Recycling sand?

Capt_Cully · #1 12/27/2007, 08:09 AM

Is there a good way to clean and reuse sand? I have an SSB. From time to time I have siphoned off dirty sand. It's now built up into a good amount. Can I reuse it in another tank?

Thanks

jjjo · #2 12/27/2007, 11:10 AM

yes... its called a new bag of sand

jjjo · #3 12/27/2007, 11:11 AM

or a sea cucumber??

Capt_Cully · #4 12/27/2007, 11:47 AM

I was afraid someone would say that. It's funny, the older I get and the more money I make, the cheaper i get........."WHO LEFT THESE LIGHTS ON??????

jimmer · #5 12/27/2007, 01:16 PM

i got one of those python things from pet smart and put a longer hose on it.start the siphon and i put one end in my filter bag in the sump.pinch the hose so it picks up sand but dont allow it to go into hose.you have to keep releasing and applying pressure so it picks up and then let the sand go so just the dirty crap comes out of the sand.

nwrogers · #6 12/27/2007, 01:32 PM

If you rinse it well I don’t see why you couldn’t get most of the crud out of it. You will lose some sand in the process of rinsing it really well but you will also reclaim some previously unusable sand. Just rinse and re-rinse until the water looks clean, that is what I would do.

ABCReefs · #7 12/27/2007, 01:53 PM

Feel free to send it my way. I can easily give it a DI rinse at work and return it good as new. How "fine" is the sand?

acdraindrps · #8 12/27/2007, 02:30 PM

I wouldn't use it.

Sand is relatively cheap. Its not worth the problems you might have had when using that old sand.

Gary Majchrzak · #9 12/27/2007, 05:58 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by acdraindrps
I wouldn't use it.

Sand is relatively cheap. Its not worth the problems you might have had when using that old sand.

I agree.

But then again, I'm a cheapskate, too. If it's worth the PIA you can vac the sand with a Python (like Jim mentioned) or simply stir it up with a stick or blast it with a powerhead so some of the crud gets filtered out by mechanical filtration. Sometimes I sift larger crap out of the sand using a wide mesh net.

75galreef · #10 12/27/2007, 07:28 PM

RE USE IT, just rinse it very well then let it dry for 24 hrs. It will kill anything that MAY servive the fresh water washing. Yes it will be like new sand all over again.

acdraindrps · #11 12/27/2007, 09:35 PM

Quote:

RE USE IT, just rinse it very well then let it dry for 24 hrs. It will kill anything that MAY servive the fresh water washing. Yes it will be like new sand all over again.

What about the aftermath of all that death? Rinsing WILL NOT make the sand new again.

fat-tony · #12 12/27/2007, 09:42 PM

it's not porous, why won't rinsing it clean the gunk out from in between?

Capt_Cully · #13 12/27/2007, 09:58 PM

didn't mean to open a can of worms, just wondered if there was a quick fix. I'll probably just scrap it.

jjjo · #14 12/27/2007, 10:09 PM

the quickest fix is siphon old sand into bucket. then throw away bucket of sand. then get new bag of sand.

thriceanangel · #15 12/29/2007, 12:04 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by jjjo
the quickest fix is siphon old sand into bucket. then throw away bucket of sand. then get new bag of sand.

Forgot: and drive to LFS, spend money, rinse NEW sand just as much as OLD sand, then put into tank...

Not quite as quick as:

Rinse old sand completely, install in tank... No worries...

jjjo · #16 12/29/2007, 07:49 AM

>>>Rinse old sand completely, install in tank... No worries...

or worry of mass dieoff

Kent E · #17 12/29/2007, 08:29 AM

I've rinsed sand and reused it.

Actually, for me this debate would come down to which sand I was using. expensive LFS sand? Then definitely rinse. Cheap HD or Lowes sand? Buy new.

johno4 · #18 12/29/2007, 09:49 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by thriceanangel
Forgot: and drive to LFS, spend money, rinse NEW sand just as much as OLD sand, then put into tank...

Not quite as quick as:

Rinse old sand completely, install in tank... No worries...

I agree, rinse old sand or rinse new sand, same difference. Save your money rinse old sand. Theres my 2 cents

fat-tony · #19 12/29/2007, 10:16 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by jjjo
>>>Rinse old sand completely, install in tank... No worries...

or worry of mass dieoff

are you speaking from experience or here-say? And if you had this problem, did you in fact rinse or did you just move it to a different tank.

thriceanangel · #20 12/30/2007, 01:32 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by fat-tony
are you speaking from experience or here-say? And if you had this problem, did you in fact rinse or did you just move it to a different tank.

For me, I know that I have used the same sand from my first tank in my next 3. And I'll use it in my fourth soon now. Thats a savings of about a hundred dollars!

In fact I have even used OTHER peoples sand!

Nope no die off either...

morris2 · #21 12/30/2007, 11:14 AM

Ok I will get sucked into this pointless thread. Rinse and reuse it. Buy new if you want, but why?

Whether you recycle old or buy new, do not take too much sand out at once and replace with "new sand". A large loss of bacteria living in the sand can start a new cycle.

Capt_Cully · #22 12/30/2007, 11:54 AM

I don't have a DSB, only SSB. When I siphon off old/dirty sand it's only a pound or two. Then it's replaced with new sand. This keeps the sandbed looking nice and white. I think that compared to the LR in the tank, sump, and refugium, that little bit of sand's effect is nominal.

My original question was to see if there was some quick clean process I didn't know about for re using sand. I'm starting a nano tank and I thought maybe I could take all this old sand sitting in a bucket, wash it, and use it in there. Ya know, save a couple of bucks.

I already pitched it, but its amazing to see the feedback on this thread.

Gary Majchrzak · #23 12/30/2007, 01:40 PM

if only we could get such great discussions going on some really important things- like what beer is the best

Anyhoot- I agree with Kent. If it's the el cheapo Home Depot type play sand I would pitch it. That stuff is a real PITA to try and clean.
If it's the more pricey stuff like CaribSea Special Sea Floor I would definitely clean it up and reuse it.
(What kind do you have, Cully?)

Incidentally, cleaning sand in saltwater will preserve a lot of the bacteria. Cleaning it in freshwater will kill bacteria.

Capt_Cully · #24 12/30/2007, 01:48 PM

Free beer is ALWAYS best!

johno4 · #25 12/30/2007, 02:57 PM

If your looking for a better way to keep your sand clean instead of siphoning out and adding new you could get some sort of sand sifting goby. I got a sleeper head goby b/c my sand was starting to look not so clean, this thing keeps the sand moving so much it looks like I just added new sand. This guy is nice b/c he actually swims around instead of the typical crawl on the bottom. Just a thought for you.