Cloudy water from live sand

[pacificdiver]

Does cloudy water from newly-added live sand (Ocean Direct) harm soft corals and LPS?  I've had a 20G with a few soft corals and LPS running for a couple of months now with a bare bottom.  If I add sand to it, will the temporary cloudiness harm the corals?  Thanks in advance. 

 

 

[schgr.cube]

7 minutes ago, pacificdiver said:

Does cloudy water from newly-added live sand (Ocean Direct) harm soft corals and LPS?  I've had a 20G with a few soft corals and LPS running for a couple of months now with a bare bottom.  If I add sand to it, will the temporary cloudiness harm the corals?  Thanks in advance. 

 

 

They might get a little upset, but if you put it in carefully you shouldn't have a real issue. Just make sure you aren't getting sand directly on the coral itself. If you haven't done this yet, one great tip is to use a piece of PVC pipe and kind of funnel the sand into it, placing the other side right against the floor of the tank to put the sand exactly where you want it. You'll still have cloudy water, but it's better than just plopping the sand everywhere. 

[1891Bro]

Use your old wc water to rinse it really well and it will greatly decrease or even eliminate the clouding. You can even rinse in tap just do a final rinse in mixed saltwater. 

[samnaz]

Rinse it in a bucket with tap water until the the water runs clear. Soak it in some saltwater and then add it to your tank. 

 

 

[Ladyparts]

think it died

[pacificdiver]

4 hours ago, samnaz said:

Rinse it in a bucket with tap water until the the water runs clear. Soak it in some saltwater and then add it to your tank. 

 

 

Wouldn't rinsing live sand in tap water cause a pretty serious die-off, though?  

[schgr.cube]

36 minutes ago, pacificdiver said:

Wouldn't rinsing live sand in tap water cause a pretty serious die-off, though?  

Honestly, these "live sands" don't really have much, if anything, living in them. I stopped using "live" sand a while ago, unless it happens to be cheaper than dry sand due to sales. 

[samnaz]

 

3 hours ago, pacificdiver said:

Wouldn't rinsing live sand in tap water cause a pretty serious die-off, though?  

No, and even if it did it wouldn't really matter because your tank has already established a healthy bacteria population if it's been running for a few months. Rinsing with tap water doesn't cause serious die off, think of it like washing your hands without soap, it does nothing to clean your hands free of bacteria.

 

If you don't rinse it, it will be cloudy for days after you add it, and every time you disturb the sand bed even a little bit there will be a dust/silt storm. I didn't rinse my live sand, and I really regret it.