Cloudy Tank

[discretekarma]

I added water last night for the first time to my 180. I filled it up about half way with tap water and then poured in 3 bags of salt. I know I should use RO/DI and I know I should not have dumped the sand in so fast. My tank is now so cloudy that you can hardly see in too it and it has been this way since yesterday.

 

I want to know how to get rid of this problem. Some say wait it out but I heard of this lasting a long time in other people's tanks.

 

I've added a powerhead with an air jet and still no help. Right now it's only the salt and the water in the tank. Nothing else.

 

Thanks,

Scott

[dandy7200]

Don't sweat it. Give it a few days. It will settle on it's own. I added a frag tank to my setup not to long ago and dumped some substrate right in, here is a before and after:

 

Before:

 

 

During:

 

 

After:

 

 

Yes you should have used RO to fill with........"bad, bad, bad discretekarma"

[trble81]

Dan's right. When we first started with our 35 gallon hex, it looked like crap for a couple of days. Once we gave it time to settle (and running the canister filter at the same time), the salt properly mixed and all the substrate settled. The one thing that was nice was that the aragonite sand we used wasn't too fine, so it'll probably take less time than someone using the sugar fine stuff, for instance.

 

--Mike

[rrubberbandman]

Don't sweat it. Give it a few days. It will settle on it's own. I added a frag tank to my setup not to long ago and dumped some substrate right in, here is a before and after:

 

Before:

 

 

During:

 

 

After:

 

 

Yes you should have used RO to fill with........"bad, bad, bad discretekarma"

before and after look the same

[davelin315]

I get it, it's like those Highlights for Kids find the different things in the picture!

 

OK, here I go!

1. The cowfish moved!
   
2. There are those funny looking rock beauty angels...
   
3. The purple staghorn is gone!
   
4. And the obvious one is that Dan's got his mega skimmer hooked up to his tank in the last one!
   

I win!

 

Dan, I'll happily accept my prize of the NADC skimmer!

 

Seriously though, usually if you dump in too much salt mix it won't clear up very quickly. You said you filled it halfway which is probably roughly in the neighborhood of 70-80 gallons of water (remember, tanks don't hold what they are rated for as the ratings are based upon external dimensions rather than internal dimensions) and with 3 bags of salt, each of which I'm guessing is good for 50 gallons of water, you're looking at some very salty water. Now you're going to run into the problem of dechlorinating the water so it's time to start in with the RO/DI. I know that salt is supposed to bond with certain the chlorine in tap water but I have never been comfortable enough to take the risk that it doesn't neutralize it.

[treesprite]

wait, was it the sand or the salt?

[HowardofNOVA]

Add Amquel to your tank to help on the tap water, then DON't spend another dime on your tank until you get an RO/DI unit!

:wink:

Ebay units will run you about $150 if you shop and bid smartly! Get at least a 4-stage one.

Good luck!

[Guest Undercoverdork]

I think you should also mix your salt water and test it before you put it in your tank. Invest in a refractometer

 

good luck, im sure it will clear up soon

[YBeNormal]

Add Amquel to your tank to help on the tap water, then DON't spend another dime on your tank until you get an RO/DI unit!

:wink:

Ebay units will run you about $150 if you shop and bid smartly! Get at least a 4-stage one.

Good luck!

 

Personally I'd pass on the eBay units. RO/DI is key to your system and you have no idea of the quality of those eBay units and customer service if you have questions or need service.

 

airwaterice.com has a great 5-stage RO/DI unit for $139.95 or the same unit with some additional bells and whistles for $189.00. They also have great customer service and offer lifetime warrenty on all parts. I believe BRK is now carrying this line of products or can at least order them for you. JMHO