Added sand and aquarium is now cloudy...

[tjp123]

Hi, everyone.

I'm getting back into the hobby after a brief, 2-year foray into it about 15 years ago. I'm setting up my new tank and I've run into a puzzling issue.

First off, here is my set-up:

• CAD Lights 68 gallon Versa tank (35.5 x 21.5 x 19.5)
• 18 gallon sump
• Return pump: Jebo AP3500 (recently replaced by a Jebao DCT-4000)
• Two powerheads (Koralia 3G 1350 gph and SongJoy 660 gp)
• Substrate: 80 pounds Fiji Pink Arag-Alive live sand
• Octopus 110 (in sump space saver skimmer) - not hooked up yet
• 150W Marineland heater
• 80# dry rock, 10# live rock (not added yet)

OK, after successfully leak testing everything, I mixed my salt water in the tank (using Reef Crystals), turned on my heater (holding steady at 79 degrees), and let the salt disperse while running my return pump and powerheads. So far, so good. Fourteen hours later my salinity was good (1.026), so I decided to dump in my sand. Boom, instant milkshake.

When the sand silt didn't settle within a few hours I began to panic and started searching the internet for help. I quickly figured out what I did wrong (I didn't rinse the sand), but the advice I saw also told me pretty much the same thing: be patient, leave it be, leave your powerheads and return pump running, and it will settle on its own. So I went to bed and dreamed sweet dreams of a crystal clear aquarium.

About eight hours later (in the wee hours of the morning) my Jebo AP3500 return pump started making a terrible LOUD buzzing noise. I investigated, took the pump apart for cleaning, and found that something (I don't know what did it. A tiny shell fragment? A steady flow of silt? The cruddy pump was defective?) had damaged the rubber seal which caused the impeller to constantly slip out of place. Anyway, I unplugged the pump and just left my powerheads running for the next 2 days (one in the tank and one in the sump so the water wouldn't stagnate) until my new pump arrived (the Jebao DCT-4000).

The new pump arrived yesterday, so I hooked it up. Much more powerful and quiet ... at least at first. After running all night, the return pump is running noticeably louder. And now I'm afraid of damaging it (like the first pump). Today also marks the 5th straight day my tank has remained cloudy. I want to add my base rock and buy a little live rock from my LFS and add it to my tank, but I can't see well enough to do any decent aquascaping.

So, I have a few questions:

• Can sand silt really damage my return pump so quickly? I haven't been able to find a single report of this happening to anyone else on the internet.
• What can I do to prevent it (aside from cleaning it religiously until the sand settles)?
• Should I keep my return pump and powerheads running while my tank is cloudy?

I'm definitely open and eager to hear your advice!

Thanks!
~Tom

 

[scriptmonkey]

Going to watch this so I can see the answer. Getting to the point of starting to hook up RODI and start generating water for leak testing and shakedown and will be adding Sand and Rock hopefully soon after that so interested in the responses.

 

[Brew12]

Hi, everyone.

I'm getting back into the hobby after a brief, 2-year foray into it about 15 years ago. I'm setting up my new tank and I've run into a puzzling issue.

First off, here is my set-up:

• CAD Lights 68 gallon Versa tank (35.5 x 21.5 x 19.5)
• 18 gallon sump
• Return pump: Jebo AP3500 (recently replaced by a Jebao DCT-4000)
• Two powerheads (Koralia 3G 1350 gph and SongJoy 660 gp)
• Substrate: 80 pounds Fiji Pink Arag-Alive live sand
• Octopus 110 (in sump space saver skimmer) - not hooked up yet
• 150W Marineland heater
• 80# dry rock, 10# live rock (not added yet)

OK, after successfully leak testing everything, I mixed my salt water in the tank (using Reef Crystals), turned on my heater (holding steady at 79 degrees), and let the salt disperse while running my return pump and powerheads. So far, so good. Fourteen hours later my salinity was good (1.026), so I decided to dump in my sand. Boom, instant milkshake.

