Hi there, im new to this forum, but I am after some help/advice.

I setup my 125litre tank, a few days ago, and let it cycle. Yesterday I bought some play sand, washed it out in the shower untill the water ran clear, and added it to my tank.

This sand is very fine, so it looks more like a smoke cloud, than sand when I added it, but it settled pretty quick. The problem is, a day later, and the water now looks murky, and im wondering if I didn't clean it enough, or if it just needs to cycle through the filter for another couple of days for it to clear.

I will be adding another filter to the other side of the tank next week, as the one I have is only rated up to 120litres.

Here's some pics of what it looks like. Is this normal?

Did you add the sand after the water?Sometimes it will take several days for it to all settle down.You can help by doing waterchanges.

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yes I added it about 2 days after I filled the tank. If it doesnt clear up by monday, ill do a 50% water change

Ok, I did the water change, and the water looks a little better now. Still a bit murky from the side, but im not sure if its the light on the tank thats causing that or not.

keep doing water changes...it will eventually settle down it happens to most people

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125g african cichlids making it work
75g rimless Reef in progress

Also be sure to be careful when adding new water in the changes that you're not stirring up the sand again. I pour new water into a small bowl that I hold at the waterline so that the flow of water is a current across the top of the tank, instead of a powerful jet into the bottom.

When I added my sand, I had to do a complete water change, but when I added water carefully, it settled very quickly after that.

Chessie

Yeah, I put a bowl at the bottom of the tank to stop the sand from clouding the tank again. I will probably do another water change tomorrow.