Flourite, Clarity -- Will my fish survive?

[plant_newbie]

So I have a 12 gallon community planted tank that's been set up for about 6 weeks. Like most newbies, I didn't realize substrate was such a big deal until after my plants, which were classified as low-med light and "easy" in the Internet articles I'd read, seemed to be doing OK but not great (despite the plant lights I'd purchased for them and dosing with Flourish according to the instructions on the bottle). I kept seeing recommendations for a Flourite substrate, so I carefully removed my rock and driftwood last night and put about two cups of flourite in one end of the tank and buried it under the "regular" gravel. I stopped because the tank clouded terribly -- I mean, I expected it to cloud, but I had no idea it was going to be so murky. I have a bottle of Clarity, but I don't know what's worse -- adding more chemicals or having my fish breathe all the dirty water. I'm kind of freaking out -- It was my own stupidity -- I'm certain the Flourite is great stuff, but do you think my fish can survive this? I've got extra floss in the filter and it's been running overnight but the water is still quite cloudy. Yikes! Any other recommendations (besides "Don't ever do that again, you idiot!" <LOL>)

[Tech Support DD]

You're not alone; there are others who have experienced this as well :-) Flourite can become dusty during the shipping process; it is highly recommended that you rinse it before adding it to a tank. Slight initial cloudiness is normal and will clear within 24 to 48 hours. To shorten the cloudiness period, you can use Clarity (at the recommended dose) in conjuction with mechanical filtration (such as filter floss). Make sure you change the filter floss every few hours or so; also, be sure to rinse your other filtration (filter media, filter pad, etc.) fairly often. This should help to clear up the cloudiness in a short amount of time.

[plant_newbie]

Thanks. I'll go ahead and use the Clarity at the initial dose then. I've already swapped the floss this morning and it is noticably clearer.

It wasn't until after I added the Flourite that I found your support forum -- VERY much appreciated! Amazing how attached we can become to those little fishies.

Keeping my fingers crossed!

[Tech Support JS]

I agree, it is very easy to become attached! Thank you for your comment and I hope you will contact us with any future concerns!

[plant_newbie]

Yippee!!! Water is crystal clear with narry a finned friend disturbed. Whew! Thanks for the advice and the great products. Can't wait to see what the Flourite does for my plants (well, on the one side of the tank I put it on.) ;-)

[Tech Support DD]

That's great news! You're very welcome; thank you very much for the kind words :-)