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

[Paul Wallace <pwallace@u.washington.edu>]

Shamus:

I assure you that the "chocolate milk" effect can be obtained by fluorite or 
AquaSoil all by itself.  I love the rinsed/capped method with the bulk of dry 
fluorite and a ~1" capped of rinsed (or old) fluorite.  You can drain the tank, 
remove the top layer as deep as you dare to maintain the sand layer, rinse, 
refill and go!  The SMS/turface stuff is very similar with a dust that settles 
or is removed with WC.  Welcome to the majesty of a planted tank!

-Paul

On Wed, 5 Nov 2008, Shamus Young 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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