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I currently have an HOB filter. Unfortunately I have sand substrate and the water is cloudy - i suspect from insufficient cleaning off of sand dust. Think a canister with a fine media filter will get rid of the sand particles?

Az,

There are two possible explanations for cloudiness in your tank. If you just set-up the tank and it immediately became cloudy, then it was due to the fine particulates in the sand becoming suspended in the water. If the tank had been set-up for several days before it became cloudy then it is due to a bacterial bloom.

It sounds like it became cloudy as soon as you filled it with water. You can do nothing and the particulate will slowly settle out of solution. "Nothing" means no water agitation. "Eventually" means within your lifetime.

If you You can clear the water much more quickly if you know anyone with a Magnum 350 HOB cannister or a DE filter. The Magnum comes with a pleated paper filter cartridge than can trap the particulate matter and the DE filter is designed to "polish" your water. You may be able to rent or borrow one from your LFS.

I nedd to give you a couple of Christmas cautions. The particulate matter is silica, it has the ability to score or mar the finish of your filter's impeller. Additionally, it will clog the filter media of whatever you use to remove it from the water.

The next caution is that the cloudiness has now settled on your interior glass, you will need to carefully wipe the interior lass. "Carefully" means use a strong paper towel to lightly wipe the dust from the glass. Do NOT use a circular motion to wipe, it will mar the glass.

__________
"To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism; to steal from many is research."
researched from Steven Wright

Thank you for the cautions.
I was thinking I might just stick some cotton balls or a few coffee filters into my HOB filter.
I assume that you don't think a canister filter will help much?

-Matt

Oh, the sand is that Tahitian Moon (black) which I think is synthetic sand. Same scratching problems if it is?

Thanks.

Either cannister or HOB will help to clear the water but you will have the potential for scoring with either. The paper coffee filter is a great idea but try this:

Attach it to the bottom of your intake tube with rubber bands. The paper of the filter should knock down on the grit going to the filter. Alternatively, you can try a sponge pre-filter ofn the intake to accomplish the same thing.

__________
"To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism; to steal from many is research."
researched from Steven Wright