# Prepping Safe T Sorb?



## RyUGuy (Feb 4, 2012)

I rinsed all of mine with a strainer to get a lot of the really small particles and dust out. Supposedly it will always cloud a little when disturbed. Mine is currently in a preparation tank, getting prefertilized. Without any filtration it cleared itself up in about 2 days.


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

I was in the exact same spot as you about a month ago. I put it in my tank, filled with water about 4" over the substrate and then siphoned off 5 gal, added 5 gal and repeat. Did this for about... 200+ gallons and it still clouds up whenever I do any major moving. I'd suggest saving your back and finding some way, ANY way to clean it before putting it in the tank as it was certainly more work than I expected.


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## Diana (Jan 14, 2010)

I put it in the tank dry, then rinsed it in the tank. 
Twice filling the tank less than halfway, and deliberately stirring up the STS to make as much mess as possible. Empty by placing the siphon at the very bottom of the tank, moving away the substrate from a corner to make room for the siphon. 
On the final refill I put the STS bag (empty) in the tank and refilled by slowly running the water in over the bag. 

It was slightly hazy, but I would have added the fish if the filters had been cycled. 
I started the fishless cycle, and a day later the water was almost perfectly clear. 

When I rearranged the rocks, making quite a mess, it settled very fast, and was again clear by the next day.


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

Yeah, I'm in my fishless cycle now too, and when I re-arranged my rocks it had cleared by the next morning.


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## AlecFish (Nov 26, 2011)

I think I'll just use a strainer, and since it settles pretty quick I'll probably rinse it like 10 times until it runs clear or so I can at least see through it. Also, I'm layering my substrates so the STS will be on the bottom, then eco-complete and then black diamond sand on the very top. I'll be adding oscomote capsules and root tabs to help growth. Is this a good idea?

Btw is using a pillowcase okay?


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## AlecFish (Nov 26, 2011)

So, this is after about an hour's worth of rinsing and I'm not seeing much of an improvement. This is only one of the bags which is 40lbs. What should I do next


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## Rush3737 (Jan 15, 2013)

It will slowly get better. After a long time I finally said "good enough" and like I said, even after I disturb it now it settles rather quickly.


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## Mike1239 (May 20, 2012)

Excel clarity and filter floss is what I used


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

I just rinse it a few times, put it in the tank and then slowly add water. Clears up with a sponge filter running in under an hour.

With any clay/dirt-based substrate, there tends to be clouding if it's disturbed too much. So just work slowly with it and you won't run into problems.


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## In.a.Box (Dec 8, 2011)

Sts isn't made to stay together.
It is made to suck up water, oil, whatever and break down.
What you see is the Sts sucking up water like a sponge would.


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## acitydweller (Dec 28, 2011)

If you ever dump clay into your tanks, you'll notice water hazing up. 

This is normal as ats is entirely made of baked clay. Rinsing will eliminate the fine particles a bit. You can always run a filter after several sifts to help with water clarity.


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## dmagerl (Feb 2, 2010)

I used the technique shown in this video to add STS to my tank.






I used a 2 liter coke bottle with its larger mouth. While I got a little cloudiness, it disappeared within a few hours.

This was a fish-in substrate change. I used a siphon to suck out all the old substrate into a bucket and then used the coke bottle to add the STS. I didnt even rinse the STS. The fish hardly noticed anything had happened.


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## mach_six (Sep 12, 2005)

When I was rinsing the flourite, I was doing it in small batches. At most just enough to cover the bottom of a 5 gal bucket about half an inch.

After 6-7 times of adding water, stir violently, and drain; it was still cloudy but able to see the substrate finally.

If it's something that wasn't labeled for aquarium use for STS or whatever, I'd feel better rinsing it first.


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## M4ndy (Dec 26, 2012)

I rinsed mine a few times in a 5g bucket and then gave up.

Added to the tank, filled slowly.
It was cloudy for a few hours. But by next morning it was all gone. And crystal clear

Just more careful when planting and working near the susbtrate.

No way your ever going rinse it all out.


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## In.a.Box (Dec 8, 2011)

A deep bed will help, 4-5 inch. This will allow the sand muddy type to settle 4-5 inch down.


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## angelsword (May 16, 2009)

So once the the dust settles and the water clears is it safe for the fish? I'm setting up a 125. I am trying to rinse STS in the tank. I ran a hose in one end while siphoning the water off the other end for several hours the first day and have been stirring it and running several filters the last few days. Right now I have the hose and siphon going again.

It settles and the water gets clear but it takes hours even with a C Series 360, Emperor 400 and Magnum 220 running. Should I give up and call it rinsed? I'm just worried about the fish dying from the dust.


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## Seattle_Aquarist (Jun 15, 2008)

Hi angelsword,

I typically like to fill, treat with dechlor, and then add plants as long as the water temperature is above 65 degrees. I let the filters and heater run for 24 hours before adding any fish and then only a few small fish to start the nitrogen cycle. On a new setup the water will probably clear after a day or two but become cloudy again as it goes through the nitrogen cycle and bacteria bloom.


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## Diana (Jan 14, 2010)

I have never had problems with the fish in cloudy water from substrate particles. 
Mostly the substrate is decently enough settled before I add the fish, but sometimes there is a bit of a haze. I certainly do not add them if I cannot see the back of the tank through cloudy water. That is way too much. 

Heterotrophic bacteria will grow so fast as to cloud the water. This is not a problem for the fish. 
Nitrifying bacteria do not grow so fast as to cloud the water. 

If you want to keep on waiting you could do a fishless cycle. You can do as many water changes as you want while you are doing the fishless cycle, though leaving it alone might actually be best. Microorganisms will bind a lot of the small particles from the substrate. Then you could add all the fish you want (a reasonable bio load) all at once.


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## angelsword (May 16, 2009)

Aquarist14 said:


> I think I'll just use a strainer, and since it settles pretty quick I'll probably rinse it like 10 times until it runs clear or so I can at least see through it. Also, I'm layering my substrates so the STS will be on the bottom, then eco-complete and then black diamond sand on the very top. I'll be adding oscomote capsules and root tabs to help growth. Is this a good idea?
> 
> Btw is using a pillowcase okay?


Won't the sand end up at the bottom anyway?



Seattle_Aquarist said:


> Hi angelsword,
> 
> I typically like to fill, treat with dechlor, and then add plants as long as the water temperature is above 65 degrees. I let the filters and heater run for 24 hours before adding any fish and then only a few small fish to start the nitrogen cycle. On a new setup the water will probably clear after a day or two but become cloudy again as it goes through the nitrogen cycle and bacteria bloom.


I'll be transferring the canister filter from my 75 gallon Discus tank over to the new 125 gallon when I move the Discus so hopefully I'll avoid the bacteria bloom. I'm just nervous that I'll kill the Discus. It looks pretty clear now, but I can see the layer of fine dust on top of the STS. At this point I think I've rinsed it as much as I can. I may try to gently siphon off some of the dust on top without further disturbing the STS and then start planting it.


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