is a ton of information on this link, I have it book marked.

Reefkeeping Online Magazine - Chemistry

 

+1 If your circ. pumps are causing a storm they are probably too big for the tank.