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Tetra Initial Sticks - What A Mess



Hello APDers,
    I'm setting up a new tank today. A beautiful 46g bow front. The substrate
*was* enriched with Tetra Initial Sticks dosed per the directions. I say
*was* because it isn't anymore. I stirred up the gravel quite a bit while
installing a large piece of driftwood. I'd soaked the driftwood for a week
and it's screwed to a chunk of slate but I still had trouble with it
floating.
   What a mess! The water turned to milk. I can't even see two inches into the
tank! I'm running two power heads with Hagen Quick Filters in addition to the
canister filter to try to clean up this mess. I have two buckets full of
plants that I can't plant because I can't see what I'm doing. Bummer.
    Does anyone have experience with this stuff? How long will it take to
settle/filter out? Am I heading for a major algae bloom from the nutrients
released into the water column? Tetra Initial Sticks have a crude analysis of
1-0-25. Would a 100% water change be in order?
    By the way, the driftwood was covered with about 15 Java ferns. I wonder
what it looks like. Oh well, someday I'll get to see it.
    I attach them with a push pin through their tangly root mass. Don't pierce
the rhizome. It looks a little funny at first but after a couple of weeks I
remove the pins and the plants stay in place.

Kind regards,
Mark Stahlke
Living and learning in Aurora Co.