# Have dust like particulate



## litespan (Mar 26, 2004)

As I said with my last post this is my first salt tank so please bear with me.....

I started the cycle on this 30 gal tank 2 weeks ago. My water is now clear fromany dust from the live sand. But I have this film of particulate that tops my water. This dust I cant see being from the sand due to the time it has had to settle and the water is clear. this is the setup:

30 gal tank
distilled water from the grocery store
1/2 dead sand (aragonite)
1/2 live sand 
3 good sized painted saltwater rock (dead)(washed)
dead sand washed real good before introduction.
I use saltwater biozyme to boost cycle 
no fish in tank.
Have chem biozorb packet in filter. 
water params all at zero. (am, nitrite, nitrate) am test was cloudy....
Salinity [email protected]

any ideas or am I just paranoid and dust is either meant to be there or will go away. and is am test always cloudy in salt?

Also why are params @ zero already?

Any help always appreciated.....


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## Raptor (Jan 3, 2003)

Is it a foamy substance? Or just a dust like substance? Also are you using an ammonia source for your cycle? I just switched substrates in my reef, And i am thinking you just have some leftover dust from the sand floating in there. What kind of filter are you using? Does it skim the top of the water?


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## Raptor (Jan 3, 2003)

Also you ph in the morning is going to be lower than if you did it at the end of the day. What do you mean by cloudy? 
What kind of sands did you use?


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## thePACK (Jan 3, 2003)

sounds like dust leftovers....get a net and swipe the top of the tank,try to remove as much as possible..if this persist do a 3 gallon gravel vac clean up...sounds like a normal setup..nothing to fear


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## litespan (Mar 26, 2004)

Sands are both (dry and live)from Carib sea... Am source is a small piece of walleye (fillet) size of my thumb (as per Raptor.)
Am test : the solution is cloudy after chems added. Water is clear before chems added... Dust like not foamy... filter is ac500.. Hope this helps .
I really would like to know why I dont see water param spikes or any thing but zero for that matter


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## Raptor (Jan 3, 2003)

Sorry, I just seen this your last question about your zero readings. Is that with nitrates? Also live sand has the bacteria you need for establishing your cycle, And could have seeded your tanks filter, And thats why you didn't get a spike from ammonia and nitrites, But you should get some nitrates.


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## -=BOB=- (Mar 6, 2003)

Two weeks is short time, As thePACK suggested it could be dust leftovers..
On the other hand I wondering about your water circulation... Is it strong or water stands still? That can be a problem with tanks without thew sump (specially the ones with poor water circulation, layer of greace and filth collects at the top of the water..


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