# Holy crap, How long do I have to clean this stuff??



## Pescado Guy (Nov 26, 2004)

Ahhhhhh!!!! I just got 30lbs of flourite today and two hours and 1000 gallons later what do I have? Dirty flourite. I heard that this stuff was messy but I had no idea. It pretty clean and the water will stay clear as long as i dont stir it up. Is this how it's soposed to be? Do any of you have any good rinsing tecniques? Thanks

Kevint


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## glass-gardens.com (Apr 14, 2004)

I never have rinsed flourite, I just fill the tank carefully.

Why wash away the good stuff?


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## Wasserpest (Jun 12, 2003)

Hey, I agree!! Instead of spending your time rinsingrinsingrinsingrinsingrinsingrinsingrinsingrinsing the flourite, let your water trickle into the tank really slowly. The fine particles will disappear in between the larger ones.

Like T said... don't wash away ALL the good stuff...


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## Rex Grigg (Dec 10, 2002)

I wash my Flourite to get the dust off. But the method I use keeps all the fine particles. It seems that due to the extra shipping and handling the Flourite here on the left coast may be a lot dirtier than that on the east coast. I cover how I wash Flourite in my Guide.


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## Raul-7 (Oct 17, 2003)

Great method to washing Flourite- wet all the contents and let it completly dry in the sun. Then add to tank and fill it, no dust! roud:


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## Pescado Guy (Nov 26, 2004)

LOL!!!! I feel so stupid! :icon_frow Oh well, At least its relativly clean now. I just added it to my tank very carefully and it clouded up a bit but now it's starting to settle. I wish I asked this before I started rinsing. Rex Grig, I sinsed it in a simmilar way as you. I just got a regular strainer and ran water through it while putting a bucket underneath to catch all of the fine particles. Thanks for the advice you guys and if I get more flourite I'll be sure to use your methodes. THanks

Kevin


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## Pescado Guy (Nov 26, 2004)

WOW!!! I just changed the water and refilled it V E R Y slowly and now I got perfectly clean water. YAY!!!! Thanks for the help!

Kevin


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## Momotaro (Feb 21, 2003)

I have heard of people using the "wet and let dry" method of rinsing flourite. I even decided to try it. 

I rinsed half a bag laid it out on a towel, and waited. And waited. And waited. And waited some more! Half a bag took forever, and I had eight bags to rinse. I put the stuff in plastic shoe boxes, ran some water into those boxes and agitated the Flourite. It took a while but I got it done!

Mike


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## Aphyosemion (Oct 15, 2004)

Haha, you guys have all got it wrong! When I set up my 75 gallon tank, I was far too impatient to rinse every single bag of Flourite I had, so I just did it the "easy" way. I don't think I completely grasped what would happen when I sprayed water in there. 
Here's how my planting went:
1) Spray water into tank. Wait for a day for mud to turn to water.
2) Add one group of plants.
3) Wait for half a day for the mud to settle so I can see the plants I just put in.
4) Add another group of plants.
5) Wait another half day for the mud to settle. Wonder if I put the plants in the right spot, considering I had to plant them by touch.
6) Reapeat far too many times.

Feel free to use this as a guide to setting up a tank with pure flourite, heh.

-Aphyosemion


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## aquarium boy (Jul 28, 2004)

when i deal with this stufe i just pour the Flourite in the tank and fill the tank all the 
way and i do a water change and about 30 gallon later its clean the tank is a 10 gallon btw it works for me but it might not for some of you


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## Marc (Oct 13, 2004)

i dont rinse mine at all...

but what about getting some 5 gal buckets? let water run through and over flow while rinsing the substrate..lol like panning for gold!


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## Pescado Guy (Nov 26, 2004)

Marc said:


> i dont rinse mine at all...
> 
> but what about getting some 5 gal buckets? let water run through and over flow while rinsing the substrate..lol like panning for gold!


Thats like what I did! It did a pretty good job. Ok after about a week I still have slightly muddy looking water. It pretty good but I still want to get it cleaner. I think I'm gonna do a water change tonight. It better clear up cause it starting to annoy me. lol

Kevin


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## Wö£fëñxXx (Dec 2, 2003)

You should rinse the flourite for that very purpose if nothing at all..
I rinsed 6 bags when I did mine in a 5gal bucket, took about an hour...filled tank and it was done, you don't have to worry about muddy water for a week+
If you don't rinse it, I would suspect that if you do anything major in the tank like a complete rebuild, which I do on occasion, that tank will explode with mud again.

And, you *will not* lose valuable nutrients, or as some call it _The good stuff_ only rinsing the crud out.


