nano reef 12 gallon

Question
i just started a new saltwater tank for the first time. Never had a saltwater aquarium before. I added live sand to the uninhabited tank after I had the salt added and balanced, the sand i purchased said "no rinsing required" I think this is a mistake because after all the sand was added it looks very cloudy, as white as milk. I dont know what else to do but run the filters and let it settle, even after it settles i know it will still be easy to have it cloud up again especially during cleaning. Do you have any tips for the beginer?

Answer
Hello Tom. Usually when you set up your tank you should add the sand first to the tank, right before you add the water that has been premixed with the salt to the proper salinity in a bucket. This method prevents the water from getting as cloudy as what you are experiencing though there will still be some haziness. Don't worry about the cloudiness it will eventually clear up on its own and should not be a problem during your cleaning and partial water changes(try giving your filtering material a good rinse after it has cleared up to get some of the matter trapped in them out that has made it cloudy). As for rinsing the live sand, it is no mistake. If you were to rinse the live sand some of the bacteria contained in this sand would be washed away as well and it would not be as "live" as it should be. Don't worry your tank will be great! Making mistakes is how we all learn!