Hi everybody.. i have just got myself a new tank and im putting sand in as a substrate..The problem is i"ve never used sand before and im not to sure wot is the best way to clean it before i put it in my new tank. I"ve put half a bag into a bucket filled it with water swirled the sand around in the bucket with the water then tipped the water away..I"ve done this 10 times now but the water is still cloudy (sand colored)...Any help would be very helpful:)

With all the will in the world you are not going to clean your substrate to the extent that when you fill the tank with water, it is crystal clear. I been using sand in the past few years and all I do is fill the sand around in a bucket half full of water, it might take quite a bit of water but once the water does become reasonably clear, that's perfectly adequate. When you fill a tank of water, it probably will become quite cloudy, don't worry about it, that will settle after a day or two.

THANK YOU oscarfish lover your a diamond..This site is fantastic and a credit to you and all your helpers....will send you some pics when the tank is fully up and running....Oh well its back out to the cold for me now,with my bucket of water.many thanks again

Yes, best to clean substrate outside, it's amazing how much crap comes out of it.