Extended Period of Hazy Water During New Setup

LiquidSpace

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If you want to succeed in this hobby you need patience. We all know it, but that doesn’t stop me from thinking everything is going to go sideways before it begins. I know cloudiness to begin is normal and have experienced it, just never this long.


Long story short, I’m set up for patience. In order to not tick off my wife this build is very slow, meaning I’ll be getting a key piece of equipment about once a month before finally ending with the lights sometime next spring. I mention this because right now I do not have power heads which I’ll come back to. Doesn’t mean I can’t get started on a long cycle though!

So here’s the deal. This is a 200 gallon aquarium. It has 2 to 3 inches of aragonite special grand sand which WAS rinsed, just maybe not as well as it should have been…apparently. Tank is locked in for a long cylce right now, just currently running with a vectra L2 moving water. Next month some rock from Tampa Bay Saltwater comes to seed the system.


IMG_9408.jpeg


You’ll probably see this photo and be like, “you’re an idiot, that looks clear!” I promise you, in person it’s hazy! There’s a ton of film on the top of the water.

I have been running the pump for 7 days now running my default filter socks, which are mesh. There has been little to no change in clarity since Tuesday. To try and remedy this I bought a 200 micron felt sock as I’m noticing a thick coating of dust throughout my sump, suggesting the mesh sock is doing…nothing. So hopefully that works.


Here’s my question. Like I said, I’m all on board the patience train but is this normal on a large tank? Everything I see says water should clear up in a few days, and that’s my experience as well but I have never had a tank so big so maybe this is normal? Keep in mind I don’t have a Powerhead directed at the surface.


Would it help if I had a Powerhead to help push some of that crap through the overflow? I was thinking about getting a jeabo gyre. The return right now just looks like it’s causing water to circle on the surface, as observed by the film. I plan on doing a big water change once the cycle ends which will probably remedy the issue but still, I’ve gotta ask because I want to make sure I’m set up for success.

Should I turn off the pump for a bit and let it try to settle?
 

LiverockRocks

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If you want to succeed in this hobby you need patience. We all know it, but that doesn’t stop me from thinking everything is going to go sideways before it begins. I know cloudiness to begin is normal and have experienced it, just never this long.


Long story short, I’m set up for patience. In order to not tick off my wife this build is very slow, meaning I’ll be getting a key piece of equipment about once a month before finally ending with the lights sometime next spring. I mention this because right now I do not have power heads which I’ll come back to. Doesn’t mean I can’t get started on a long cycle though!

So here’s the deal. This is a 200 gallon aquarium. It has 2 to 3 inches of aragonite special grand sand which WAS rinsed, just maybe not as well as it should have been…apparently. Tank is locked in for a long cylce right now, just currently running with a vectra L2 moving water. Next month some rock from Tampa Bay Saltwater comes to seed the system.


IMG_9408.jpeg


You’ll probably see this photo and be like, “you’re an idiot, that looks clear!” I promise you, in person it’s hazy! There’s a ton of film on the top of the water.

I have been running the pump for 7 days now running my default filter socks, which are mesh. There has been little to no change in clarity since Tuesday. To try and remedy this I bought a 200 micron felt sock as I’m noticing a thick coating of dust throughout my sump, suggesting the mesh sock is doing…nothing. So hopefully that works.


Here’s my question. Like I said, I’m all on board the patience train but is this normal on a large tank? Everything I see says water should clear up in a few days, and that’s my experience as well but I have never had a tank so big so maybe this is normal? Keep in mind I don’t have a Powerhead directed at the surface.


Would it help if I had a Powerhead to help push some of that crap through the overflow? I was thinking about getting a jeabo gyre. The return right now just looks like it’s causing water to circle on the surface, as observed by the film. I plan on doing a big water change once the cycle ends which will probably remedy the issue but still, I’ve gotta ask because I want to make sure I’m set up for success.

Should I turn off the pump for a bit and let it try to settle?
Howdy,
Cloudiness is probably dust from the dry rock/ left over debris from sand; it will work its way out with time, the addition of new socks and you might consider siphon vacuuming the sand. Are you using bottle bacteria to cycle?
Looking forward to suppling some ocean harvested products for your build. Would you dm/email us regarding your order, just want to confirm we don't ship lifeforms that require light.
Rock on.
 

Dread Pirate Dave

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Was that Caribsea's live sand, special grade? My Fiji pink came with some packets of their Bio-Magnet clarifier to help clear it up. It worked for me. Since it was "live" sand I did not rinse it.
 

Miami Reef

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Would it help if I had a Powerhead to help push some of that crap through the overflow?
Absolutely, yes. I was going to suggest this.

If I point my powerheads away from the surface, I’ll immediately see surface scum build up.

I point the powderheads to get a nice ripple toward the overflow, and it pushes all the gunk down and leaves the surface pristine. I use 100um filter sock (felt).
 
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LiquidSpace

LiquidSpace

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Howdy,
Cloudiness is probably dust from the dry rock/ left over debris from sand; it will work its way out with time, the addition of new socks and you might consider siphon vacuuming the sand. Are you using bottle bacteria to cycle?
Looking forward to suppling some ocean harvested products for your build. Would you dm/email us regarding your order, just want to confirm we don't ship lifeforms that require light.
Rock on.

Yeah, we’re all good. I requested rock for a cryptic zone in the sump.

Absolutely, yes. I was going to suggest this.

If I point my powerheads away from the surface, I’ll immediately see surface scum build up.

I point the powderheads to get a nice ripple toward the overflow, and it pushes all the gunk down and leaves the surface pristine. I use 100um filter sock (felt).

That’s kinda what I was thinking. I have always started a cycle with everything but the overflow is just kinda causing a little circular dance in the surface.
 

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