When the sand silt didn't settle within a few hours I began to panic and started searching the internet for help. I quickly figured out what I did wrong (I didn't rinse the sand), but the advice I saw also told me pretty much the same thing: be patient, leave it be, leave your powerheads and return pump running, and it will settle on its own. So I went to bed and dreamed sweet dreams of a crystal clear aquarium.

About eight hours later (in the wee hours of the morning) my Jebo AP3500 return pump started making a terrible LOUD buzzing noise. I investigated, took the pump apart for cleaning, and found that something (I don't know what did it. A tiny shell fragment? A steady flow of silt? The cruddy pump was defective?) had damaged the rubber seal which caused the impeller to constantly slip out of place. Anyway, I unplugged the pump and just left my powerheads running for the next 2 days (one in the tank and one in the sump so the water wouldn't stagnate) until my new pump arrived (the Jebao DCT-4000).

The new pump arrived yesterday, so I hooked it up. Much more powerful and quiet ... at least at first. After running all night, the return pump is running noticeably louder. And now I'm afraid of damaging it (like the first pump). Today also marks the 5th straight day my tank has remained cloudy. I want to add my base rock and buy a little live rock from my LFS and add it to my tank, but I can't see well enough to do any decent aquascaping.

So, I have a few questions:

• Can sand silt really damage my return pump so quickly? I haven't been able to find a single report of this happening to anyone else on the internet.
• What can I do to prevent it (aside from cleaning it religiously until the sand settles)?
• Should I keep my return pump and powerheads running while my tank is cloudy?

I'm definitely open and eager to hear your advice!

Thanks!
~Tom

Running felt filter socks on your system should prevent any particles large enough to damage your pump from getting through to it. Even if you don't have sock holders you just need to be creative in figuring out how to put them in place.

 

[brandon429]

nice call on the pump prefiltering, surprised that Fiji pink casts that much into the water its what I used too


https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/t...ead-aka-one-against-many.230281/#post-2681445

based on that Id simply do it over and truck back 68 gallons of water for a fresh start on the rinsed bed, or use a canister filter meant for a freshwater tank with micron filter to slowly take out the particles which is long and drawn out. each time you move the sand tinier clouds will result so I like the do over better

if you cant do that for practicality then buy some flocculant and add it to the water it will bind the small particles in time and settle them out Ill go search to see whats out there im not sure what they call that stuff by name

I wouldn't use the floc approach, id start the tank over correctly to save mass headaches next time some live rock falls over in the sand one day, but if you must floc then

http://www.drtimsaquatics.com/cloudy-aquarium-water

 

[donnievaz]

I always put the sand in before the water but it's too late for that. I would turn off the return pump and the stronger of the two powerheads. Point the remaining one towards the surface and wait it out. It will eventually settle out.

 

[RezC]

I'd recommend turning one or all devices off to reduce waiting time for sand to settle. I too did not rinse my sand, this was my solution, also helps powerheads from being clogged

 

[brandon429]

that's smart water use too. he could easily still the tank, wait 24 hours for it to settle, and draw off only the top 2/3 water into a holding bucket for reuse, leaving the cloudy stuff 1/3 below for total rework. much water save that way.

 

[Shelbytwp123]

Give it a week with minimal mechanical filtration should be crystal clear

 

[ReefKeeperElite]

I'd put the live rock in first so that it's not sitting on the sand, then add the well-rinsed sand, then slowly add seawater, preferably into the overflow to minimize sand stirring.

 

[glb]

Eventually it will settle. I'd turn off your powerheads for now. I used a felt filter sock to keep the sand out of the sump when I set up my tank. It took several days but eventually the water cleared. But I did rinse my sand first. You could change some water if you haven't started the cycle to clear things up a little. Good luck!

