Didn't wash sand before adding to tank. Will this hurt my rays??

[michael]

I just set up a sand substrate tank for my rays and I just took the sand out of the bag and put it in. The tank has been a little cloudy for a few days now but is getting better. Then I thought maybe this ***** has chemicals or something in it and I should have washed it first. Bag says right on the front "no chemical additives or substances" but you never know. Right now the tank is cycling with pbass. Should I drain it and clean the sand or let it go??

 

[ewurm]

I think you should be fine, it should clear up soon. It is best to wash the substrate though.

 

[skinless]

just dust and leavings. will clear and filter/settle out eventually

 

[TankBuster]

I did the same thing in my first ray tank. The sand will float on top for a while but will go down if you poke the clumps. Nothing bad ever happened to the aro or ray, so you should be fine, most any particles in the sand should float anyways so use a net to skim the top if you want.

 

[michael]

Everything in this sand sank immediately. Nothing floated. I do have confidence the tank will clear up, I just don't want there to be anything harmful in the sand that can irritate the rays when they dig in it.

 

[gman]

What size is this tank? Im getting a 200 in about a week and I think i might have to take the plunge and get a pair of motoros.

 

[KJP]

I didn'y wash the sand when i changed the gravel over to sand in my 125. It had no effect on my two motoro...you'll be fine!

 

[DarthLungFish]

You'll be cool, I didn't wash the pool sand for my 180 and the lungfish and rays are fine. It did however take several days for the cloud dust to get out of the tank with cleaning the filters out.

 

[Eric L]

I dont know if this will work and if the particales are small enough but you could try filtering with alot of brand new active carbon for a day and then taking it out. If I see any cloudyness in any of my tanks that what I do and it clears it up within a day everytime. Dont keep it in there to long though because it is believed to be a contributer to hole in the head disease.