I am not sure where to post this, but I thought if it was in the wrong spot, you all could move it for me. I bought some natural shale peices from an lfs, and I decided to make caves out of it, instead of buying pre made ones. I soaked the shale and rinsed it till the water ran clear. I had just added aquarium sand to the tank instead of gravel, which I had also rinsed till the water was clear. I put in the sand, added the shale to make the cave and then filled it back up with water. I waited all night and today for the sand to settle, and the filter to get out whatever dust there might have been. Well, it is still soooo cloudy in the tank. It is kinda hard to tell from that picture though. I don't know what to do with it, and that 1 little thing in a 5 gal. tank took me hours to do.

*lol* Well thats just the way life goes..

What fish are you going to put in the tank?

o lala i love the sand. is that freshwater?

Well, for the time being I have 3 female guppies that are abou to drop fry. So, I will be using it for a nursery tank. The females are going to dropping within days of each other. After they are old enough to adopt out, I will be using the tank for a betta I am going to get from a breeder (Yeevia). I don't know what to do now though, because the female should really be moved there before they drop and the fry get eatin by the bigger fish in my 35 gal.

Yes it is freshwater sand. It came in a 10 lb. bag from Petsmart. I can tell you the exact name of it if you want.

It doesn't look that cloudy but it may just be the picture. When I put sand in my ten gallon it wasn't until the third day that it became absolutely clear. It may just need a bit more time to settle. In the meantime, it should be fine for adding fish.

I used gravel for my tanks...and although I rinsed it, it still had particles in it...

Took about 2 1/2 days for it to settle....

Just give it a bit...

was this an established tank, and if so did you save any of the old substrate when you switched to sand?

Well, It has been 2 days now, and it is still a mess. I am hoping it settles more. Does anyone think the shale might have done something to it? The pic is amazingly clear. It figures, the one time I don't want my digital camera work right, it does...lol. This tank was old, but too old to save stuff from. In other words, it is just like new.

i think your problem is 2 fold then. the first being, the tank was dusty from the sand. the second being what i believe to be the tank cycling over again. have you tested your water? i have never had shale in my tanks but i guess it could be leaching out into your water causing the cloudiness but i'm not sure.

I haven't tested the stats today. I figured that it was cycling, but as far as the shale goes, I have no idea either. I can't find anyone who used it before. I am going to test the water tomorrow. I have to get another nitrate color card for my test kit. I lost the card with the chart on which color goes with what number. I have no idea how I lost it, and I am hoping I can get one. I tried emailing the mfg. and they never responded to the email, and there webpage doesn't have individual cards for sale, so I am not really sure what to do.

sand takes ages and ages to settle and also leaves heaps and heaps of teeeny weeny particles in the water! if u have fast filtration it can keep the water 'dirty' for ages! turn filter off for a bit and let it all settle!

Shale doesn't leach. I've used it before with no problems. Might be the way the sand/water mix was put in.
The best way I've found is after the sand is well rinsed, keep damp (as in making a sand castle) and put into an empty well rinsed tank. Take some newspapers and lay one or two layers on the sand weighting it down with some stones. Add a flat dish to the middle and gently pur the water onto the dish. fill up about 3 inches and let it all settle. Then fill the tank all the way. Take out the plate and paper but be very gentle so everything won't get stirred up. Add any plants, decorations. Let it all settle for a day then run the pump making sure there isn't much current directly on the sand. After a few months the sand will be nice and firm, you can direct the pump in any way. When you siphon it, use a length of airhose instead of a regular siphon or hose. Watch out for black spots (aenorobic bacteria). Siphon those spots out with a regular 1/2" hose and discard. Sterilize the hose afterwards.

You can add an internal filter with some carbon. Should clear overnight.

The cave looks quite good IMO, my catfish would love that cave. Your substrate is great for plants.

OMG i love that tank. ive always wanted like a 10 gallon or something with a big cave like that.

and back on topic. sand takes a while to settle. i wouldnt be worried unless its been like a two weeks.

Call me crazy but that doesn't look like shale to me, more like flat pieces of layered clay, shale is usually grey from my experience.

On the side of cloudiness, I would give it a week or two to settle.

Kimo: Why not just work the sand from time to time? Push your syphon tube into it while not draining water.