New tank setup and cloudy water

[Jaybird]

My 90G is finally full of RO/DI water, salt, LR, and sand......but the sand has kicked up a huge cloud in the water.

Is that fine particulate going to kill anything on the LR? Also, I noticed a few small emerald crabs on the LR when I was putting it in (along with some pods swimming in the bottom of the leftover water in the containers)......is the cloudy water going to bother them much?

 

[1fishkeeper]

The dust from the sand will not kill anything. After a couple of days it will settle down and clear up. They take a turkey baster and blast the rocks off with the dust. It might take a couple of times but it will be fine.

 

[tdgates10]

Cloudiness will clear up in a couple days and won't hurt anything. Is the rock and sand all transfered from another tank? or is this all new?

 

[Jaybird]

sand is new but the rock is all fully cured live rock. The LR was only out of the water for about 30 minutes (trip from my supplier to home). There was a little water on the bottom of the container where I saw some green pods swimming about. On the LR there were two small emerald crabs clinging on for dear life and trying to evade me. As well, there was three-inch bristle worm that didn't make it. He climbed to the top of the container and I didn't notice him.....he's a bit dried out right now.

I'm happy that the cloudiness from the sand won't hurt anything.

[EDIT] Sorry, I forgot to mention that I noticed some sponges on the LR as well. I've turned off my powerheads until the dust settles.

 

[tdgates10]

Did the live rock have any light on it? or was it in a dark container/tank?

 

[Jaybird]

It had lights on.

 

[Jaybird]

Well, two days of testing and two days of zero ammonia in the tank. I've seen the crabs twice when they've walked near the glass. The tank is still cloudy.

I started running my skimmer and have been trying to get some wet skimmate. When it comes out it is like thick and chalky water. Hopefully this will help get the water clearer.

 

[nsamouroux]

I'm having the same issue with my new setup after adding 340 lbs of aragonite sand. The cloudiness will eventually go away on it's own (depending on how many times you rinsed the sand before putting it in the tank) but it's much faster / easier to run some 50ish micron filter socks for a few days on your drains until things clear up.

 

[willandcorina]

any pics of the setup

 

[Jaybird]

running the skimmer wet cleared up the tank overnight. Now it's cloudy again since I started using a turkey baster to blow off some of the rocks.

One of the emerald crabs is picking at the shrimp as I write this.

Left a shrimp in the tank overnight and ammonia readings is still zero. It's been zero since the day I put the rock in.

I'll try to get some pics done and put up soon. I'll include ones from when I drilled the tank and some of my ghetto overflow box.

 

[1fishkeeper]

It might take a couple of times of doing this and it will be all cleared up.