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Forum > The Goldfish Topics > Goldfish Tanks > Water problems? Questions about water quality?
Celebi
So i decided to prepare another tank using Play Sand this time,
I washed it throughtly for 2 days like 4hrs each session, until it was very very clean,
however when i started to add water into the new tank, the finer particles started to rise.
I thought it would just settle down, but to my surprise the tank has been running (No fish)
for about a 2 daya with the filter and all on and the finer particles do not seem like settling down.
They are sand particles without a doubt, with the lights on you can even see the movement of the
particles forming swirling shapes around the water marking the path of the water fluxes.

Is this normal with Play sand substrate? And if it is, would the finer particles damage the fish once the tank is cycled and ready for use?
Or should i do small water changes as to try not to disturb the sand until i obtain a clearer water?
Is there any other way to get rid of all those particles?

Additional Information:

Playsand substrate, No chemicals added.
2 Bubble stones running.
Tank -30 gallons
Water Filter: Capacity for 40 gallons.
Water: Tap water treated with Tetra Aquasafe (Water conditioner)
Tank Cycle: Just started the cycle (2 days).

Thank you very much! My Blackmoors will thank you for it in about a month when the tank is ready biggrin.gif
daryl
SAnd will always have very fine particulate in it - it is the nature of the substance. Sand is rocks that have broken down to small particles with water movement, most times. As long as you have water movement, you will have some floating sand particulate. With a fine filter floss, you can, however, filter out these fine pieces and clear the water......UNTIL - you add goldies.

Goldfish are bottom feeders. They naturally spend the majority of their time rooting in the substrate on the bottom of their environment, looking for food. As a goldfish roots, he will move rocks, plants and deco around in the tank. A tank that has a fine sand substrate will ALWAYS have a layer of 3-4 inches of haze on the bottom of the tank. With good filtration and circulation, the haze will fill the tank.

Sand is also not generally recommended for goldfish because, once again, since they are bottom feeders, they tend to suck the sand into their mouths as they look for food. The sand is often passed back out through the gills. Sand, passing through delicate gill tissue is akin to rubbing sand paper all over the delicate tissue - often abrading it until it is sore and leaving it open to opportunisitic parasites and infection. This is not a good idea.

Many people who use sand as substrate to plant live plants often will cover the very top of it with other stone to hold it down.

Sand is nearly impossible to properly vacumn and clean - for much of it will be sucked up in the water vacumn - leaving a cloudly hazy mess.

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