# How long does Flourite take to settle?



## Snailetta

Setting up a new tank, first time using Flourite. I rinsed it several times today and the water still looks like mud. Then I put it in the tank with a few inches of water, thinking it would settle eventually. After several hours the water is still very dark. I wanted to set this tank up this weekend. I have new plants & shrimp coming the end of next week. Is this typical of Flourite? Anything else I can do? I guess I will try rinsing it more tomorrow. This is crazy.


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## mayanjungledog

Fluorite is really dusty. You have to rinse and rinse and rinse some more. I rinsed a bit of the bag at a time in a 5 gallon bucket until the water ran clear. It took longer, but it was easier than trying to rinse the whole bag all at once. If you get most of the dust rinsed out, the rest will settle in day or two. It also helps to use some filter floss in your filter for the first few days after putting fluorite in you tank to catch all the fine particles and help clear the water.


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## Grifter

I just changed from gravel to flourite black sand , washed it (7kg) in 4 buckets for over a hour and 2 days later my water still has a white haze to it so yip it seams normal , but may be it wasn't washed enough hence its taking longer than normal.


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## DishyFishy

Ya, you have to rinse it a LOT. If you dont rinse it really well though, it will clear up in like 2 days, but every time you go to move plants or anything you'll kick up large amounts of the dust. So I recommend rinsing it like mayan said in small amounts, until the water runs almost clear.


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## Snailetta

Thanks guys. Good idea, I'll rinse it in small amounts today. I hate to run the dirty water through the filter because I've already got media started that I'm taking from a cycled 5 gal tank. I don't want to muck up the media - unless it doesn't matter?


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## RainSong

I placed a little at a time in a collander and hosed it in my yard until the water ran clear.

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## Bananariot

I used a large noodle strainer and rinsed it that way....toook a buttt load of time.


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## Snailetta

I rinsed all morning and even got to water my lawn at the same time. Water is much clearer now. Thanks again!


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## traxiii

90 lbs. of flourite must have taken 1000 gallons of water to rinse out to the point of only making the water kind of cloudy for a couple hours. It starts out like mud, and stays that way for a long time. Even now after 2 months in my 100g tank, I am cleaning mud from the sump. Still parts of the substrate are almost neutrally buoyant and fly all over the place when disturbed and cloud the water. I ended up capping the flourite with fine gravel and sand like they do with contaminated seabeds to keep it from making a complete mess of my filter. It seems to work that way, and the plants are happy too with their roots down in the flourite.


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## traxiii

I used a trash can and a garden hose on the lawn. The lawn seemed to like it too.


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## Diana

When you have thoroughly irrigated the lawn, and deep soaked the trees... 

Put the substrate in the tank damp, but no extra water. 
Arrange hills and valleys, driftwood and rocks. 
Plant, misting often. 
Put a plate or plastic bag over the substrate and pour the water in slowly, about 1 gallon per minute. Allow it to seep slowly over the plate. (You may need to keep misting the plants)


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## Mud

Dumb question but can your fish stay in the cloudy water? I had moved mine out to coolers but I had planned to get them back in tonight- but its cloudy.


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## Ben3721

Mud said:


> Dumb question but can your fish stay in the cloudy water? I had moved mine out to coolers but I had planned to get them back in tonight- but its cloudy.


Didnt kill mine but beware when you kick up that much stuff changing substrate it can change the ph a bunch. I dont care if they say its inert when they also claim it let's plants get nutrients. It will settle after a few days. You will need to clean your filter mechanical few times in the next few days, It also clogged my bio instantly unfortunately, which you cant just switch as easy.


I had to clean mine in the yard with a hose while it was on a old towel. Still clouding the water just as bad.


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## Mud

Thanks. I did a couple more water changes and it looks much better. I think I'll keep everyone in the 25gal cooler overnight and let the filter run. 🙂


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## Humu Humu

Try dosing with some Seachem Clarity. I used it to clear up a tank with cloudy fluorite and it did the job. It coagulates the small particles and they settle out faster.


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## Trickster 75

A friend of mine set up a new tank and decided to try live plants so he bought Flourite black sand which he did not rinse. Sent me a picture that looked like a 30 gal tank full of Blue Moon. I took an aqua clear 70 I had over and ran it with only filter floss in it. Changed the floss when it got discolored. it cleared up in about 24 hrs.


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