Washing aragonite sand

[SarahR]

I am in the process of setting up a Fluval edge tank and decided to use aragonite sand. I started washing it tonight in a bucket . But I could never get it to stop emitting a milky color. It seemed was using a lot water for little gain. How much should I wash it? I want to make sure it's clean but I don't want to waste water. Should I clean it and then run a filter for a couple days? The filter came with the aquarium but I wasn't going to use it since I didn't need to.
Any advice would be appreciated.

[KenCotigirl]

Sara remember that you do not need a thick layer of sand for the tank. One half inch or less. So take a small amount of sand say a cup and rinse. It may never rinse completely clean. The tank will clear up without the filter.

[SarahR]

Thanks, I appreciate it. That eases my mind. I just never cloud get the sand cleaning water to stop being cloudy. But it seemed like it must be clean. This is my first time with sand

[Harry]

I first boil the sand to kill off bacteria. Then, in a small (quarter gallon) container with lid, I place 1/4 container of sand, fill with another quarter container of tap water, close the lid and shake it up well. Then I pour off the milky water. I repeat this several times and eventually the water comes clear. After that, I have no problems in the aquarium.

[Flippers]

I know that this is an old post (sorry, I'm looking through the whole forum!!), but to wash my sand, I poked holes in the bag with a pin and filled it over my sink. The water was milky and it took a very long time, but it started to come out clear. After I placed it in my tank, it took three or four additional rinses (dumping the water and adding it again) to have clear water IN the tank. It's not clear and beautiful. I have about 2 inches in the lightest areas of my 5 gallon tank and about 4 inches in the heaviest. It's cycling now and I'm excited to add my shrimp!