First tank and already messed up. Do I need to start over?

[kiteski14]

I finally got my tank today (Fluval evo 13.5). I’ve been learning about this Harvey for the past couple weeks and when I got my tank today I went to my local fish store and bought sand, Rodi water, salt, and a number of other things. I got home and mixed the salt with the rodi. I totally forgot to rinse the sand before putting it into the tank and now it’s completely fogged from the sand. Will my tank overcome this or do I need to start fresh? I also think I filled up my tank a bit too high as all three compartments in the back are at the same level. I’ve been watching videos and it seems like other people‘s levels are lower in the three compartments. I attached some pictures, do I need to take some water out? Is something other than me rinsing the sand wrong? I have the pump on now, is that right? Or should I turn it off until the fog subsides?
Thanks

 

[Dempsey941]

First welcome to R2R

You don’t need to start over. I would just turn off your flow until the sand settles, and siphon out the excess water to get your baffles back in line.

 

[esther]

Welcome to R2R! +1 on not starting over. Make sure you have patience... That's the best advice I can give. No knee jerk reactions. Sometimes that makes it worse. I've learned that the hard way.

 

[sawyern]

I'd take a few gallons out and let the tank settle. Once it's settled let the pumps run until the water looks clear from there, get the water level to where you want it, get the heat going, add live rock, and you should be back on track to a fresh start!
+1 on the patience starting takes time. Lots of time.

 

[ZaneGreay]

Welcome and +2 to not starting over. Do as said above also was it live or dry sand? What are you using to cycle?

 

[Peace River]

You are already getting good advice so I'll just jump in to say #WelcometoR2R !

 

[TopShelfAquatics]

Welcome!
No need to restart! There are super simple solutions to this.
Go ahead and drain a little water out and use it to rinse off whatever your first piece of mechanical filtration is. It'll help a little clearing it up but mostly it'll just be time.
You can use your preferred cycling product now though. I don't really see a need for you to wait

 

[Kellie in CA]

I never wash live sand. Just leave it, it will clear up by morning.

 

[cloggins]

No need to start over. The fines causing the cloudiness can be removed by some mechanical filtration (floss), and adding some kind of bacteria (Microbacter7 or some such).

 

[Mastiffsrule]

You are already getting good advice so I'll just jump in to say #WelcometoR2R !

And there are no mess ups, I have already done all those. Just learning curves left now

welcome aboard

 

[Dempsey941]

And there are no mess ups, I have already done all those. Just learning curves left now

welcome aboard

If I had a dollar for every mess up I made in this hobby I could buy a @TopShelfAquatics Holy Grail Torch.

 

[Phildago]

Meh, I say let er rip. It'll clear up soon, you may find some silt in your filter but whatever, it'll be fine.

 

[ReefReadyYouTube]

I’ve set up 3 saltwater reef tanks before and never have washed my sand. Everything works out.

 

[reef lover]

Welcome to r2r!

 

[lapin]

Howdy. You can use paper towels to gently wipe off the glass. They will also help removing scum from the surface.

 

[kiteski14]

Okay thanks. Should

Welcome and +2 to not starting over. Do as said above also was it live or dry sand? What are you using to cycle?

Thanks for all the responses everyone, super helpful! Good news! I woke up this morning and the tank is already looking much more clear.

To be honest I'm not exactly sure if it was live or dry. It came in a bag that my local fish store opened and poured out for me, so I'm assuming it's dry sand as it was not submerged.

For the cycle, I'm looking into that now. I have live rock in there, is that enough? Would you recommend adding something else to speed up the process.

I did a water test this morning and the levels were
Nitrat .05
Nitri 0
Ca mg1 400
dkH 15
pH 8.2

I realized that my test kit doesn't test ammonia, is that important? Should I buy an additional test kit to monitor the cycle?

 

[Terri Caton]

There is absolutely no need to test your water yet.
Yes to the ammonia kit.
You can cycle a tank with dry rock and add an ammonia source but it takes weeks so be patient. You need to add a source of ammonia to your tank. A piece of raw shrimp will do.
If you have real, wet live rock it will be quicker.
If you add a bottled source of bacteria like Turbo Start, Microbacter 7 or Dr. Tims, etc it will be quicker.
At this point you cannot mess things up. Easy fixes when starting a tank. It's later when stocked that things can get a little tricky.

Welcome!

 

[Radman73]

Welcome! I've rinsed my sand and still had a cloudy mess so don't worry about it.

Regarding the cycle, yes, an ammonia kit will help. I've typically kicked of my cycle with a pure ammonia source that you can pick up at a grocery store. Just make sure is doesn't have any additives. If you google, you'll find a calculator to determine how much ammonia to add based off of your water volume. Then use the test kit to make sure it reads at close to what you were expecting.

I have also used bacteria in a bottle products(like Biospira) to seed the tank, just don't overdo it. A little goes a long way.

Test daily to watch the ammonia become nitrite, and then nitrate. When the tank can convert ~5ppm ammonia to nitrate in 24 hours, then the cycle is complete and you get to do your first water change. This is how I started my last 2 tanks and it's worked well for me.

Once your cycle is complete, be patient, especially with a nano. No reason to stock too quickly. Let your tank go through some growing pains first. Let it get a little algae and put in a small clean up crew. Let it go a month or two post cycle before adding your first fish .

Good luck!

 

[destro]

It's only been a little over 15 minutes and look at all the great advice you get.

Nothing more for me to add other than, don't be tempted to stock your tank yet. Wait for the nitrogen cycle to complete and water parameters to stabilize. Let the fun begin!

 

[arturoo1977]

Welcome to R2R. Some helpful comments to you as a new reefer.
Patience is THE key for everything in this hobbie.
As you may already know, R2R is a very nice place to solve all your questions and share your experiences.
Some filter floss will clear your water in couple of days.
Enjoy the journey!