Murky water+Tank setups

[Toothless_103]

Hello,


About two weeks ago I have set up a tank and today I set up another one to get them cycled. I added sand to it because they won't be put into the tanks until completely cycled+they are 6 inches. They are currently 4 almost 5 inches. The tank I set up a couple weeks ago is almost cycled through as nirites are starting to go down (They were at first spiking like crazy) and there is no ammonia in the tank. However, the water is still murky. I first put a filter in it but it showed no improvement so I took it out. I ended up getting fine play sand and washed it out every day for a week until the water ran clear when I cleaned it. The water looks much better than it did the first day, but it is still foggy/murky. We have fish and aquatic animals so we have Guppy moss/grass, vallisneria, and other plants but I searched up that those two specific plants are safe for Axolotls. Is this true? I don't want to put them in until I know that they are for sure safe. They are currently separated into tubs with daily cleanings. They won't be moved into the tanks until Mid August-September but I am just preparing and want to make sure I am doing it correctly.

 

[Niels D]

You can use these plants.

 

[minorhero]

All aquarium plants are safe.

Your water is murky for potentially a few different reasons.

1) You have a lot of dust left over from the play sand. When I use play sand (which is rarely because it IS such a pain to clean) it takes more then 50 bucket fills and empties before its clear. And just filling it normally and emptying is not enough. You have to stick the hose down into the sand to stir it up. It's frankly much easier to use pool filter sand which is already washed and only costs an extra 5 to 15 dollars for a 50lb bag. Or just use actual aquarium sand.

2) You could have a bacteria bloom which is normal for new tanks.

3) You could have green water algae (if its green looking its this).

If it's either 1 or 2, then the solution is regular large water changes and a filter. If it's option 3 then the best way to deal with it is to make sure the tank is not getting direct sunlight through a window and use a UV filter for a week or so until the green water goes away.

Good luck.

 

[Goldfishfan]

Play sand is considered a poor choice for aqauriums because it has clay mixed in. Its likely impossible to remove all the clay from the sand no matter how much you wash it. The clay also isn't ideal because it can alter the Ph of the aqaurium water.

Here ia a sand commonly recommended for aqauriums.

Its no. 20 pool filter sand. Its 100% pure silica sand without anything else added. The number 20 denotes that the sand particles are no larger than .9mm. Its very fine. This should be safe for axolotls because the fine sand particles should pass through them in case some is accidently ingested.
I usually order it from Amazon or Walmart

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www.walmart.com

This sand still needs ti be rinsed before its used. I dump a bunch im a 5 gallon bucket outside and and stir it around while rinsing it with a garden hose. Dump the water out and keep rinsing it until the water is clear. Then its ready to use.

Putting sand substrate in your aqaurium is also beneficial for maintaining the health of your aqaurium nitrogen cycle. The sand particles add a lot of surface area to the bottom of the tank which nitrifying bacteria can live on.