conditions in new tank water

Question
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Followup To
Question -
I have recently purchased a 155 gallon tank and am in the beginning stages of setting up a salt water aquarium. I can't even get past the "filling up the tank" part! I feel like I bought bags of mud disguised as shells. I have filled and emptied the tank several times. The water is so cloudy! I even let the tank sit for a week hoping it would all settle out. Yikes! What's going on!? The water is very gray and you can't even see through it the water. No filter hooked up, I am afraid to muck it all up. What next?
Answer -

1.Are you filling the tank with tap water?
2. was your tank cleaned of any dust or residue?
3. did you place gravel in your tank, if so gravel/substrate needs to be washed many many times to get the dust off it.
4.  Turn your filter on the carbon will polish the water.
5.  did you use a synthetic salt mix like instant ocean ?

please get back to me
thanks
Todd

    I guess i didn't realize how much I would have to wash the substrate! I tried a test and washed a small amount of the rock and added some water. The water is still cloudy but better. I will hook up the filter and see what happens. Guess there is a lot of rock washing in store for me. I am using water from the hose outside and haven't added salt yet.

Jana  

Answer

Jana,

Make sure your filter is flowing at 100% it's flow rate. Put some extra carbon in the filter to help polish the water. Once I washed my substrate 30 times before I placed it in my tank. They do not tell you that in the directions!

Good Luck
Todd