[chunkypeanutlove]

So i have a question. I am setting up a 29 g high tech. I just added flourish black to my the tank. the bad thing is i did not wash it. It is obviously very cloudy. I read online now, sadly, after i filled the tank with DI water. Will it settle or do i need to tear it down and rinse? i have a fluval 305 and aqua-tech 20-40. i turned off the aquatech and slowed down the flow on the fluval. the problem is that i did add bacteria to the filters to cycle the tank faster so i am not too sure about tearing it down. advise

thanks in advance.

 

[bradac56]

Do you have fish in the tank already? (hopefully not)

I'd keep the flow high and turn the aquatech back on to keep the particles in the water column so the canister can filter them out of the tank that should help clear the tank faster.

- Brad

 

[chunkypeanutlove]

No fish. Fishless cycle. I cleaned out the filter. I have ceramic rings in the first compartment, activated carbon ammonia remover mix in the second and a ton of pads in the third. I don't know if that will clear out the sediment floating. Specially since the filter pads seem to be not fine enough to catch the tiny particles. I am leaving it overnight and if that does not clear up a noticeable amount I am considering using accu-clear. I also turned on a submersible pump to push more water around. With the lights on, the tank kinda looks like a scene from a bad scary movie. The sediment looks like fog.

 

[gheitman]

IME after about a day the dust will have settled out and then you can just siphon it off the top layer of substrate.

 

[wkndracer]

Used the clarifying drops on a tank that 'fogged' after filling with eco complete when it didn't clear after a couple of days without issue. The coagulant seemed to make the particles stay in the fine floss and after two floss changes the tank cleared.
OP, I gotta ask as I don't understand, why the activated carbon and ammonia remover in the second chamber for a fishless cycle? Ammonia build up is the kicker to start the cycle is it not?

 

[chunkypeanutlove]

its a combination of not thinking and also first time with a canister filter. i think i need to take it out...

 

[oldpunk78]

will not having rinsed the substrate cause problems with clouding later on? like during planting or moving plants around? if that is going to happen, i would just start over. meaning rinsing your substrate throughly. if that doesn't sound like it's going to be a problem, just keep doing what your doing. it will clear eventually.

 

[wkndracer]

Once the first fill 'dusting' has cleared the remaining fines should not create a huge problem later on during tank maintenance.
I'm currently using six different substrates and even the Walstad style tank with potting soil under a Flourite cap does not re-cloud even when the soil burps through the flourite with the gas releases.
I would give it several day's before becoming concerned, odds are very good it will clear just given time and or the use of a classifier/coagulant.
Best of luck going forward.

 

[skabooya]

depends on how much dust there is. Could take a day, could take a few days. WC are key and trying not to disturb the substrate too much. When I clean my tank or move plants around i still get a dust cloud but it goes away after a few hours. Good luck and I hope everything works out.

 

[bradac56]

The way I do it is keep the very fine dust in the water column so the canister can filter it out. I do that with a small low flow power filter down near the substrate in the middle pointed up and to the side to keep it all from settling down into the substrate. The canister will pull all of the fine particles out of the column within 24'ish hours and you do not need to worry about disturbing it later on when you move or clean the substrate.

I've also used a Hagen Elite Mini underwater filter from petco.com (there $8 right now) without any problems.

- Brad