[jeffkrol]

Being inherently lazy and also messy when I play w/ "dirt" I was pondering the idea of just adding my turface straight in the tank, add just enough water to start to condition it and let it sit for a week or 2..
My first fluorite tank I tried this method:
How to Wash FLUORITE
W/ modification I guess. Failed miserably. Tank was mud cloudy for a week before going crystal clear..
What did I learn 1) I'm apparently terrible at following instructions and 2)given enough time all things work out..
sooo any thoughts??


ok bonus question:
Any problems adding a cup of coral sand to the turface?

 

[Maryland Guppy]

I posted in your other thread.

 

[Seattle_Aquarist]

Being inherently lazy and also messy when I play w/ "dirt" I was pondering the idea of just adding my turface straight in the tank, add just enough water to start to condition it and let it sit for a week or 2..
My first fluorite tank I tried this method:
How to Wash FLUORITE
W/ modification I guess. Failed miserably. Tank was mud cloudy for a week before going crystal clear..
What did I learn 1) I'm apparently terrible at following instructions and 2)given enough time all things work out..
sooo any thoughts??


ok bonus question:
Any problems adding a cup of coral sand to the turface?

Hi jeffkrol,

I tried using Safe-t-sorb #7941 without washing it first, the water was much murkier after several days compared to post #16 in this thread. Also, whenever I uprooted a plant for the next six months a 'puff' of grey 'dust' would come up and cloud the water in that area. You are right however, after several months even the 'dust' cleared up.

10 gallon filled on 7/24; this is what it looked like after planting on 8/5

On 8/9 it looked like this

On 8/12 it looked like this

But by 8/15 it looked pretty good; unless I moved a plant

 

[Diana]

I have a tank with 50/50 Turface + Coral sand.
This is enough to maintain Lake Tanganyika conditions in the tank.
When I do a water change I make sure the new water has the right minerals.

I have another tank with a light dusting of Dolomite sand under Safe-T-Sorb. This tank maintains the GH and KH just a bit higher than tap water.

 

[jeffkrol]

I have a tank with 50/50 Turface + Coral sand.
This is enough to maintain Lake Tanganyika conditions in the tank.
When I do a water change I make sure the new water has the right minerals.

I have another tank with a light dusting of Dolomite sand under Safe-T-Sorb. This tank maintains the GH and KH just a bit higher than tap water.

thanks.. really good info..
The 55 I'm setting up is going to be mostly Angelfish and other lower pH fish.. but I don't want to futz too much w/ it and do want some buffering capability..
Figured some coral sand will help charge the tank a bit.
Certainly not 1:1 but a cupful pre-fill should add some to it. Apparently there is enough Mg in the tapwater to keep gH up..
Wife likes the turface color so that is what we are going with..
this is more a personal experiment to see what does what w/ this stuff..
I've got a couple weeks of parts gathering and building to do so if what I'm considering fails I have time to redo b4 adding livestock...
The tank they are now in is generally a pH of 6-ish..and a low kH. Fish are fine, snails are a bit stressed I guess..

 

[Fish Em]

Wish I read this before washing about 20 lbs of cat litter! I think I would have washed it anyway. Super dusty. Is safe t sorb that dusty? At least I am almost done.

 

[Seattle_Aquarist]

Wish I read this before washing about 20 lbs of cat litter! I think I would have washed it anyway. Super dusty. Is safe t sorb that dusty? At least I am almost done.

Hi Fish Em,

I use Walmart Special Kitty for emersed plant applications. My opinion is that the cat litter is more dusty; possibly because the calcination process is different.

 

[makrovi]

Hi,

Just wanted to provider my .02; I went with fluorite black cap on eco-complete and did not wash my fluorite before I filled the tank. I did not have much cloudiness. The method I did was put a plastic bag on top of where I was going to start pouring my water and filled the tank that way. Of course, now when I go to pull a plant I do see a small localized cloud where I pulled up the plant, but it settles rather quickly. The key I found is to prevent any disturbance of the fluorite when you fill it. Even when a plecco swims away quickly there is a dust trail, but I think with this stuff, it is expected.

Mak

 

[Fish Em]

Good to know. Looks like next time, it's safe t sorb. I used a store brand (no name) unscented non clumping litter. Tank was a little cloudy when I filled it yesterday but not today even after about 50 or so rinses total.

 

[jeffkrol]

Hi jeffkrol,

I tried using Safe-t-sorb #7941 without washing it first, the water was much murkier after several days compared to post #16 in this thread. Also, whenever I uprooted a plant for the next six months a 'puff' of grey 'dust' would come up and cloud the water in that area. You are right however, after several months even the 'dust' cleared up.

10 gallon filled on 7/24; this is what it looked like after planting on 8/5

But by 8/15 it looked pretty good; unless I moved a plant

That was about as bad as my Flourite w/ washing..
Maybe turface is just inherently cleaner. The stuff I got using the house screen was about a 1/4 cupful and still pretty uniform.
Using the light reflector as a water diverter may have helped too.
Anyways day 3 approx..

 

[Seattle_Aquarist]

Hi jeffkrol,

Actually I think it's going to turn out very well. Every new tank I have set up with new substrate (including with gravel) has a 'murky' period until things stabilize. Post another pic in a few days and lets see how it's doing.

 

[jeffkrol]

Hi jeffkrol,

Actually I think it's going to turn out very well. Every new tank I have set up with new substrate (including with gravel) has a 'murky' period until things stabilize. Post another pic in a few days and lets see how it's doing.

That tank is "done".. I was just surprised by how short it was for the turface compared to most w/ STS and flourite..and w/ zero washing.
Tank cleared on 3 days..
The worst it was was equiv. to your 8/9-12 ..

Point was it was clear (and would have been cleared faster but added some more coral sand "float") in under 4-5 days..

I got a bag of STS may try to see what happens w/ it doing it the way I did the turface.. Screen and pour..
Sometimes washing just abrades the substrate..

Oh and zero "puffing" to date..when moving plants..