Re: [GSAS-Member] Thoughts on tank clarification?

[macker <macker@gmail.com>]

Correct me if Im wrong, im not a pro, just a tinkerer...

I thought you are supposed to put down a layer of sand and peat if thats
your thing, put a nice layer of florite, then lay a bigger layer of sand
over that.

I've never heard of flourite being used as the top layer, unless im
mis-reading your email. I thought florite was like Duplarite.

On Wed, Nov 5, 2008 at 4:19 PM, Shamus Young <machismo@eskimo.com> wrote:

> so I read a bunch of stuff on substrates online, and decided to try a
> layer of peat mixed with sand covered by a layer of flourite, for a 12 g
> that I was going to plant with low-light plants.
>
> I think I screwed up the application of the substrate.  I rinsed the sand,
> then mixed with the peat, and I think there was a little too much water
> left in the sand, and it was kind of a slurry.  I put that in the tank,
> let is settle a few hours, and added the flourite over it, a couple of
> inches thick.  But there was a good kind of muddy layer that got mixed
> into the flourite.
>
> When I topped off the tank, carefully and slowly, with a dish on the
> gravel, it looked like a mud puddle.
>
> Like the light would shine down in it a half an inch.
>
> I left it to settle over the weekend. It didn't settle.
>
> I brought in the magnum HOT and set up the polishing cartridge, and ran it
> overnight. It really didn't suck up much at all. I think the color was a
> little lighter.  I replaced the cartridge and the filter floss, and ran
> the filter over night again.  Same color.  Filter is flowing pretty
> strong, which would indicate that it's not catching the soil particles.
>
> I'd say the light penetrates a couple of inches now, but it's reached a
> sort of stasis.
>
> Three water changes, and it's still the same color & cloudiness.
>
> I've had tanks with a bag of peat in the filter, and way back in the day,
> I've had tanks with a baterial bloom for new tank syndrome.  There's
> clearly the tinge of blackwater going there, and I'm pretty sure it's not
> a bacterial haze.
>
> I think it's some sort of thing dissolving out of the peat that's trapped
> in the upper part of the gravel that's water accessible, so that it's
> replenished when I do water changes.  If it was a bacterial cloud, those 3
> x 90% water changes should have diluted it pretty well, and no dilution.
>
> It looks like a collodial suspension.  Obviously, I haven't put fish or
> plants in here yet.
>
> I searched the kirb, and there was an archived post that said don't use
> the water conditioners, but it was full of bad advice.
>
> I know it's supposed to work on bacteria pretty well, though it's a
> syjmptom fix, nt a long term balance solution.  It looks like most of them
> just use Ammonium Sulfate.
>
> Anyone have any idea what might be gunking up the water, and if the
> clarifiers might work, and/or how to filter it?  I do not want to bring a
> diatom filter in for a 10 gallon work tank.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Shamus
>
>
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