mad87man

OK so i bought live sand in bags and the water from petco that is already salt. i put 5 gallons of water in then the sand. The water is very cloudy. IS this normal and will it clear up within a day or two? I know the cycle didnt start b/c i just put the water and sand in. Also how do i go about vacumming sand?

Enjoihavok

Yes its normal for the dust storm to happen, should clear up like you said in a couple days.

unclejed

The two trains of thought are; vacuum and don't vacuum. A lot of people do and a lot (me one of them) don't. If you want to, when you do your water change, as you use the siphon, dig into the sand and pinch the tubing to regulate the flow as to not suck all the sand out.

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TySaltyTank

im still new my self but id say get some reef janitors snails hermits star fish ect...if that help i dont think vaccyming the sand will do any good cept suck up money.

Judge

Hi M87M. If the tank has not cycled I would not get anything live. Tanks can be cycled without harming any living critter. Besides, until your tank has cycled and you collect a few waste bearing friends there should not be anything to vac. Sorry, maybe I missed something but if this is a new tank are you going to have any live rock? If so this is perfect timing. Get the live rock and cure/cycle at the same time. Saves time and lives of watery friends.
As far as vacuuming, I am of the other variety (I vacuum when I do water changes). Yes, sometimes I get some sand sucked up and I am still perfecting the whole process and Uncle Jed is absolutely correct in that you learn how to pinch the tube in order to control the flow/suction. That way if you do get some sand, just pinch completely off and the sand falls back down. It is part of my regular maintenance. I hope this helps and good luck. Keep in mind that there are several forms of info, including the fishless cycling video and a sticky note on Fishless cycling that should help understand the process and what testing you should be doing along the way so you know when your tank has finished cycling.
Let us know if you need any help,we are here to help however we can.

__________________
55g SW
Marineland Magnum 350, #3 Koralia, #4 Koralia, Aqua C remora, Odyssea 260W/12K/8 lunar.
40 lbs. CC/65 lbs.LR/40 lbs. LS
5 Blue Green Chromis, Lawnmower Blenny, Serpent Star, Hairy shroom, Red Shrooms, Purple Shrooms, Orange Ricordea, Neon Green Ricordea, Frogspawn, Dragon Eyes, 2 peppermint shrimp, 6 Pin Cushion Urchins, 1 Pulsing Xenia, Green Star Polyps, Mexican Turbos.
75g FW

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