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## TeeItUp (Mar 18, 2004)

5-gallon bucket and your garden hose. Tilt the bucket some and let the water flow full flow while stirring the fluorite with you hand . The overflow from the tilt will wash away the dust. Continue until it clears up. With the high flow of your garden hose it is not that big of a deal.


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## Pescado Guy (Nov 26, 2004)

Ok my water si still cloudy and muddy looking. This is starting to get really annoying. I have done a few water changes and they seem to clear up the water for a while but then within a few hours its back to the same. Any ideas? My plants are growing like crazy and I really don't want to try any of those rinsing methodes because that would involve dismantling the tank. Thanks

Kevin


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## Momotaro (Feb 21, 2003)

You could give a diatomic filter a shot. It should clear up some of the cloudiness.

You can see if your LFS will rent one out to you.

Mike


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## glass-gardens.com (Apr 14, 2004)

Is it possible part of your cloudiness is due to a bacterial bloom? With all the rinsing etc, it would difficult to conceive your bacteria colony being established yet and you might be just looking at good old new tank syndrome.

I have never rinsed flourite, I constantly uproot and move around plants and never have I had any problems with dust causing problems. And the dust is good stuff to keep, it essentialy settles amongst the larger grains and from pulling up plants, I can say that at least in my tanks, that dust has helped more than a few plants develop great root structure.


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## JCSharp (Sep 29, 2004)

One other potential drawback to not rinsing your flourite is if you have bottom dwellers that like to fan or root around in the substrate. My bristle nose pleco loves to dig out around the bottom of his driftwood, creating him a nice hideout. In my previous tank which I didn't throughly rinse out the flourite, he would create quite a dust cloud almost on a daily basis. It wasn't a bad problem, it would just cloudy up the tank for a bit until it setttled – about 30 min.


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## WolverineFan (Dec 15, 2004)

I always keep an aquaclear powerhead around for just such an occasion. The filter cartridges they make for them are just about as good as a diatom filter. Hook it up and in no time your tank is clear!


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## glass-gardens.com (Apr 14, 2004)

Do you mean the "Quick Filter" ?

I use one as the sole filtration in my 30 with one of those wallyworld/marineland powerheads.


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## WolverineFan (Dec 15, 2004)

Hi Glass-Gardens, Yep that is what I mean. Supposedly the filter material used on the cartridge filters down to 1 micron. All I know is that it works. Believe it or not I have also had good luck using sponge filters for the same thing. It takes a little longer but its a lot cheaper.


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## AquaNerd (Dec 13, 2004)

I have had the same problem, I rinsed my red florite many times in a 5gal bucket. I then put it in the tank since the bag says its pre-washed, that was yesturday, I filled the tank slowly and I can't see at all through the tank, still today. Its not any better at all today! 

I cant decid what to do, I hear no rinsing at all and then rinse it all you can. Is it just a personal prefrence?


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## travis (Nov 17, 2004)

I second the Quick Filter suggestion. It should take any dust right out of your water. I run one in my tank for a couple of hours after stirring up any debris and it polishes the water very nicely. Maybe not quite as well as a diatom filter, but at just a few bucks a pop for the filter sleeves, I can live with it


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## AquaNerd (Dec 13, 2004)

I figured out what to do. I rinsed the Red Fluorite as much as I could, it still drained cloudy. I drained as much as I could from it and put a 2" layer in my tank. On top of that I added a 2" layer of sand, filled slowly and it’s crystal clear!


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## Raul-7 (Oct 17, 2003)

For everyone who ignored my suggestion, try it and I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

Wet the contents in the bag and let it completly dry in the sun, then lay in your aquarium and fill slowly, then enjoy dustless water!


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## m.lemay (Jul 28, 2002)

Accu-Clear, 1 teaspoon to 50 gallons. Its made by Aquarium Pharmaceuticals. Should clear it out in a matter of hours.


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## Ahkuma (Dec 5, 2004)

Raul-7 said:


> For everyone who ignored my suggestion, try it and I'm sure you won't be disappointed.
> 
> Wet the contents in the bag and let it completly dry in the sun, then lay in your aquarium and fill slowly, then enjoy dustless water!



I haven't seen the sun in weeks, nothing but rain and clouds.


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## Rolo (Dec 10, 2003)

If you can't beat the cloudiness, all that's needed is some good fine filter wool. I happen to have ehfisynth.

I rinse flourite pretty minimally. After the first tank fill up the water becomes extremely cloudy. Visibility about 2 inches. Less then 24 hours later the water is crystal clear and the white filter wool, dirt brown.


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## zapus (May 26, 2004)

I'm thinking about sticking one of those small rotary lawn sprinklers in the bottom of my bucket and covering the top with plastic insect screen held in place with a bungee cord. I'm about to run my well dry washing this stuff.


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