 

[scriptmonkey]

seeing he is using live sand, wouldn't rinsing it sort of defeat the purpose of buying live sand? Sorry if it is a stupid question, trying to learn.

 

[tjp123]

Thanks, everyone. I'm going to turn off my powerheads and return pump and wait it out. If It takes more than 2 days to settle, I'll pick up some of Dr. Tim's floc.

Do I need to worry about stagnant water or anything like that if the water isn't being circulated for a few days?

 

[brandon429]

if there's no life the stilled water wont hurt.


that's a valid question scriptmonkey we opened our sand rinse thread with a breakdown as to why it doesn't harm live sand to rinse it, its these highlights:

-these wet packed live sand bags aren't giving us pods stars worms and burrowers, they're claimed live due to bacteria and being sold wet to us, which always keeps bacteria alive, they don't need food from human offerings as much as they just need water to secure their own food (the death of non filtration bacteria in the hydrated mix is but one source of food for nitrifiers)

live sand is a convoluted surface area that when under a microscope looks like craggy rocks from a mountainside, and rinsing can't dislodge bacteria from a surface like that. rinsing would partially clean cold flat steel of bacteria, but never high surface area surfaces.

 

[scriptmonkey]

if there's no life the stilled water wont hurt.


that's a valid question scriptmonkey we opened our 6 page sand rinse thread above with a thorough breakdown as to why it doesn't harm live sand to rinse it, its these highlights:

-these wet packed live sand bags aren't giving us pods stars worms and burrowers, they're claimed live due to bacteria and being sold wet to us, which always keeps bacteria alive, they don't need food from human offerings as much as they just need water to secure their own food (the death of non filtration bacteria in the hydrated mix is but one source of food for nitrifiers)

live sand is a convoluted surface area that when under a microscope looks like craggy rocks from a mountainside, and rinsing can't dislodge bacteria from a surface like that. rinsing would partially clean cold flat steel of bacteria, but never high surface area surfaces.

Thank make perfect sense, appreciate the response. Good luck tjp123!

 

[tjp123]

My wife snapped a picture of our tank. It's still a bit cloudy ... but it actually looks like it's improving some. I couldn't see the black back of the tank last night.

 

[beaslbob]

with no livestock, turn off all circulation. Should clear up in a few days.

 

[brandon429]

This reef vase is ten yrs old and the sandbed is continually made like new a couple times a year this well rinsed

It's tap water, even chlorine won't sterilize the bed, rinse is too brief. Final rinse is in saltwater, corals and rocks stacked back on top

That is Fiji sand, cloudless if you ever want the condition via force which takes out the smallest suspended particles.




helpful just to see a system far smaller with no safety dilution do a full rinse cleaning...a flocculant will help tremendously and if you ever start another bed the rinse option can be considered

 

[TheLadyCrash]

Running felt filter socks on your system should prevent any particles large enough to damage your pump from getting through to it. Even if you don't have sock holders you just need to be creative in figuring out how to put them in place.

+1 - run filter socks and rinse daily if needed until it clears up

 

[Midknightskie]

I have to agree with a few of the others on running a filter sock to catch and trap the silt. That's what is destroying the pumps, and if that new pump is already a little noisy then it's probably already damaged and won't be long till it's dead too. So it would be best to drain the sump clear it out and refill it then start the flow.

 

[tjp123]

Update: When I got home from work yesterday, I fully intended to turn off my return pump and powerheads and wait it out. However, the tank was noticeably less cloudy ... so went ahead and added most of my dry rock and left the system running overnight. This morning, the tank was even clearer and everything was running smoothly and quietly. It's still murky, but I can see all the way to the back of the tank and can see all of my dry rock. Today, I plan to hit my LFS on the way home and buy a few small pieces of live rock to supplement (and hopefully seed) my dry rock. I'll also thoroughly clean the silt off of my return pump and powerheads.

Thanks for all of your advice, everyone! Once I get things going a little further, I'll start a build thread.