120g new build, tank with cloudy water

[Pickleowl]

So I'll start this with I may very well be an idiot, am not sure but leaning that way..

I have a 120g build going and finally got it all plumbed and electrical tied up and tried to do as much research as I could to do this thing,, so I'll start with my potential errors: one of the things I did was I had some southdown sand from a tank I had broke down in 2008, it was in 2 buckets from when I stored it and I saw some posts and people rinsing their sand with water to clean and get silt out,, thought it was a good idea so I did that and cleaned the sand with a hose and it sat in the 2 buckets for about a month.. Thing 2 was I cured some pukani dry rock from BRS for about 4 months in a brute can then took out for about a week to rockscape then went into tank..

I put rock in tank, filled in with sand and started filling with good RODI salt water.. took me 2 days to fill and at 3rd day I could see the rocks but it looked like a bacteria bloom, I don't think it was sand needing to settle so I started a uv and it has cleared up a bit..

No one that I saw cleaning their sand with tap water mentioned anything about a bacteria bloom and it probably wasn't good to take cured rock out for so long then back into tank..

So am I seeing a bacteria bloom? Would cleaning sand with tap water and put into tank cause issues? And the cured pukani set out for a week or two? Anything I need to do to help this or will it correct itself? Am I a total doophus or just slightly? What should I have done different and what do I need to do now if anything?

Thanks all.. I had a tank about 12-15 years ago and getting back in so I'm learning it all again and a whole lot more info is available now compared to 2003-2008 so I'm taking my lumps..

 

[Seminoles76]

You had a great idea with curing the PukanI but then killed it with taking it out for a week.

I would continue to use the UV if it seems to help. It could be a bloom of some sort with a lot of die off from the dried out rock you put in the tank. I doubt the rinsed sand has anything to do with it....unless you didn’t rinse it very good.

This may seem crazy but if it were my tank and I was in your situation I’d hit it with some bottled bacteria as you are now looking at going through a full cycle that does t have any bacteria to help it along. You can do without the bottled bacteria but IME it will take a lot longer to cycle.

Sometimes a mechanical filter pad can help a little with the cloudiness of a newly setup tank and may be worth it in your case.

Good luck with the new tank and have fun.

 

[Pickleowl]

Thanks Seminoles.. I thought same thing about rock but felt getting it scaped and rocks carved out good for display was worth leaving it out and getting it right, oops.. and I agree on bottled bacteria, I actually have a starter pack from algaebarn coming and it has some so that'll help..

I was worried about any trace amounts of bad tap water crud in sand so I'm glad that may be ok,, I can handle a long cycle if that's all it is..

 

[LesPoissons]

Yep, unfortunately everything you did to cure your rock died when you removed it for so long. And if you didnt rinse it again a ton after, all the junk went into the tank. If you also left wet rinsed reef sand sitting in buckets for a month and then dumped it in... same thing. Dust/bacteria/bugs can make that home. I would do a water change, then add either a huge chunk of cured live rock from lfs or bottled bacteria. Basically you are cycling all over again. No worries- it will just take a bit longer. Live an learn- screw ups are part of reefing!

 

[Pickleowl]

All this good news albeit sad news with rock but that's ok.. didn't think about rinsing rock before going in with it, and sand was covered whole time with lid or towel so nothing bad there except damp from tap water.. I was going to let fallow for 80 days anyway with chaeto coming from algaebarn.. just arrived home and uv has cleared it all up so that's good..