How do I clean used sand??

[chrisjet]

A freind of mine gave me a bucket of used sand from his old aquarium. How would i clean sand "wouldnt that wash out the good stuff " any advive on this subject would help.

Thanks,
Chris

[chrisjet]

anyone ttt

[rommelgin]

just rinse it out till it runs clear then let it dry and rinse again with r/o. i wouldnt use it without rinsing....you will loose all the good things in it but you'll be adding the bad stuff too and you dont want that if you have an established tank already. you can maybe add a cup of the sand prior to rinsing to add diversity of whatevers in it to you tank.

[hawaiianwargod]

Originally posted by rommelgin
just rinse it out till it runs clear then let it dry and rinse again with r/o. i wouldnt use it without rinsing....you will loose all the good things in it but you'll be adding the bad stuff too and you dont want that if you have an established tank already. you can maybe add a cup of the sand prior to rinsing to add diversity of whatevers in it to you tank.

Well said Mel!

[happyface888]

Originally posted by rommelgin
just rinse it out till it runs clear then let it dry and rinse again with r/o. i wouldnt use it without rinsing....you will loose all the good things in it but you'll be adding the bad stuff too and you dont want that if you have an established tank already. you can maybe add a cup of the sand prior to rinsing to add diversity of whatevers in it to you tank.

Agreed, recently got some old sand, I just hosed it down, if you dont be prepared for a cycle...

[scaryperson27]

Just make sure you rinse it in salt water. All of the bacteria that is useful mostly exist on the surface of the bits of aragonite. Like Mel said, i would rinse it in Salt water to avoid killing any of the bacteria that exist on the aragonite. Basically when you rinse it in fresh water you are simulating a fresh water dip which is meant to expire any life on the sand.

[melev]

If you rinse it out well with tap water and a garden hose until the sand is clean and detritus free, it will be like starting with brand new sand. If you need some life, get a few cups of sand from a local hobbyist or your LFS and seed the sandbed with that.

You don't want to put old dirty sand in your tank, and anything over 6 months old usually has layers that contain toxins that can hurt your livestock. Better to get it cleaned out well.

[Wind Seeker]

any good methods for replacing the "cleaned" sand back into an established reef?

[on3ofak1nd]

I have used several methods for putting new sand into an established aquarium. My most recent and favorite method is to fill a large ziplock bag with the sand... lower it to the bottom then release it slowly, this reduces the amount of "sand storming" you get and also lets you place it more accurately. Another method would be to use a plastic cup and again lower it slowly in till you can pour it directly onto the bottom...

again this is AFTER you have rinsed it thoroughly.

[Kung]

I've used a funnel and some siphon tubing to target areas. You pour the sand in the funnel, and then steer the tubing to where you want sand.

It's drier than the other two options.