# Help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



## PBrods (Dec 10, 2011)

I'm SO FRIGGIN agrivated right now!!!!!!!

I have black sand for my son's 20 gallon tank. I poured HALF a bag into a 5 gallon bucket and filled the bucket half way with warm water. I swirled it around for a bit and dumped it out. The water was black. I did it again...and again...and again...and again...and again...20 times later!!! The water is still coming out black!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Not AS black but still black enough so that it would probably ruin my filter and kill my fish the first time i go to clean the bottom. 
Did I get defective sand? I bought it at Petco.


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## drunkenbeast (Nov 13, 2011)

try putting a hose in the bucket and just letting the water run for awhile, easier than dumping the bucket so many times. hopefully that will clear up the sand. whats the brand name of it?


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## PBrods (Dec 10, 2011)

drunkenbeast said:


> try putting a hose in the bucket and just letting the water run for awhile, easier than dumping the bucket so many times. hopefully that will clear up the sand. whats the brand name of it?


Here's the sand... 

and here's what it looks like after 20 times of rinsing...It's darker then it looks. The flash makes it look lighter. How clear does it need to be?


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Rinsing sucks! No way around it and some things are worse than others. Some of the stuff I used I had to fill the bucket half way and rinse that for a full 30min before it would come out mostly clean.. For any extra work you put in before you put in the tank, it will save you potentially tons of work down the road if you put it in your tank too soon.


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## PBrods (Dec 10, 2011)

jrman83 said:


> For any extra work you put in before you put in the tank, it will save you potentially tons of work down the road if you put it in your tank too soon.


But when do you say enough is enough? How clean does it have to be???


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Just a judgement on your part. Whatever you leave you'll have to deal with in your aquarum. Every person would probably go to a different point, but it's usually frustration that makes you put it in too soon. You may be good now, but nobody can tell for sure through pics.


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## PBrods (Dec 10, 2011)

jrman83 said:


> Just a judgement on your part. Whatever you leave you'll have to deal with in your aquarum. Every person would probably go to a different point, but it's usually frustration that makes you put it in too soon. You may be good now, but nobody can tell for sure through pics.


Thanks...Glad I'm doing my son's 20 gallon before my 46 gallon...I won't be using sand in that one...It would probably take a month to clean the sand.*old dude


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## Kehy (Apr 19, 2011)

Hmm, another Petco product that requires endless rinsing...Next time, try black blasting sand, or just normal colored sand, might work much better


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## PBrods (Dec 10, 2011)

I'm actually wondering if I am pulverizing the sand by stirring it up in the water and actually making it smaller and hense dirtying the water. If that's the case...It will NEVER end until ALL the sand is gone, right?


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## Suzanne (Jun 10, 2011)

If the sand pulverizes that easily I wouldn't put it in my tank ever. Too bad you can't line your washing machine with something and just put it in there!


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## PBrods (Dec 10, 2011)

Suzanne said:


> If the sand pulverizes that easily I wouldn't put it in my tank ever. Too bad you can't line your washing machine with something and just put it in there!


That would be too easy...lol


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## sion342 (Jul 31, 2011)

What I doing is take it an old t-shirt better white and put the sand in parts 1/4 at time. Then cover the sand with the shirt ,then let water run at the same time I'm rubbing the shirt with sand. Takes me about 20/45 minutes to clean up very well. This is after rinse the worst at the first couple of times. Hope this work for u.


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## PBrods (Dec 10, 2011)

I ended up using just one 20lb bag for a 20 gallon tank? What's the norm?


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## PBrods (Dec 10, 2011)

Here's the tank


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## beaslbob (May 29, 2009)

PBrods said:


> I'm SO FRIGGIN agrivated right now!!!!!!!
> 
> I have black sand for my son's 20 gallon tank. I poured HALF a bag into a 5 gallon bucket and filled the bucket half way with warm water. I swirled it around for a bit and dumped it out. The water was black. I did it again...and again...and again...and again...and again...20 times later!!! The water is still coming out black!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Not AS black but still black enough so that it would probably ruin my filter and kill my fish the first time i go to clean the bottom.
> Did I get defective sand? I bought it at Petco.


Nope

But it is a good example of why I don't rinse my substrates. But then I also use no mechanical filters or circulation. In a day or two all that stuff just falls to the bottom and the water is clear.

my .02


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## beaslbob (May 29, 2009)

PBrods said:


> Here's the tank


awwwwwww
cute!!!!!!


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## Kehy (Apr 19, 2011)

looks pretty good now


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## PBrods (Dec 10, 2011)

I tried practicing vacuming...the sand gets scked up in the tube? Is there a special way to vaccum sand?


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## drunkenbeast (Nov 13, 2011)

it can be tougher but hold the siphon right above the sand so it lifts up the dirt and not the sand also i think its easier if the siphon is not as strong so put the bucket on a chair instead of on the floor


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## PBrods (Dec 10, 2011)

beaslbob said:


> awwwwwww
> cute!!!!!!


Thanks...


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## beaslbob (May 29, 2009)

PBrods said:


> I tried practicing vacuming...the sand gets scked up in the tube? Is there a special way to vaccum sand?


I wouldn't know. I don't vaccum the sand.

Just suck the stuff off the top *old dude

and even that is only once a year at most. 

my .02


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

You just need to fan or wave your vacuum tube above the sand or hover it. Not too difficult.


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