cloudy water...

[gypsyb]

I don't have air bubbles. I have a hanging filter that I just put the sponge in with nothing else as I'm cycling a new tank. I have my heat between 78-80 deg. and a zoo med PS-20 for water circulation.
The water hasn't cleared up and it was set up 4 days ago.
What should I do? I'm a little apprehensive about putting the charcole (sp) filter in as I don't want to slow down the process.http://www.iconator.com/custom/e2d74c3daa70e098db5dd44b2f35bb12/ICONATOR_e2d74c_887963.jpg

 

[NanoReefaholic]

That's a really small picture but from what I can see there isn't alot of rock in there. Generally when the bacteria populate the sand they weigh it down enough to be brought to the bottom of the water column. It may still happen in time if you don't have the suggested amount of liverock (~1.5lbs/G) but you could simply remove it if you like. Depending on the filter you may be able to swap out the sponge for filter floss.

Also be careful when running sponges as they can be a huge source of nitrates from trapped matter. Quite a few people run filter floss in place of sponges to trap particulate matter and change it out every two to three days.