Starting a new tank with some questions!

[Kcirrem]

Hi all, I've been an owner of opae ula for around 8 years now; and I an doing research on starting my own tank. I purchased a 3 gallon tank, fluval marine salt, aragonite sand from CaribSea, two small glass bottles, some lava rock, and macroalgae/mossballs from Petshrimp for the tank.

I rinsed the sand 7-8 times with tap water, then 2 final times with distilled water until the water turned relatively clear, then added in the brackish water mixed with distilled water 1/3~1/2 according to the directions on the salt. I also make sure to wash my hands and arms well before manipulating anything in the tank. The water was cloudy when I first added it to the aquarium, but it cleared up very nicely within 2 days. I even notice the macroalgae slowly growing and reaching for the LED light I have! I plan to let the aquarium sit for at least 2 weeks until I add in shrimp.

All is going well except for one thing that I was worried about: After letting the water sit for a few days, upon rearranging some rocks and bottles, I noticed that the water had some translucent swirls going around as I was creating movement in the tank as if the water was not properly mixed. I understand that the sand would still have some particulates in it, but the water looked clear, as if i were mixing honey or oil in water. I did some research and others said it may be algae/bacteria blooms, but I just want to get a few more opinions and make sure that all is well before I add in the shrimp.

Thanks for reading!

[Nellyville41]

Every time I top off the water you can see the translucent clear that you’re talking about.

[SuperProofer]

It's probably the biofilm that floats on the surface. When you break the plane, you probably drag some down with your tools into the water. That would be my guess.

[i<3Opae]

If it’s clear like rest of the water, most likely it’s the salt water.

[Super Jess]

I agree, it's probably the salt water settling a little bit. As long as you mixed it thoroughly to completely dissolve the salt, it's nothing to worry about